Chuck Liddell | Unfiltered Stories from the Octagon | Straight Outta The Lair Podcast - Straight Outta The Lair with Flex Lewis

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:14):
straight out the land rock.
It's cold in here, bro.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Indeed, we got the ice man, chuck liddell, in the
house to the podcast.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
My friend, thanks for having me guys, how you guys
doing?
Good man?
Yeah man, this is a late onefor us, man.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
It is, but it's totally worth it.
We got our guy here.
We got a big fight this weekendand exciting stuff.
Man, Thank you for coming inFirst time to the Dragon's Lair
also, right, yeah it's the firsttime here.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
This place is sick.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Flex was trying to get you to do an arm workout.
Before we started, his plan waslit.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
No, we've been trying to get you for a minute.
We've been speaking about everytime you come to Vegas.

Speaker 3 (00:56):
Yeah, I'm always so busy.
Usually when I come out here,I'm running all over the place
like a chicken, with my head cutoff.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yeah, always kind of like I mean, and a lot of times
you're here for the UFC eventsand I feel like they usually
have you kind of moving around alittle bit doing XYZ right.

Speaker 3 (01:09):
Yeah, Well, you know, it's one of those things I like
to get around and I like to godo stuff.
I'm out here doing it anyway,so I might, as things.
I've got a bit of a busy thing.
We're doing some of that.
I do those out cold.
I've got filming some of those,so we have some.
I got a bunch of fighters inone place at one time, so it

(01:31):
makes it a little easier to godo those.
They're fun.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Talking of which, for the fans who haven't seen what
you're doing right now.

Speaker 3 (01:39):
Well they're.
It's just reaction videos of uswatching I don't know what
people Alcohol flicks.
So you watch, we're watching.
They put together a bunch offights, they're doing street
fights, a bunch of crazy stuff.
The guy put it together.
Sometimes I'm like what?
Like come on and it's like, butit's funny.

(01:59):
We try to teach people lessonsabout street fighting and stuff,
but it's fun.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
We have a good time with it.
There's laws in street fights.

Speaker 3 (02:08):
No, there's no laws.
Well, I'll give you one.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
There is actually a few laws.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
There were a few little rules, like if you're
going to talk shit to somebodyand walk up to them, get your
hands up, that's it.
You know what I mean?
You'd be surprised how manyvideos they find of guys coming
up.
This one guy took all his stuffout of his pockets, put it on
the thing and started walking.
And the guy with his hands down?
The guy just goes bop boom, bop, bop.
What are you thinking?

(02:33):
What did you think he was goingto do?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
There are some rules, exactly right.
I like to go into mynegotiating and I just kind of
do a thing here, so my hands areup.
I usually talk with my hands.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
I used to be when I was a kid, but I give you, you
step into my space, hey man.
We can talk all you want fromthis distance.
You move in one more time.
It's going to start.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yeah, they cross the line as soon as they step into
that bubble.
It's like you're eitherfighting or you're not.

Speaker 3 (03:08):
I'm not letting you two-shot me.
Yeah, I'm not letting you hitme.
I'm not going to let you get afree shot at me, so I'll give
you a warning.
Hey, just come back in.
Nope, yeah, what would be thatfirst shot Elbow, ooh, almost
always.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
Is it really?

Speaker 3 (03:27):
It's an ender, the guy I grabbed steps in one time.
It was always when I wasyounger, it was always one time.
And then hey, and they, hey, dothat again.
Man, it's on this, on, or what?
This I put it up to him.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
That's my mic, chuck no.
Boom, that's my mic, chuck no.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
I mean, I think it's pretty funny that guys, would
you know, want to fight you inthe first place.
Well, you know the funny thing.

