Certain athletes can carry a sport to the next level and every game has that watershed moment or era when it enters the sports world's consciousness. Was Chuck Liddell that guy for MMA and the UFC?
Has MMA really arrived yet? Maybe. Maybe not. It is safe to say the sport might be still be struggling badly if it weren't for the contributions in and out of the Octagon from the "Iceman."
Liddell arrived on the scene in 1998 at UFC 17. He had the look, with the mohawk and scowl, plus a love of the standup game. If you think some fans complain now about the ground game, imagine trying to sell MMA to an audience that only wanted blood and guts, and was used to watching boxers duke it out.
Liddell produced huge wins over Randy Couture at UFC 52 and 57. He also put an exclamation point on his war with Tito Ortiz by crushing him at UFC 66. That 2007 event was the first time the UFC passed the one million mark in pay-per-view buys on a single card.
Liddell, along with Dana White, basically went on a barnstorming media tour for three years.
My radio show in Las Vegas had Liddell on at least a half-dozen times.
The future champ signed autographs and made appearances all over the U.S., even if only a few dozen people showed up. But it was that grass roots effort, that Liddell took part in whole-heartedly, that layed the groundwork for what we see today. Now a "disappointing" UFC PPV draws 350,000 buys and the company is reportedly worth in excess of $1 billion.
The sport is also all over cable television. Remember the days, when holding a UFC card outside of Las Vegas seemed like just a dream? In 2010, the promotion hit 18 different cities in six different countries.
Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar are given a lot of the credit, and rightly so, for saving the company in 2005 with their scrap at the first 'The Ultimate Fighter Finale." Don't forget it was Liddell, along with Randy Couture, who coached that first season. It was a reality show that the promotion and participants didn't even know would make it onto television. What if Liddell, who was becoming a big star at that point, had an inflated ego and said he didn't want to do it? What was the fallback plan?
In the cage, Liddell dominated the MMA landscape in 2005 and 2006. As his career was winding down, he became a crossover star on shows like The Simpsons and Dancing With The Stars. The fight game has to have studs that transcend the sport. Liddell was that guy for some moms, grandpas and other non-MMA fans.
Liddell probably shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath as other sport's greats like Jack Dempsey or Bill Russell/Wilt Chamberlain or Dale Earnhardt or Johnny Unitas or Babe Ruth, but 25 years from now, he'll be looked upon fondly by those who'll remember the early days of MMA when it was an absolute zero on the sports landscape.
Throughout the day, we'll post some old interviews we did with Liddell from 2004-2009.
Aug. of 2004 - Liddell talks about his fight at UFC 49.
Oct. of 2006 - Liddell and Matt Hughes before UFC 64.
Apr. of 2009 - Liddell before his fight against Mauricio Rua at UFC 97.
Roberto Clemente Bo Jackson Josh Gibson Deion Sanders Dan Marino
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