One of the stars that helped make UFC into a worldwide phenomenon in the early days of the promotion was “The Iceman” Chuck Liddell.
Liddell was the reason people all across the world sported a mohawk in the early 2000s, after his incredible performances in the octagon took the UFC by storm.
Here are five of the best fights from Liddell’s career that every MMA fan needs to watch, starting with his dominant knockout to become the UFC Light Heavyweight champion.
5. Chuck Liddell knocked out Randy Couture to become UFC Light Heavyweight champion
In 2005, Randy Couture battled Liddell in the second fight of their legendary trilogy, which signalled The Iceman’s ascent to the top of the UFC.
After being knocked out by Couture back at UFC 43, Liddell was out for revenge against the Light Heavyweight champion.
Their long-awaited title fight took place at UFC 52 and was one of the most spectacular in the promotion’s short history.
Liddell was tentative in the opening seconds and allowed Couture to hit his granite chin with a series of strikes, although he was much less cavalier than in the first bout.
He focused on counter punching, which is how Liddell knocked out Couture just two minutes in with a combination of hits in one of the most spectacular title finishes in UFC history.
4. The loss to Jeremy Horn shaped Chuck Liddell’s legendary defense
UFC 19 was a humbling experience early on in Liddell’s career, but it is a fight any MMA fan must watch to understand the evolution of The Iceman in the octagon.
Jeremy Horn was a crafty veteran and an expert grappler who utilized his brilliant ground game to systematically poke holes in Liddell’s defense with ease.
Liddell had a decent takedown defense and a powerful punch, but Horn neutralized him in their fight and humbled the future world champion.
Horn took Liddell to the ground and kept him there, eventually forcing a technical submission with an arm triangle choke that handed The Iceman his first-ever loss in the octagon.
The bout showed Liddell that being a top striker wasn’t enough and that he needed to work on more facets of his game. Without this fight, who knows if Liddell would have reached the heights he did.
3. Rampage Jackson broke Chuck Liddell’s granite chin with a sensational knockout
While some of Liddell’s best performances were when his granite chin was completely impenetrable, any MMA fan should watch the moment his incredible resiliency was shattered.
The Light Heavyweight legend battled Rampage Jackson at UFC 71 in a rematch of their PRIDE fight in 2003. Liddell was known for being able to take unbelievable hits to the face and shake them off like they were nothing.
However, the power of Rampage was too much for The Iceman. A brutal right hook from the future A-Team star would rock the champion, sending Liddell crashing to the ground and putting him to sleep.
That fight completely destroyed the aura surrounding Liddell, as he was knocked out four times in a row following that bout before retiring, after Rampage shattered his granite chin in a match that MMA fans need to see.
2. The rematch between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz was one of the UFC’s biggest fights ever
Two years after their first bout, Liddell vs Tito Ortiz drew what was, at the time, the biggest PPV buy rate in UFC history.
929,000 fans purchased UFC 61 to see the rematch between the two Light Heavyweight stars, an astonishing number that wouldn’t be beaten until Brock Lesnar battled Couture at UFC 91. (although some sources claim it broke the 1 million buy barrier).
This fight lasted three rounds and told a fantastic story of Ortiz chasing revenge against the dominant champion and biggest star of the UFC.
Liddell’s counter striking was tremendous, fighting a controlled fight that was the antithesis of some of his more exciting and wild encounters in the past.
The referee ended the fight after Liddell dropped the challenger multiple times, defending his title in one of the biggest PPV’s in UFC history.
1. Chuck Liddell became a star in his first fight with Tito Ortiz
While the rematch was one of the UFC’s biggest PPV draws, the first fight between Liddell and Ortiz was the more exciting of their fights.
The pair were friends before their legendary rivalry, with Liddell even sleeping on Ortiz’s couch when they trained together in the early years.
UFC 47 came just five months after Couture was knocked out by Jackson in Pride, and he was chomping at the bit to get back to winning ways against one of the greatest fighters in UFC history.
Ortiz took some big hits from Liddell to show his own impressive chin and attempted numerous takedowns that Liddell impressively defended.
The first round was cautious for both men, but the second round was anything but. It took just 38 seconds for him to unleash an unstoppable combination to knock Ortiz out cold in one of the greatest endings in UFC history, and a fight all MMA fans must see.