Speaker 3 (03:51):
This is like before.
I was like, I think in my bookI wrote about it like about one
of the fights and it was.
You know, I was probably 19years old at the time.
I just got done wrestling andthe big thing I wrote about the
fight.
The funny thing was so I'mdoing a book signing in San Luis
Obispo and this is like yearsand years later, right, because

(04:14):
I broke into the store.
This guy waited in lineprobably two and a half three
hours Comes up and says hey, man, can you sign this page?
I'm like why this page?
He's like because that was me.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
Oh no, I'm sorry, I was real asshole Wow.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (04:28):
I'm all man.
Thank you, man.

Speaker 2 (04:30):
Did you knock him?

Speaker 3 (04:30):
out.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (04:31):
Oh, out, out yeah.
He paid for the book too, dude,but I mean, it was what I was
saying.
You know, yeah, kids fights,that happens.
He was trying.
Well, I'll tell the story.
I guess.

Speaker 1 (04:44):
That's cool.

Speaker 3 (04:47):
So we were driving up and my best friend and roommate
and you know he wrestled withme at college Pac-10 champ, he
was there.
I mean, his brother was in themiddle of the street and there
was a bunch of guys around himand they're talking shit to him.
So, and they're talking shit tohim, so we get out, we stop the

(05:07):
car and get out.
There's three wrestlers in thecar.
So we run up, what's up, and Ihad stitches under my eye from
wrestling and we had to wrestleASU the next day.
So we're coming up and theseguys start talking.
I say, oh, what are you goingto do with me?
I'm 18-0 in the street.
What are you going do with me?
I'm 18 and 0 in the street.
What are you doing?
I'm I'm 218, 18, 0 in thestreet.
I'm I'm 235, 23 and 0 in thestreet.

(05:29):
I'm thinking to myself likethat's it.
We used to fight every week.
I might have got that manyfights a weekend sometimes.
I don't know we were, we weremaniacs back then, but, um, but
so it's like, and they'retalking, I'll say, my buddy, my
eric, eric ericartz, was myroommate.
He's like, hey, man, you can't,you can't.
If you open those stitchesyou're not going to be able to

(05:50):
wrestle.
Man, just, let's just go, let'sjust get out of here.
And we're sitting there and hekeeps trying to talk to me and
the guy's like, oh, go, nurseyour stitches, pussy, and all
this.
And I'm like, all right, okay.

Speaker 2 (06:02):
I'm like alright, okay, I'm gonna go.

Speaker 3 (06:04):
Alright, he talked me into it.
I'm gonna leave, I'm gonna letthis go.
Come on, greg, let's go.
That's his brother who wasthere.
Oh no, he's gotta stay.
I'm like, oh, thank you, we'renot leaving without him.
And I'd say he came out oh,what are you gonna do?
Back up, you step in again.
It's gonna start stepped in.
Back up, you step in again.
It's going to start Stepped in.
Boom, hit his head, there wasblood.

(06:25):
There was a pool of blood therefrom back of his head.
You know how, when someone getsknocked out that floor is way
worse than my head.
It's so funny, his buddy rippedhis shirt off.

Speaker 1 (06:36):
Oh, how cool is that 240.

Speaker 3 (06:39):
He rips his shirt off and comes at me.
I hit him with a front kick.
He flies back, comes at me.
I hit him with a front kick andhe flies back.
He felt like this and sat onhis ass.
I go for an axe kick.
I slapped him in the face.
I just missed him and slappedhim by foot and hit him in the
face, just go wow, all right,yeah, let's go, guys.
And that's the guy in the book.
What the guy my book was?
The guy here with elbow.
Oh, okay, he was.

(06:59):
He's like buddy, that was.
I thought that was cool.
I mean it was yeah, funny.

Speaker 1 (07:03):
So you were wrestling back then.
So when did you discover I didkarate?

Speaker 3 (07:07):
since I was 14.
I did that first.

Speaker 1 (07:10):
Okay, so I was 12.

Speaker 3 (07:12):
Then I did wrestling when I was 14.
You got into Kenpo later on,right, kenpo got in later on.
That's what I did later, when Imet John Ackerman and I started
doing it with him.
I started doing kickboxing andboxing.

