Liddell Set to Take Home the Gold

In less than one week, UFC’s Chuck Liddell will continue his quest of capturing the PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix title. In his way is the underrated and ultra-tough Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.

Chuck took the time out his busy and hectic training schedule to chat with me about his confidence, his future and his plans to devastate Jackson. Though he is not overlooking Jackson in the least, he does trust in himself that he’ll blow apart Rampage and then do the same to either Wanderlei Silva or Yoshida. It doesn’t matter who he faces; all Chuck wants is the PRIDE title and then to redeem himself against Randy Couture. Read on:

Mike Sloan: I have spoken to both Dana White and Phil Baroni and they can’t stop raving about how solid you look in training. What exactly is the difference between this training camp and all the previous ones you’ve been a part of?

Chuck Liddell: I don’t think that there is much difference between this one and my last training camps. I just kept training from my last camp, stayed busy and I was helping training Gan in getting ready for his fight. Right after that, I came right back into training camp for myself. I’ve been training pretty steady since my last fight, so I feel much better physically and I keep just getting better and better.

Mike Sloan: Have you altered anything at all from the training camps you’ve been in, like diet or certain techniques? Because with the way Dana and Phil are talking, you’re a completely different fighter right now and that you are bombarding everybody who trains with you.

Chuck Liddell: I’m just feeling really good, you know? I’ve kept my diet pretty strict and I’ve got my weight down pretty close to where I want to be already. I feel really good about my weight. I’m feeling good and things are just snapping.

Mike Sloan: You are scheduled to fight Rampage. He’s your former teammate, so what are your thoughts on him both as a fighter and as a person?

Chuck Liddell: Well, I really didn’t know him back then. I know him better now than when we were all Team Punishment. I hardly knew him. I always thought he was funny, though. He’s a funny guy, you know? But he’s tough and he comes to fight, so it’s going to be a fun fight.

Mike Sloan: Rampage is physically one of the strongest guys in MMA. You are one of the sport’s deadliest strikers and hardest to keep down. Do you see any problem with keeping him on his feet?

Chuck Liddell: Well, I’m ready to go wherever the fight goes. I think I’ll make it real difficult for him to take me down. I’m not going to make it easy on him, but if he does take me down, I’ll get back to my feet. So, I’m not too worried about that, either.

Mike Sloan: In your training, are you specifically focused on Rampage, or are you adding Silva and Yoshida into the mix as well?

Chuck Liddell: I don’t change my training too much for anybody. I am looking at all three of Rampage, Silva and Yoshida on films and checking out their fighting styles, but I’m really just preparing to go out there, give my best performance and make them fight my fight.

Mike Sloan: Are you at all leery that while you are fighting in PRIDE under their rules that because you are a UFC fighter, that maybe the PRIDE judges will rob you of a victory if a fight goes the distance or that maybe the ref will cheat for your opponent?

Chuck Liddell: Well, that would obviously be a concern, but I’m not going to lose. I’m going to go out there and fight and let the chips fall where they may. I’m going to go out there, do my fight and try to finish the fight like I always do. I don’t want to leave it to the judges.

Mike Sloan: You’ve fought in PRIDE before; against Guy Mezger a few years back and of course, in the GP against Overeem. Has PRIDE treated you any different from back then to now because you are a major UFC fighter?

Chuck Liddell: No. They’ve treated me good ever since I’ve been there. I know it’s different between now and before, but they always treat me good when I’m over there.

Mike Sloan: I’ve never been to Japan, so I’ve obviously never been to a live PRIDE event. It’s hard to tell, really, on TV how much the crowd cheers for you. Are you a fan favorite over there or does the crowd kind of go against you because you’re a UFC guy?

Chuck Liddell: They are loud. They like when I fight over there. I’ve had two really good fights over there ending in great knockouts. I think the fans over there enjoy that.

Mike Sloan: Saying you defeat Rampage, is there a preference for who you’d rather fight between Silva and Yoshida?

Chuck Liddell: Well, I’d like to fight the one who wins between the two of them (chuckles), but I’ve wanted to fight Wanderlei for a long time and I think that’d be an exciting fight. It’d be a good final, so if I had to pick, he’d be the one.

Mike Sloan: When I spoke with Dana in our interview, he mentioned that win, lose or draw, he wants you to fight Tito first before a rematch with Couture. What do you think? Do you think you should get an automatic shot at Couture or should you have to face Tito first?

Chuck Liddell: Well, I’d like a crack at (snickers) both of ‘em! But it doesn’t matter what order it is to me. Whatever works out with scheduling on when we could fight and with what’s coming up, so whatever works out.

Mike Sloan: Everybody and their mama knows the story between you and Tito never fighting. In your opinion, why has the fight between you and Silva never happened thus far? Do you think it’s the organizations or is it that Wanderlei is not interested?

Chuck Liddell: I think it has to do with the separation of organizations. I’ve been fighting in the UFC and I’ve fought in PRIDE, so we’ve been trying to get that one set up. They are in the position where he’s their champion and they have a lot to lose and nothing to gain if I went over there and beat him.

Mike Sloan: There are rumors that you have knocked out a few of your sparring partners. Dana, being a man of honor, refused to comment on such a topic. Would you care to elaborate on that?

Chuck Liddell: No, not at all. With people coming in to work with me, that’s not something I talk about. I wouldn’t even have brought it up. That’s just training. I just feel really sharp with what I’m doing and I feel really good. Those are just accidental, not intentional. These guys are just training with me and they are good guys.

Mike Sloan: Are you surprised or bothered at all that a lot of the fans and ‘experts’ are picking Silva and Rampage to win and not you?

Chuck Liddell: I’m not surprised at all. It’s just like what you brought up earlier about me not winning a decision. So, basically, if you’re picking me, you’re picking me to win by two knockouts. That’s a lot harder of a task than to have just two wins.

Mike Sloan: Right now you are totally zeroed in. Say, for some unforeseen reason, Rampage pulls out due to injury. How adversely would that affect your training and focus? How well do you think you’d be able to adapt to a last-minute replacement?

Chuck Liddell: Well, like I said, I don’t change my training too much for anybody, so it probably wouldn’t faze me that much. Obviously if you’ve been training so hard for a certain person and it gets changed at the last second, it could have some effect. But, no, I don’t change my training too much.

Mike Sloan: Any messages to your fans who have supported you through thick and thin?

Chuck Liddell: Yeah, to just keep watching me. I’m ready, been training hard and I’m coming to win this thing. I said I needed three knockouts to win the entire tournament. I already have one and I’m planning on getting two more.

Mike Sloan: Thank you for your time, Chuck. I appreciate it.

Chuck Liddell: Thank you, Mike. Take it easy.