Chuck Liddell: "I'm Already Pumped Up About Punching Ortiz in the Mouth Again"

Once recognized as the most feared striker in the light-heavyweight division, Chuck Liddell has lost four of his last five fights. Three of those defeats have come by way of a brutal knockout courtesy of Quinton Jackson , Rashad Evans , and Mauricio "Shogun " Rua.

In the eyes of the majority of MMA fans and UFC President Dana White, "The Iceman" should hang up the five ounce gloves before he causes any long-term damage to both his legacy and his health.

White agreed to allow Liddell to compete against arch-rival and former light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz after the two coached against each other on season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter, but even White hopes that Liddell will officially call it quits afterward.

However, "The Iceman" isn't ready to retire just yet. In fact, he finds motivation from the comments of his doubters. Liddell is fired up to prove the haters wrong and smash his way back into the upper echelon of the 205-lbs. division.

"It is what it is. I'll keep arguing, and [White] will keep arguing with me. It doesn't matter. I've just got to show him I can perform. If I perform, he'll keep letting me fight" Liddell said in a recent interview with MMA Junkie .

"The funny thing with fans is I lost two, then I fought Wanderlei (Silva). Great fight, and everybody was like, "Oh, you're back." Then if that punch is one more inch off, and Rashad (Evans) doesn't beat me, I probably win that fight easy, and I probably would have got a title shot."

Liddell feels he is in a similar situation that Randy Couture was in before Couture dominated Tim Sylvia to reclaim the UFC heavyweight championship.

"Randy, they were glad he retired after I knocked him out twice," Liddell said. "He had never been knocked out in his career. I knocked him dead the second time, and everyone went, "Oh, it's over. He's done. He's too old now."

"He came back, and he's still fighting. He won the heavyweight title. I just needed some time off."

Liddell has taken the time to refocus since his April 2009 loss to "Shogun " and is prepared to make a huge statement all over Ortiz' face. Liddell has previously knocked Ortiz out on two separate occasions, but is still hungry to do it all over again.

"I knocked him out twice already, so in that way, it's not a big deal," Liddell said. "But [the trash talk] has already started. I have no problem getting up to fight him. He's starting to jaw a little bit, and it's already started going. By the time this season's over, I'm going to be really ready to put my fist in his mouth - if I don't do it before the end of the season."

Ortiz is known for his pre-fight antics and getting into his opponents head before the fight. This strategy obviously didn't work in his favor in the first two fights but it seems Ortiz is at it again. No matter, Liddell is confident and willing to shut his mouth for a third time.

"I never have to get motivated to fight. I love fighting. But training is always where you need the extra help to get motivated. We did one interview together today, and I'm already getting pumped up about punching him in the mouth."

The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 airs live on Spike TV, beginning on Mar. 31. Liddell and Ortiz will coach a team of middleweight fighters who will all be competing in a tournament format to win a six-figure contract with the UFC.

This article was originally featured on fiveknuckles.com