Tito Ortiz Talks Neck Surgery, Comeback and Still Wanting to Fight Chuck Liddell

Filed under: UFC, NewsBreaking his silence about his neck injury, withdrawing from his fight with Chuck Liddell and being replaced on The Ultimate Fighter, Tito Ortiz said he plans to be back in the cage around October or November, and hopes to return …

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Breaking his silence about his neck injury, withdrawing from his fight with Chuck Liddell and being replaced on The Ultimate Fighter, Tito Ortiz said he plans to be back in the cage around October or November, and hopes to return against Liddell.

Speaking on Spike’s Inside the Ultimate Fighter podcast, Ortiz said he will actually be rooting for Liddell in his UFC 115 bout this weekend against Rich Franklin, but said win or lose, Liddell should have to face him later this year.

Dana White: If Chuck Loses Saturday Night, He’ll be forced to Retire Again

(Chuck just enjoying life at Shady Acres Retirement home.)
Fighters Only caught up with Dana White this week and spoke about Chuck Liddell’s future with the promotion should the Iceman lose to Rich Franklin at UFC 115. According to the UFC president, L…


(Chuck just enjoying life at Shady Acres Retirement home.)

Fighters Only caught up with Dana White this week and spoke about Chuck Liddell’s future with the promotion should the Iceman lose to Rich Franklin at UFC 115. According to the UFC president, Liddell will be given a gold watch and a nice retirement package if he doesn’t win Saturday night.

“Yes[he’ll be done], and I think he will say the same thing. But let me tell you what the difference is – the difference before, when I wanted him retired, was that he wasn’t doing the right thing," White said. "He was out partying every night and doing the wrong thing not the right thing. He wasn’t living the life of a professional athlete."

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Dissection by Dallas: Liddell vs. Franklin

By CagePotato contributor Dallas Winston To see past installments of Dallas’s incredibly thorough (and usually accurate) fight breakdowns, click here.
The UFC’s infusion of Pride and other overseas fighters had a significant impact on the near…

Chuck Liddell Rich Franklin punch-out UFC 115 hackleman

By CagePotato contributor Dallas Winston
To see past installments of Dallas’s incredibly thorough (and usually accurate) fight breakdowns, click here.

The UFC’s infusion of Pride and other overseas fighters had a significant impact on the nearly invincible aura surrounding Chuck Liddell and Rich Franklin.

Only a few short years ago, the duo had thoroughly cleaned out their respective divisions as UFC champions, shellacking any and all takers with unorthodox striking that commonly ended in highlight-reel knockouts, until Pride’s demise opened the flood gates for an influx of hungry new blood.

Before first meeting Anderson Silva in 2006, Franklin boasted a stout 20-1-1 clip, ending all contests but one by stoppage — fourteen of which were handled in the opening frame — with some mysterious karate guy accounting for his only stain on the carpet. Since that dark eve of the profoundly deviated septum at UFC 64, Franklin has notched a mediocre 5-4 run, checkered by three brutal first-round beatings and one tight decision loss, all dealt by former Pride fighters (although Vitor Belfort’s classification should remain amorphous).

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The Ultimate Fighter 11.11 Recap: Sleep When You’re Dead

(The conclusion of the Tavares/McGee semi-final battle. Props: WWELegendKillerV1)
The two-hour last-actual-episode of TUF 11 begins with Tito Ortiz being whitewashed out of the production. Rich Franklin is slotted into the opening credits. His pos…

(The conclusion of the Tavares/McGee semi-final battle. Props: WWELegendKillerV1)

The two-hour last-actual-episode of TUF 11 begins with Tito Ortiz being whitewashed out of the production. Rich Franklin is slotted into the opening credits. His poster replaces Tito’s in the gym. Ace signs the bout agreement to fight Chuck Liddell. It’s almost as if Tito…never existed.
 
Rich was under the impression that he was just coming by to promote his fight with Chuck; he didn’t know Tito was completely off the show, and that he’d have to help Kris McCray train for his semi-final fight against Josh Bryant. Dana White calls up a few notables from the Xtreme Couture camp to help out as assistant coaches: Forrest Griffin, Gray Maynard, and Tyson Griffin. The guys help Kris with wrestling techniques, and Kris is surprised at how smooth the transition is.

It takes some getting used to for Chuck, though: "I go from fighting a guy I hate, to fighting one of the nicest guys in MMA." But when the time comes, he’ll be ready to rumble. 

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New-Look Chuck Liddell Never Seriously Considered Retirement

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, VideosVANCOUVER, British Columbia — MMA Fighting spoke to Chuck Liddell at Wednesday’s UFC 115 media day just days prior to his main event fight against Rich Franklin.

“The Iceman” talked about why he…

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia — MMA Fighting spoke to Chuck Liddell at Wednesday’s UFC 115 media day just days prior to his main event fight against Rich Franklin.

“The Iceman” talked about why he returned to action following his loss to Shogun Rua at UFC 97, how he convinced Dana White to let him fight again and what he expects to see from Rich Franklin come Saturday night.

Check out the video interview below.

Make No Mistake About it: Rich Franklin Is Working Towards Title Shot

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, VideosVANCOUVER, British Columbia — MMA Fighting spoke to Rich Franklin at Wednesday’s UFC 115 media day.

“Ace” talked about being a late replacement on The Ultimate Fighter, what kind of Chuck Liddel…

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia — MMA Fighting spoke to Rich Franklin at Wednesday’s UFC 115 media day.

“Ace” talked about being a late replacement on The Ultimate Fighter, what kind of Chuck Liddell he expects to face on Saturday night, why he still thinks he is in the hunt for a title shot and why it always seems like the UFC puts him on card in new market to help introduce fans and media to the sport.

Check out the video interview below.