Speaker 2 (07:23):
I still follow John man and I watch all his stuff.
He's putting out those videos.
He has all those street tacticvideos.
I don't know if you follow him,but like John's awesome.

Speaker 3 (07:31):
He's a maniac.
I love John yeah.

Speaker 1 (07:36):
Can you remember an appearance we'd done together
years ago?

Speaker 3 (07:43):
The one where we spoke, or the one a long time
ago In Nebraska?

Speaker 1 (07:47):
Mamon, I think, chuck , I don't know if you just got
the belt or you were thecontender, I can't remember.
It was like that period of time.
It was right in there.
I don't remember exactlyGunning for it.

Speaker 3 (08:03):
It was like 04 or 05 Right before.
I think it was either rightbefore I got to that, right
before the.
I think it was right before theshow.
So I think it was right before.
I think it was right after,either right before or right
after the Tito fight.

Speaker 1 (08:17):
It's that timeline.
But him and I we'd work anappearance together and you know
the cliche, you know we'll takea picture together.
And of course I step up toChuck, like going to do the
whole bodybuilding forearm out,and Chuck faces me and I'm like
You're like oh shit, we're doingthis and I'm looking at him and
I'm like, okay, this is goingto end soon, right?
Okay, I'm fighting.

(08:38):
Because he was being himself.

Speaker 3 (08:41):
You know the funny thing, that's one of the things
I learned from doing when I was.
I learned to do.
I was doing lines, likelearning how to do movie lines,
and I was trying to figure outhow to do.
How do you do these auditions?
They're like it's just weirdbeing like I, I'm fine with
acting.
When you're doing the scene,you get into it.

(09:01):
But you got to have emotion onyour face and you got this
little scene and you're notreally in the, there's no set,
so now you're just two guystalking.
But you got to act like it andI had a coach.
I went to this guy, an actingcoach, and he said well, the

(09:23):
easiest way to do this for mebecause he did a lot of audition
stuff and he's like is for youto think of what emotion you're
supposed to have, and think andfigure out what emotion you want
to have, think of somethingthat gives you that emotion,
right.
And then and and use that andthen say your lines, right.
And so I kind of thought aboutthat and I'm like you know, I
square up.
I have people I want to squareup all the time, right?
So what if I kind of think ofsomeone I'd like to hit like I

(09:47):
don't like very much while I'mlooking at them and give them a
real look.
You'll be surprised how manypeople do that and go man, that
was scary, yeah.
But I think it makes adifference Because every once in
a while I've done it.
I just wasn't thinking I'd justdo it that way.
Never get that from that.
But when I give it to them andI look like I'm really thinking

(10:08):
about hurting someone, peopleare like man.

Speaker 1 (10:13):
Yeah, he's definitely thinking about somebody that he
wanted to hit when he looked atme, totally.

Speaker 2 (10:17):
Who would it?

Speaker 1 (10:17):
be for you.
Who would that person be?

Speaker 3 (10:20):
I really don't get into that, usually Not today.

Speaker 4 (10:25):
Not today Not today.

Speaker 1 (10:27):
I'm not going to cover that.
I tried, chuck, I tried, Itried, yeah.

Speaker 2 (10:31):
I had to do it once too.
I had to do a face-off with himonce, and he came in all real
on me and I did I was like ohshit, I thought we were friends
bro.

Speaker 1 (10:39):
Yeah, definitely, but we're talking about that
Definitely.

Speaker 3 (10:42):
But wait, talking about that's the thing too Like
stare down, like those pre-fightstare downs, a lot of stuff.
I thought it was the funniestthing when guys Like I got If
you go back and look, I got Titoand Vanderlake To come after me
I had to weigh in, like push meout of weigh-ins, right,
because when we were facing offyou want to know why they did
that, both of them.

