10 MMA Fights That Created Instant Legends

9. Chuck Liddell Vs. Randy Couture - UFC 57

Liddell Couture
UFC

At first glance, Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz at UFC 47 could be viewed as Liddell’s legend-making fight.

While that battle was hotly anticipated – Tito ducking The Iceman for the longest time – and gave Chuck one of the biggest wins of his MMA career, UFC 57 was the event that really solidified Liddell’s status as an icon of Mixed Martial Arts.

That UFC 57 KO win over Randy Couture not only gave Chuck the 2-1 advantage in his and The Natural's trilogy, and not only saw Liddell retain his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, but the hype and attention given to this February 2006 fight was a landmark moment in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

It was UFC 57 that set a new record for the company’s highest grossing gate, drawing an unheard of amount of $3.3 million. 400,000 PPV buys were also generated by Liddell vs. Couture 3, making this the moment that truly set Chuck Liddell up as an unquestionable legend of MMA.

Last year's Golden Boy loss to Tito Ortiz is not the way that fans should remember Liddell - with Chuck then 49 years old and having not fought for eight years - and instead we all need to remember just how phenomenal The Iceman was during a pivotal time for the UFC's push into the mainstream.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.