There’s no denying that former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell will be long remembered as one of the first faces of this sport. He still does his part, transitioning what was a historic career as a mixed martial artist to his current position now, as the Vice President of Business Development within the organization.
Liddell is still a visible figure within the company, as he regularly attends events, most recently UFC 135, which took place this past weekend in Denver, Colorado where champion Jon Jones successfully defended his title against challenger Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
During his tenure as a fighter, Liddell was there for the early days of the sport, when it was widely regarded as taboo—making MMA, for a time, the ugly step cousin of television, and only saw some form of social acceptance after the ultra-popular The Ultimate Fighter program kicked off on Spike TV.
Now, the organization has since struck up a deal with a network television juggernaut in FOX, which will house several UFC-related programs spanning from the home network, FX and Fuel TV.
Needless to say, the deal is both huge and monumental for the sport, which is something that Liddell can appreciate, he just wishes it would have happened sooner rather than later.
“I think the FOX deal is great”, said the UFC exec.
“I think it’s the next step for the sport and I’m very excited for all the guys.
“I don’t know all the details on it, but I’m sure—I knew a lot of times that they had just some deals that they didn’t have the deal they wanted; it wasn’t what we needed to put us forward and I think they waited for the time to have the perfect deal for expanding the sport and growing the sport across the world.
“I think it’s about time. They’ve accepted us as a sport and it’s the next step for us being accepted as a sport in the big time.”
The UFC Hall of Famer was last seen inside the Octagon in June of last year, where he performed well against Rich Franklin before suffering his third-consecutive knockout loss in the waning moments of the bout.
The loss was the final straw for Liddell to decide to finally hang up the gloves after 12-years spent as a professional, though he still has his moments where he finds himself jealously looking on the outside wishing he was still inside the cage.
“Look, I still like fighting, I still want to fight”, said Liddell.
“My reasons for retiring stay the same and there’s nothing I can do about that. I’m happy doing what I’m doing, promoting the sport and helping grow the sport I love.
“(I spend) A lot of traveling and a lot of time away from home, but it’s a lot of fun and I’m still getting to watch the sport that I love and being out there putting it on for other people.”
Outside of his obligations with the organization, Liddell still finds the time to act from time to time.
Recently, “The Iceman” wrapped up shooting an episode for the revamped Hawaii Five-O program, which airs on CBS—Liddell plays himself in a charity bout against Alex O’Loughlin, the leader of the fictional TV crew.
“It was fun, getting on Hawaii Five-O”, said the former UFC champ.
“It was a show that I used to watch, now it’s a new version of it, but it was great working with the stunt guys and the guys out there on the show and it’s fun.
“I like acting. I like doing that stuff, I have fun with it, so as long as it comes my way, yeah, we’re going to do something. It’s another way to get this sport out there and get it to people who wouldn’t check out a fight, maybe they will after they see it on their TV.”
Fighting has defined Liddell’s life, but his success still lies away from the cage, which is refreshing to see a man of his stature enjoy other pleasantries instead of getting hit in the head for a living—even if Liddell much prefers the latter.
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