(11:03):
The way I got them to snap andgo is doing this thing I go.
I just winked at them, pissesthem off Because they want.
They really want.
I mean, it's their thing.
They want you to be intimidated.
They like to intimidate guysand they think you're going to.
I'm looking at them like man.
You really?
Pele, tried to do that to me inBrazil Soccer player Jose Pele

(11:28):
Jones, the guy I fought mysecond mixed fight.
It was a 30-minute bare-knucklefight down in Brazil.
But the day before Dave Wayanshe's got a couple of his buddies
runs his shoulder and wassquaring up like a dog.
I'm like, bro, we're fightingtomorrow, we're getting paid to
do this Can up like I don't know.
I'm like, um well, we'refighting tomorrow, we're getting

(11:48):
paid to do this.
Like, can we wait?
Yeah, I don't speak portuguese,yeah, I don't, I don't, but can
we wait till tomorrow?
I'm okay, you're not.
If you're trying to intimidateme, it's not gonna happen.
Like, I'm sorry to break it toyou, I'm not scared.
Yeah, I just I'm gonna, but Ithe thing like I, I don't I mean
you guys, you all heat it up ona we're not fighting for
another 24 hours, bro, Like I'mdoing this for the fans, Any

(12:10):
kind of staring or getting mador looking angry.
It's for the fans, bro, Likewe're fighting tomorrow.
I will try to kill you when wefight.

Speaker 1 (12:17):
Yeah, has anybody really got on your skin?

Speaker 3 (12:19):
no, going into fight week no, no, I don't like that,
like I'm not an emotionalfighter, I think emotion clouds
judgment.
That's why they call them nicemen.
Yeah, I think it cloudsjudgment.
Now, me not liking you makestraining camp a lot easier.
It doesn't make it hard to getup for a training session

(12:42):
because I don't want to give youan inch.
I'm definitely not.
I didn't have a hard timegetting up for a training
session because, now, because Idon't want to give you an inch,
I don't want, I don't, I'm, I'mdefinitely not.
But I didn't have a hard timegetting up for it anyway, I love
fighting, but but but that'swhat it may be there.
But, like in a fight, I'm I'mjust trying to take you apart
and hurt you.
I'm like trying to end you.
Like I go out there and I'mreally trying to.
How can I finish this?
Now?
I'm trying to set you up and dothat.
I'm worried about that.

(13:02):
I'm not really worried aboutthat.

Speaker 2 (13:06):
Some shit you said last week.

Speaker 3 (13:10):
Yeah, and people know me.
Tito said something on theradio interview one time and we
weren't even fighting andeveryone wanted me to squash it
at a club.
This is a short version but youcan hear it.
I said, yeah, no problem.
First off, this is hear it.
And I said, yeah, no problem.
Let me tell you what I'mtalking about.
First off, this is mygirlfriend Apologize.
Because he said I don't datewhite trash bitches like Chuck.

(13:32):
On a radio interview I saidthis is my girlfriend Apologize.
Secondly, you ever talk aboutmy family and friends on a radio
interview?
Again, I know where you live.
I'll come beat you in yourliving room.
You got that.
Oh man, sorry, I wasn't talkingabout her.
I was talking about the idiotwas talking about Juliette Lewis
, because some thing said wewere dating.

(13:52):
I'm like bro, she plays that onTV.
She's not a white trash girl,by the way.

Speaker 4 (13:58):
She plays them on TV sometimes.
That's a part, that's a part,right, she's a good actress.

Speaker 2 (14:06):
His judgment of reality and acting is skewed, I
guess, as you became champ andjust to go back to this for a
second, as you became champ,guys are still trying to come up
and be intimidating.
It's like they've seen youwreck some of the best fighters
ever and they're coming up.

Speaker 3 (14:20):
I never had a problem with that ever.
Every once in a while I think Ihad a couple guys that'd say
something where I knew when Iwas younger I would have turned
into a fight Because I liked tofight when I was a kid.
But I was an abominable boy.
I can always say I never madesomeone fight me.
Now, I never let you out of itreal easy either.

