Chuck Liddell: MMA Juggernaut

Chuck Liddell is one of the most popular MMA champions today. He was born December 17, 1969, and is known in the Ultimate Fighting Championship world as The Iceman. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion, and has been active in Mixed Martial Arts for years.

Chuck Liddell has a long career in wrestling and kickboxing that goes back many years. Chuck Liddell began taking lessons in Koei Kan Karate when he was only twelve years old, and a close look at his scalp will reveal a tattoo that reads Koei Kan. When Chuck Liddell was in high school, he enjoyed the local fame as a starting player on the football team for all four years that he attended. Growing up in Santa Barbara, a college town, he says that he often would get into fights with the local college kids who would come out of the bars late at night drunk, and had found then that he was an excellent fighter.

While he was a student at California Polytechnic State University, he became a Division I wrestler, and graduated with his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1995. After that, he began to train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with expert John Lewis. At 62 and 205 pounds, Chuck Liddell combines his training in Kempo Karate and Koei Kan karate into his fighting style for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, making him a real stand up fighter. He is famous within the Mixed Martial Arts community for his incredible takedown defense and knockout skills.

Since 1998, Chuck Liddell has taken down many of the top fighters in Mixed Martial Arts, beginning with a stunning win over Noe Hernandez in a fight that began his career in the limelight with Mixed Martial Arts. Four short years later, in 2002 he was credited with being the number one Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter in the light heavyweight division. Other big name fighters that he has taken down in the ring over the years are Jeremy Horn, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz and Kevin Randleman. His relaxed hands down stance and unorthodox punch angles make him a unique fighter in the UFC, and also a favorite among fans.

Chuck Lidell is grateful to his fans and gives back to the people who have cheered him on through the years. In 2005, Chuck Liddell made an appearance on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, Spike TVs reality show that features amateur fighters competing for a UFC contract. He was the coach of Team Liddell while Randy Couture coached Team Couture.