Tito Ortiz thought he was ‘great friends’ with Chuck Liddell before their three-fight series.
The legendary light heavyweight duo were sparring partners at the start of their epic MMA careers.
Chuck Liddell even slept on Tito Ortiz‘s couch before they became bitter rivals in the UFC.
‘The Iceman’ knocked out Ortiz twice during the peak of his career. Ultimately, ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ got the last laugh when he stopped Liddell in the first round of their ill-advised trilogy bout in November 2018.
Chuck Liddell explains his relationship with Tito Ortiz
As far as Liddell is concerned, he was never more than a training partner to Ortiz.
In September 2023, the retired MMA legend had Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson in hysterics as he dismissed talk of a friendship between the pair.
“We were good training partners,” Liddell said on the JAXXON podcast.
“I mean, he makes out like we were great friends. ‘Oh, he slept on my couch’
“Bro, I slept on your couch because you wouldn’t pay for a hotel room.
“It was fine. I was happy. When he came out, he stayed in one of my buddy’s houses.
“We trained together. There was never like an ‘Oh, we are not gonna fight’.
I always laugh because if you listen to him back then, it’s like he took me off the street, taught me how to fight, and I turned on him.
“Look, bro, I came down to help you out. I showed up when he needed a sparring partner in Las Vegas.
“I came out and fought southpaw for you. I wasn’t getting paid.
Chuck Liddell’s favorite UFC fighter in 2025
In May, Chuck Liddell named one of the last ‘real fighters’ competing in the UFC today.
“[Alex] Pereira is one of my favorites,” he said when asked to name his favorite active fighter.
“I like his attitude about fighting. He’s a beast, man.
“So if I had to pick one, I guess [it’s Pereira].”
Alex Pereira will attempt to win back his light heavyweight title from Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320.
‘Poatan’ fell to a unanimous decision defeat against the Russian fighter at UFC 313 in March.
UFC CEO Dana White hinted at an immediate rematch during his post-fight press conference.
It took a while to come together, but now Ankalaev vs. Pereira is set to go down on October 4.