(14:45):
I had guys start a fight withsome kid.
I walk up to him and go hey man, he don't want to fight you,
but I will.
I got no problem with you.
I don't know what you kind ofdo now.
Yeah, you're in a punk game hey,let's go.
But you push it back, but mostof the time they finally back
down because most of those guysthat do that they don't want
anybody that really wants tofight.

Speaker 1 (15:04):
It's like that Joe Rogan story you told on the
podcast about you've been in theclub and some issue's happening
and the next thing the guystands up comes over.
That's the true story, right,yeah?
And then some guy was like, oh,chuckle it down, very good.

Speaker 2 (15:19):
I would expect so.
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (15:24):
But for me I love, For I don't know like for that
stuff.

Speaker 3 (15:27):
What I wanted to say is like I was, I got, I worked
in bars for a long time, I gotgood at like and I learned it.
It's not worth the escalating.
Yeah, I know how to de-escalatethings.
So a guy come up and saysomething I could turn into a
fight if I wanted to.
Or I say, man, you sound prettytough man, you should be in the
the UFC.
You're making good money now.
And he goes oh, so excited Ican be in the UFC and I can sit

(15:48):
back down and drink my beer.
You know it's relaxed.

Speaker 1 (15:51):
A little ego stroking , yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (15:53):
But you know, it's just easy.

Speaker 1 (15:55):
I mean it's yeah, has there been any?
I'm sure there's been men overthe years, but funny like fan
stories that have happened withyou, where people have come up
and I have some why are youlooking at J-Rock like that, I
have some.

Speaker 2 (16:10):
Hey, hit me as hard as you can, chuck, tell these
stories, by the way for thefirst podcast.

Speaker 3 (16:16):
What kind of stories are you looking for?
Because there's a lot.

Speaker 2 (16:20):
I have seen him, the ones up and just like, punch me,
chuck.
Just punch me as hard as youcan in the arm, kick me in the
leg.

Speaker 3 (16:27):
I've had people actually come and have to remove
guys from parties because theywouldn't stop bugging me to hit
them Legit.

Speaker 1 (16:33):
So give me some stories that you've been present
of.

Speaker 2 (16:36):
I saw one.
We were in Beverly Hills, Ithink we were at Jesse Waits'
house.
We're all up, right, it's house.
We're all up right, like it'slike end of the night.
We're all like banged out andsome guy I didn't know who the
guy was, but he wouldn't leavehim alone until, basically, he
punched him in the arm and thedude like couldn't lift his arm
for the rest of the night.
It's like what did you thinkwas going to happen?

Speaker 1 (16:59):
You don't go easy on these guys right, when they want
it, they want it they want.

Speaker 3 (17:01):
What if I decide to do it?
But most of the time I won'tlet him.
I like my face because, likeyou ever see, saw the one on,
was it that it was at the HardRock?
I'm not at the heart, I guessat the palms.
When they had a heart inHuntington, yeah, yeah, yeah,
when they had that show in there, I went and I asked me I'm out
drinking, I'm having a good time, roll in there and go in there

(17:24):
and I I can't think of theskateboarder guy that was with
him.
God, I can't think of his nameright now Rob Dyrdek, no, tony
Hawk's.
I saw him at that.
He was actually at the TonyHawk thing.
Later next week I'll think ofhis name, but anyway.
So he had me come in there.
He asked me to hit him on thearm and I'm like I'm not going

(17:45):
to do it, I don't want to do it,I don't want to do it, I don't
want to do it.
So finally I was like okay, soI kind of give him a little one,
right, and he goes oh, I'm kindof like, oh, is that it?
I'm Wow, slid on the table andhe was actually hosting the.

(18:12):
He was the emcee for the TonyHawk charity.
So he couldn't pick the mic up.
So he was there going, chuck,why'd you hit me?
You asked me to, you asked meto.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, but I was,but I was drunk, sorry.

Speaker 1 (18:23):
So was I.
I've seen a lot of leg kicksthat have been thrown around
with fans.
Uskin fighters do leg kicks.
I think that's worse.
It's almost worse.

