Chuck Liddell will be back.
Despite three losses in his past four fights, and speculation that maybe he would walk away from The Octagon, The Iceman says he's not done. Far from it. "No way," Liddell says. "I'm not going anywhere. I love fighting, and I'm going to keep fighting."
Liddell says he's waiting to hear from the UFC regarding who his next opponent will be, but that he's training for a return some time in March or April. He also doesn't rule out a May fight. "I think it will be March," he says. "But I just follow orders. I'll fight anybody, any time."
Who will he fight, though? Light heavyweight has become a crazy division for the UFC, but in a good way. Liddell won the title on April 16, 2005, then held it til May 26, 2007, with four defenses. Since Rampage knocked out Liddell, however, the title belt has changed waists twice more.
The division should only get crazier in the coming year. Rashad Evans is the champ. Unbeatens Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva will square off at the end of January, and the winner could be next in line to face Evans. Rampage says he wants another piece of Forrest Griffin, Shogun Rua will fight Mark Coleman at UFC 93 and a slew of other legitimate contenders lurk. Count Liddell among that slew of lurkers. "It's a wild division right now," he says. "All of those guys are good, and Rashad deserves the title. But I still look at the list and think I belong at the top."
Liddell's wish list certainly includes Keith Jardine—that's the one loss that stings the Iceman the most. "I want that fight back," Liddell says. "I'd like to do that one again."
UFC president Dana White recently told fiveouncesofpain.com, though, that Liddell will not be getting his wish. And both White and Liddell are adamant that he will not fight Randy Couture for a fourth time, chalking up all the web buzz to being just that, web buzz.
This much is certain: Liddell still sells pay-per-views. So he will get another prime shot. And as much as Liddell believes he can beat anybody, he knows his place in the division right now. "I'm a few fights away from a title shot," he says. "But that's always what I'm looking for—a chance at the belt. And that's what I'm shooting for."
Best bets for the new year: Machida beats Silva and gets a shot against Evans. Griffin and Rampage rematch. Shogun beats Coleman. Where's that leave Liddell?
Our guess: Shogun and Liddell fight some time in April or May. What does he think?
"I'll take that," Liddell says, with a laugh.
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UFC 92 PAYOUTS
Yes, three fighters still earned $5,000 or less at the last UFC event. But a whopping 11 also made $20,000 or more. Notice the average payout for the event: $69,350. And even more startling, it's becoming increasingly obvious that you can make a very good living in the UFC. Five fighters (Evans, Griffin, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Rampage and Wanderlei Silva) earned six figures that night. Two more, Cheick Kongo and Frank Mir, made $90,000. I still agree with the idea that undercard guys should not be making $4,000 to get beat up. But it's impossible to argue that real stars in this sport aren't making enough money—they are.
SPIKE GETS SPIKED
Looks like at least 13.3 million homes will lose access to Spike TV and a bunch of other stations, including Comedy Central and MTV, at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1. For all the fight fans out there, that's a devastating blow. No more The Ultimate Fighter. No more countdown specials.