Chuck Liddell

Charles David ‘Chuck’ Liddell (nickname "The Iceman,") born on December 17, 1969 in Santa Barbara, California, is a mixed martial arts fighter with a background in Kempo Karate, where he is a black belt, Koei-Kan Karate-Do, Kickboxing and Collegiate Wrestling. He contests in the Ultimate Fighting Championship nowadays and is the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He has been acknowledged by MMAWeekly.com to be the #1 ranked 205 lb (93 kg) fighter in the world.

Liddell is mainly considered as a little unorthodox striker because of his easygoing "hands-down" pose and angles from where he punches. He is endowed with powerful kicks, flawless combination striking generally consisting of a characteristic looping overhand left hook, and counter-punching. His knockout power is also very awesome and is regarded by many as the hardest puncher at 205 pounds. Liddell also has excellent wrestling skills, especially the takedown defense. He was a 4 year starter on the wrestling team at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He graduated from Cal Poly and holds degrees in business and accounting. Liddell is the favorite of the fans and is one of the most popular UFC contestants. He is a member of the Pitfight team and has just got a Purple Belt in Jiu-Jitsu.

Liddell started mixed martial arts career in 1998, when he won a decision victory over Noe Hernandez at UFC 17. Then he went on to beat Landi-Jons, Guy Mezger and Kevin Randleman and suffered his first career defeat  at the hands of Jeremy Horn. He competed and won against the expert Middleweight champion, Murilo Bustamante; though this verdict was disputed. Despite enjoying winning streak and showing strong performances, it was only when he defeated "The Phenom" Vitor Belfort at UFC 37.5 that he catapulted into the higher ranks within the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

By 2002, Liddell was regarded as a permanent #1 contender for the light heavyweight title and enjoyed the growing popularity and support of the fans. But he lost to veteran former heavyweight Randy Couture at UFC 43 for Interim Light Heavyweight Championship. After this loss, Liddell contested the PRIDE 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix tournament in Japan. He went on winning the fights, till he was knocked out in the semi-finals of the tournament by Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. This was Liddell's final and only unavenged career loss till today.

Chuck then came back to the UFC, to contend for the prized light heavyweight title, and getting ready for the fight against the reigning champion Tito Ortiz. This was a controversial match that was won by Liddell and Ortiz claiming that he wanted his title back. In the beginning of 2005, Liddell appeared on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, Spike TV's reality show, showing new fighters to the UFC contesting for a UFC contract. On 16th April 2005, he won a rematch against Randy Couture. This victory fetched him a sponsorship deal with sports supplement company Xyience.