By Will Gray
As popular as some fighters are for their dominance and skill inside the cage, some of us are entertained by the happenings outside of the cage. Whether it is a fighter speaking his mind, trying to get inside the head of an opponent or when you have two guys who don’t like each other – a grudge can sell a fight. Amplified by the fact when the grudge is real and emotions pore over, than you have some of the greatest fights ever.
In a first of a re-occurring series of articles, these classic feuds will be examined and how the fighters have moved on since and how their careers were affected then and now by their grudge, starting off with: Tito Ortiz & Chuck Liddell.
Debuting at UFC 13 in 1997, the new wrestler from California (Ortiz) finished his opponent in the first round of his fight. From there, he went on to become the first UFC light heavyweight champion and the longest reigning champion of that division (three and a half years) as well as successfully defending the belt five consecutive times.
Through his title reign and defense, the UFC began to grow in name and a faithful following. Bigger shows were sold, pay per view buys were decent and marketing was evident. At the same time Ortiz was sitting on top of the world, his former training partner was making a name for himself as “The Iceman”. Able to outwrestle the best in the world, Chuck Liddell was more known for his vicious striking which left many opponents out on the mat. The two friends quickly became enemies once it came time for their paths to meet center cage.
UFC 47 saw the first meeting of the two. Before hand, Ortiz had lost his title to Randy Couture (via UD) and Liddell had also been finished by Couture in their title bout. The grudge was born leading up to this fight on the grounds that Ortiz would not give Liddell the title shot many said he was deserving of while Ortiz was champion; with both men now looking for a title shot, there was no place to run.
Finishing his nemesis in the second round via TKO (strikes) Liddell had become the new face of the UFC. His stock grew increasingly fast after the violent finish and even more with his knockout finish of Randy Couture in their second match, winning him the UFC light heavyweight title. The UFC had exploded into a leviathan almost overnight with Couture-Liddell 2 and the new found success of the Ultimate Fighter reality series.
Ortiz in the mean time was still fighting, in the cage and outside the cage with personal issues and injuries. He fought to decision victories against game opponents (Cote, Belfort, Griffin) but even in victory was criticized for his arrogance and trash talk of opponents, coupled by the fact in events of a draw or lose on his part, there always seemed to be an excuse.
Two and a half years past and the rematch was set for Liddell-Ortiz 2. With the world title again at stake, the animosity magnified and the grudge just as evident. Both men claimed in pre fight interviews to finish each other but when the hands were raised, Liddell again defeated Ortiz via TKO. History repeated itself; critics threw mud on Ortiz and praised Chuck almost as if they forgot what both had done for the sport.
Fast forward to 2010; Liddell had lost his world title to Quinton Jackson in 2007 and gone on an un-impressive losing streak (except for epic victory against Wanderlei Silva, 2008) and Ortiz had been on a losing streak for almost four years. They faced off against each other as coaches on the Ultimate Fighter and the feelings were the same: they hated each other. Their grudge had never gone dormant but it did bring out the best in both men in their own training and the training of their teams.
Subsequently, the third match of what was supposed to be a trilogy never happened, Injury plagued Ortiz and he withdrew before the cage doors were locked. The outcome is anyone’s guess since this is a fight and anything can happen but their grudge can be viewed as this: it built a business.
Tito Ortiz helped Chuck Liddell become who he is today. Ortiz was already famous, had his face associated with the UFC and sold events, tickets and PPV buys. Liddell was known before his title run but not as much until he fought Ortiz the first time. Both men are legends of the sport and need to be recognized as the true pioneers of the UFC for what it is today. As their careers have taken different turns since their season of the reality series; Liddell has retired from the sport he helped build and Ortiz has been on a resurgent run only to be setback in his last performance, they both have done phenomenal work as athletes, ambassadors and promoters of the industry.
Some of you reading may be yelling at me saying Royce Gracie and Brazilian jiu jitsu made it what it is and I agree to a point; where he helped get MMA known, the two men in the article helped propel it to what it is today. Their disdain and public feuding led to the PPV buys, sold out seating and is still one of the most known beef in MMA and sports overall.