Speaker 3 (18:31):
Well, actually it's worse.
Yeah, Because the thing is withthat you're like.
I can show you, I did it nottoo long ago Demonstration flex.
No, I did it not too long ago.
I mean the bruise on the sideof his leg was this big from one
kick and I mean that's probablyit.
But he's going to feel it forabout up and going up and down
stairs for about three weeks.
Yeah, it's going to still hurt.

Speaker 2 (18:53):
Those leg kicks last, like it's.
Yeah, if people don't.

Speaker 3 (19:02):
If people have never been kicked in the leg by
somebody who knows how to kick,it's like getting hit with a
baseball bat.
I usually like doing livershots too.
I was at the DJ at some partywe were at the Kentucky Derby
pre-party.
There I'm there and he's likehey, man, I think I can take a
body shot from you.
Can I try to take a body shotfrom you?
I've been drinking, I don'twant to do it.
Come on, I can do it.

(19:24):
I can been drinking, I don'twant to do it.
Oh, come on, I can do it, I cantake it.
No, I'm not, I don't want to doit.
He goes.
Can I at least announce thatyou're here to the crowd, okay,
and he goes, get up there.
And he goes.
Oh yeah, I got Chuck Liddell uphere and he's going to.
I'm going to take a body shotfrom him.
I'm like, oh really, so now,but and now I'm thinking he put
me on blast in front ofeverybody.

(19:45):
So now, now you got to do it.
Normally, if I did it withfriends, I'd barely hit.
I hit him, I'd just catch himin that liver shot.
But I just I don't throw itreal hard because I don't care
if they go down or not.
But this guy, if he could ashard as I could.
He texted me.
He was on his hands and kneesfor about 15 minutes and then he

(20:08):
texted me and said hey, asshole, you broke two of my ribs.
I'm like I'm sorry, that's whyI was too low.
He's like oh no, man, I'm justkidding, it's my fault, I'm an
idiot.
But he still broke two of hisribs.

Speaker 4 (20:20):
Yeah, but I broke two of his ribs.
He probably thought he wastrying to get you to.
He probably wanted to shootvodka out of your belly button.

Speaker 1 (20:27):
That's what he meant as a bodybuilder.
Wrong party, wrong party, wrongparty.

Speaker 3 (20:32):
I'm the wrong guy.

Speaker 1 (20:36):
Chuck, you've been and in my eyes you are one of
the faces of the UFC that havetruly pioneered the way you know
.
Growing up watching mixedmartial arts all the way from
pride to my gosh, I rememberwatching it on.
We had to use a scrambler orsomething to get it because it
was so illegal at the time.
Me all the colleagues wereawesome, so we used to watch

(20:57):
them on um not a youtube, butlike a version of youtube and it
was just unbelievable and Iremember my first seeing your
first ever fight.
I had to go back and find this.
It was was I?
Is it IVF?
No, I, ifc, ifc, ifc.
Which one?
Ifc 6.
And you're fighting and the guygot caught in a net.

Speaker 3 (21:16):
Oh, that's what I was talking about, not in Brazil.
Yes, that was.

Speaker 1 (21:19):
IVC, ivc yeah, have you seen that fight?

Speaker 3 (21:24):
No, the guy was in the locker room.
That was him.
That's the one.

Speaker 2 (21:27):
Okay, yeah, so then jaw coming back together.

Speaker 3 (21:29):
It's one 30-minute round, bare knuckle.

Speaker 1 (21:33):
One 30-minute round.

Speaker 3 (21:34):
In a boxing ring, but they put a net.
It's from the bottom rope on anangle and the funny thing is.
So we walk it out and you know,Nick won kick out here.

Speaker 4 (21:44):
Yeah, he was cornering me.
Oh, okay.

