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[BigBanda]

Found this short article/interview and found it a decent read. I am glad that Chuck finally made changes in his training. It was clear that it needed to be done and you could tell that he made those changes in his last fight with Wand.

Source: MMA: Training harder gives Liddell a boost | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Feb. 18, 2008, 12:02AM
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS NOTEBOOK
Training harder gives Liddell a major boost
By STEVE SIEVERT
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

After a pair of one-sided defeats, former UFC champion Chuck Liddell was on his way to becoming just another guy who throws punches for a living.

And that's exactly how he was being treated in his own training camp.

Following a seven-fight winning streak that elevated him to UFC light heavyweight champion and MMA superstar, the Mohawk-coifed Liddell was knocked out in less than two minutes by Quinton Jackson and subsequently knocked down and beaten up for the better part of three rounds by Keith Jardine. Thoughts of retirement began to creep into the 38-year-old's head.

The opportunity to face Wanderlei Silva, a fight he had been chasing for seven years, drew Liddell back into the octagon but only after adjustments in training camp that meant he was no longer treated like MMA royalty.

"It was the attitude in the room," Liddell said. "Everyone was taking it a little too easy on me, giving me too much respect. I'll take the respect when we're outside the ring, but when we're in there training, they need to treat me like any other guy."

Liddell credits Sam Henson, a former standout wrestler with an Olympic silver medal and two NCAA titles to his credit, with the training camp attitude adjustment in preparation for the fight against Silva in December.

Henson had recently taken a position as assistant wrestling coach at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and provided a spark that challenged Liddell.

"The addition of Sam helped us out a lot," Liddell said. "More or less, his attitude with my training partners in the gym — guys coming after me a little bit more, coming after me a little harder. He brings a good attitude to the camp."

The result was one of Liddell's best performances in years, a victory by unanimous decision over Silva.

"If I couldn't come out and perform like I've been able to perform in the past, after this camp and the changes I made, I would have thought about retiring," Liddell said. "I thought my performance before (against Jardine) was horrible, and the one before that, I made a mistake and got caught — maybe I was slipping. But I think everything's still firing great, and I'll be around for a couple more years."

Liddell faces Mauricio Rua at UFC 85 in June in a bout that likely vaults the winner to a title fight.

[KENO5366]

Good read.

[gradius1981]

Great to hear Liddell is firing up again... but still... it think it would seem more fair if he fight the winner of Rampage/Forrest vs Jardine. Jardine has earned it IMHO (I'm def not a Jardine fan but still)

[BigBanda]

Originally Posted by gradius1981

Great to hear Liddell is firing up again... but still... it think it would seem more fair if he fight the winner of Rampage/Forrest vs Jardine. Jardine has earned it IMHO (I'm def not a Jardine fan but still)

I think Jardine will for sure be next in line though seeing as he gets past his next fight. I bet it will be winner of Liddell/Shogun takes on winner of Rampage/Forrest and then winner of that will take on Jardine if Jardine wins his next fight. The other option is possibly to have Chuck rematch Jardine after Shogun but who knows. They have a lot of options with the current LHW pool of fighters.

[hass]

I wish Forrest and Jardine rematched before the Forrest/Rampage fight...

[Ramma]

Honestly, I can't see how Shogun winning this fight would get him a title shot... then again, unless Jardine beats Wanderlei.. who else is there? Maybe Machida..

[BigBanda]

Originally Posted by Ramma

Honestly, I can't see how Shogun winning this fight would get him a title shot... then again, unless Jardine beats Wanderlei.. who else is there? Maybe Machida..

Thats true. I wouldnt be surprised if they go different ways depending on who wins the Chuck/Shogun fight. If Shogun wins he will most likely be thrown another fight. If Chuck wins he may very well get a title shot but thats another touchy situation because what if Rampage beats Forrest?? Then we will have Chuck/Rampage 3 but only 2nd time in the UFC so it is probable to happen. Either way, Chuck beating both Wand and Shogun is a huge accomplishment and for sure #1 contendership worthy IMO.

[jlruthven84]

Originally Posted by BigBanda

Thats true. I wouldnt be surprised if they go different ways depending on who wins the Chuck/Shogun fight. If Shogun wins he will most likely be thrown another fight. If Chuck wins he may very well get a title shot but thats another touchy situation because what if Rampage beats Forrest?? Then we will have Chuck/Rampage 3 but only 2nd time in the UFC so it is probable to happen. Either way, Chuck beating both Wand and Shogun is a huge accomplishment and for sure #1 contendership worthy IMO.

Agreed. Beating Wandy and Shogun (two guys who have proven to be Rampage's Achilles Heels), without getting into MMA math, would be a huge confidence booster for Chuck, especially if Page beats Forrest and we get a Liddell/Jackson 3.

I've said it before, Chuck is very capable of beating Rampage. He just wasn't ready for him in the first fight, and got caught in the second fight.

[POINDEXTER]

If Chuck wins and Jardine wins then they should fight to see who gets the title shot. If Silva and Shogun win, same scenario? They won't fight each other, though, will they? If Chuck wins but Jardine doesn't then Chuck should get a title shot and maybe Silva after that, IMO. They are pretty close to being rightful contenders. Nice to hear about his training - he obviously needed it.

[LoonY ToonZ]

so chucks blaming consecutive ass kickings on bad training and you guys are eating it up?

Bad training makes you fade earlier than you should, its not an excuse for two ass kickings from beginning to end.