Why I Love: Chuck Liddell

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Chuck Liddell's one of the first men I ever saw fight. His mohawk was intriguing. Then I noticed his front side - how when he breathed out, he had abs, but when he breathed in, the abs disappeared. I love his striking, I love his stalking, I love his stand up. I love his passion. I love how nothing means more to him than being the champion. I love how he crushed everyone for years, waiting to get a shot at the title. And I just so badly love how he brought the sport more mainstream and helped MMA get into everybody's face.

Chuck's a pretty hard guy to bet against. He's got the power, the agility, the best sprawl in the game, and an unreal ability to pop back up like a Jack in the Box when he's taken down. Yes, he's lost his last few fights pretty convincingly, but remember when he used to be the one knocking people out left, right and center?

Look at what he's done for the sport! Maybe you don't like the skull tattoos or the grumbly voice, but how can you not like how he sat at the top of the light-heavyweight division for years, even when he didn't hold the title? When he fought Randy Couture, it was the most highly-anticipated fight yet; all three of them were. Goldie and Rogan repeatedly said that there wasn't one single person sitting throughout those fights. In the first fight, Chuck got caught in the third round. But in the other two fights, Chuck was on the prowl and left the Octagon with two knock out victories over the other man who's regarded as being the biggest legend of the sport.

That word - "legend" - what does it mean exactly, how do you define a legend? For Liddell, he defined it when he stalked the light-heavyweight belt, waiting for a chance to step into the Octagon and land a big, looping punch on the champion. He defined it with the most wins and most (T)KOs in UFC history. And, most importantly, he defined it in victory.

Liddell avenged his loss to Jeremy Horn. We already talked about his wins over Randy. He beat Renato Sobral twice, as well as Tito Ortiz twice. And let's not forget his fight against Wanderlei Silva. Both men were coming off of consecutive losses and were looking to redeem themselves. Well... Chuck did what he went in to do. That was three rounds of pure passion and love. Not for the other guy standing across the ring, but for the sport. Chuck went in there and gave it everything he had. Wanderlei's one of the biggest warriors of the sport, so for Chuck to come out on top really meant something.

Now, Chuck was supposed to fight Tito again, for the third time, after the culmination of The Ultimate Fighter 11. Dana White said that that's the fight that the fans want to see. Well, I don't know about that. Fans might be more interested in seeing them on TUF 11 instead of seeing them in the ring. While Tito's wrestling (and the strength of his upper body) is very impressive, taking down Chuck - who's also a wrestler - is one bloody tough task. And coupled with Chuck's kickboxing and karate, and especially with those huge hands, Tito would be in for a rough fight. But, it doesn't look like we're gonna get to see that fight after all. Next in line for Chuck? Looks like Rich Franklin.

So how does it stand? Chuck's one of the all-time greats in MMA. Whether you love him or you hate him, his place will always be cemented in UFC history.