Speaker 3 (21:47):
He was cornering me, nick was cornering me, so we go
in the ring and we get in thereand we walk in and then
everybody gets out of the ring.
He's on the other side and thereferee's in the middle and I
look at Nick and I go hey, manisn't that his manager.
Yeah, I think he's refereeing.

(22:07):
Come on, I'm like, okay,whatever, it was no joke.
So he's in the referee and thenwe fight.
But I don't know, maybe that'swhy I look back when I had him
stuck Underneath the at the endhe was stuck in the net and he
was like a fish in the net andI'm just hitting him.
I'm leaning out of the ring.

(22:29):
He's like his feet, so like I'mhitting me.
This guy's in the neck like bythe way, have you have you?
And have you ever seen um?
You ever see the show martin?
Of course, after you've had theone where you fought um marvin?
no, no, it was, uh herns yeah,remember remember, do you
remember, what his head lookedlike that, like the goofy thing?
That's what that guy lookedlike.

(22:50):
I saw him at that hotel, thenext day and.
I was like hey, sorry, what was?

Speaker 2 (22:57):
the net on the bottom , for Is that to keep guys from
falling out of the ring?

Speaker 3 (23:00):
Yeah, from falling out of the ring, but it was from
the rope, so it was like this.
So it went this way.
The edge.

Speaker 2 (23:05):
It was stuck in there .

Speaker 3 (23:09):
I got him stuffed underneath there.

Speaker 1 (23:11):
Let me see.
Tell us, chuck, it's a30-minute round, it's IVC, ivc,
6.
And then just type in ChuckLiddell.
We'll see if we can pull it up.
But bro, this guy was literallyin the net, couldn't move, and
Chuck was over the net.
I was over the net and thisguy's like Trying to fight the
neck and fight you at the sametime.

Speaker 3 (23:29):
That was too.
I went in and weighed in.
I didn't know Like I didn't, Iguess I missed out on it.
I was fighting At that time,light heavyweight was 199.
Or 199.9, right or 200.
And I got there and I walkedout 199.
I'm like, ah, don't do that tome, I'll be right back.

(23:51):
I lost.
The last pound, came back out.
I ain't playing that game withyou guys.
I was in mean shape back then.
Yeah, it's great.

Speaker 1 (24:02):
Any luck.

Speaker 4 (24:03):
You have so many fights it's so hard to find the
one specific fight.
It's in Brazil, it's from hardto find the one specific fight.

Speaker 3 (24:08):
It's in Brazil, it's from 1998.

Speaker 1 (24:12):
Yeah, I did find the clip.
It's out there.
Yeah, it is out there.

Speaker 2 (24:17):
I definitely want to see it.
I feel like I've seen all theother ones.

Speaker 1 (24:22):
It was dope Chuck, like Fighting back then To
seeing the evolution of thesport.
Could you ever imagine seeingthis be?

Speaker 3 (24:33):
I thought it was a great sport.
I always thought it would getthere.
I really thought it would takea little bit longer.
I thought it was going to beafter I was done.
I think that reality showstarted coming out and then that
was the Trojan horse to get alive fight on TV and get people

(24:55):
to see what people are doing,Because people were still before
that going around.
I'm trying to tell people yeah,no, we're not professional
wrestlers.
No, yes, we train.
I didn't just jump off a barstool and go in there and fight.
But people were still askingthose guys and it's not like, do
you just get off a barstool andgo in there and fight?
But people were still askingthose guys and it's not like, do
you just get off the barstooland go fight?
I mean, they don't mean it,they mean it disrespectfully or

(25:16):
anything.
But it's like no, it's not likethat.

Speaker 4 (25:20):
It's different.

Speaker 3 (25:22):
It's funny Because people don't realize sometimes
how hard it is.
How good guys are are how hardthey hit.
I don't hit the same.
I hit very hard.
So if I'm hitting, most peoplearen't used to even like leg
checks or leg kicks.
If you're not used to leg kicks, or if you've never checked

(25:46):
anything and you've neverstrengthened your shins at all,
I throw a leg kick.
You'll check it once, you'll.
You'll let me kick you in thethigh after that.
You'd rather get kicked in thethigh than me kicking you in the
shin.
No joke, because it will hurt,no joke.

