The legendary former UFC champion has never boxed professionally.
Jake Paul has a fresh new Showtime contract and a reported fight against Tyron Woodley coming up next. Before that bombshell news broke, Chuck Liddell was asked if he’d take on Paul.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion was interviewed by TMZ about a potential showdown with the social media celebrity turned 3-0 professional boxer. Liddell was known for his boxing and knockout power at the height of his career, and obviously the 51-year-old believes he still has the skills to take down someone who’s not even half his age.
“He’s not good enough to fight me,” Liddell said. “It just doesn’t make sense for him. None of it makes sense for this guy. He’s going to risk getting hurt like that?”
There is the tiniest bit of backstory to this idea even being floated. After Paul knocked out former Bellator and ONE champion Ben Askren, a fan was really #madonline and wanted some MMA fighter to beat up Jake Paul and Liddell was one of his suggestions. This prompted ‘The Iceman’ to say he’s “ready anytime for that clown.”
I’m ready anytime for that clown https://t.co/J0QeXRvvzn
— Chuck Liddell (@ChuckLiddell) May 10, 2021
Liddell (21-9) has never boxed professionally and hasn’t fought in any combat sport since Tito Ortiz knocked him out in the first (and last) Golden Boy MMA promotion. His last win was so long ago that George W. Bush was still the US President. He’s been knocked out seven times in his nine losses and he looked completely done against Ortiz, whom he’d beaten twice in their famous UFC rivalry.
Just because Liddell isn’t too keen on partaking in the celebrity boxing craze as a competitor doesn’t mean he wants out of that scene entirely. He’ll be the referee for Lamar Odom vs. Aaron Carter on June 11th in a sentence that I definitely wish wasn’t true. Liddell told the TMZ interviewer that he’ll stick to celebrity refereeing for now, buuuuuuut….
“If they offer me enough money, I’m always down to fight,” Liddell concluded.
Yeah let’s hope the cash isn’t splashed out on this occasion.