Speaker 2 (26:01):
And to it, to your point, flex, I mean you tito,
that whole, that whole rivalryat that time I think is one of
the things that really helpedcatapult the sport.
Right, because there was therivalry and then you guys went
into the TV show and obviouslythe show is still going, right,
like the show is still going.
And I think that the show alsogave background on fighters,

(26:21):
right, because it was like ohthere's these crazy guys going
in and fighting.

Speaker 3 (26:24):
But it also let, because we were hitting a wall
at the people that made theolder guys that made decisions
right at places, Like all theyounger guys got us, they
understood us.
You know, like we know whatthis is.
This is the new stuff.
This is good, you know, but youcouldn't get the.
So but I think the numbers, theshow did, I mean, and plus, and
then how could you not?

(26:46):
I mean, we finally got our freefight on TV, and then you have
that fight with Bonner andForrest, Like that couldn't have
passed for a better fight.
You know it's like a Gotti-Wardtype fight and you know like
where guys are just going at it.
They matched up.

(27:06):
Well, they did a little bit ofeverything.
You know you couldn't havepassed for a better fight than
that.

Speaker 2 (27:10):
Yeah, and also you and Tito man.

Speaker 3 (27:13):
The fact that the rivalry was happening and all
these things together was likeperfect storm that got us up to
there, and then that, and thenme and Randy two weeks later,
yeah, and then it just went onand on, but that ultimate fight.

Speaker 1 (27:26):
I mean talk about Savage Rowe.
I went back a couple of monthsago and looked at that season
and it was just chaotic, it wasout-gall.
I mean, you see, the guys whowere in there, diego.
Sanchez, forrest Griffin, mikeSwick and these guys, all of
them had Gregorian.

Speaker 3 (27:42):
By the way, these guys wanted to fight.
It was 185 and 205.
The guys Kenny, florian endedup fighting 145.
Wow, they just okay.
What's the weight class?
185?
.
Okay, I'll do it.
It's happening Like.

Speaker 2 (27:58):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (27:59):
You know my buddies, you know, fought 45s and 55s.
A lot of those guys went downthere.
You know other guys, you know,went to 170.

Speaker 1 (28:11):
You know.
So it was crazy.
What was kind of the funnieststories now that you can look
back on from the ultimatefighter oh, there's all sorts of
them.

Speaker 3 (28:16):
Why?

Speaker 1 (28:17):
I want to know ones that you've never talked about.

Speaker 3 (28:19):
That's why I don't, that's what I don't know.
I I've talked about a lot ofthe ones I remember.
Like you know, like I, I tellus, like I we got, I got an
argument with, uh, second AD atone of the early fights.
Kenny Florian was going out tofight.
Right, he's getting ready to doa fight.
Now, this is a fight that'sgoing to be filmed and they're

(28:39):
going to air it in a couplemonths, right?
So this isn't like we're live onTV coming up and they had a guy
to wrap the hands.
He didn't show up, it was lateand they wouldn't let me wrap
the hands because they didn'treally understand, because it
was the first season, so theydidn't really understand what it
was right, they didn'tunderstand what we were doing.

(29:02):
So, you know, they come backthere and I'm like, oh, hey man.
And so he just, so I just gothis hand.
I'm like, oh, hey man, and so Ijust got his hand wrapped.
They come out.
Hey man, you got five minutes.
I'm like, oh, man, we needabout 15, 20 minutes to warm him
up.

Speaker 4 (29:17):
Hey man, he needs cancer right now.

Speaker 3 (29:19):
What?
Like?
I got up, started walking up tothe guy.
I'm like, oh shit ran out, andso he went out and got the
second aid.
He, he went out and got thesecond AD.
It was Andrea, who was a ladythat worked there.
So she came running up and I'mlike, what are you talking about
?
And she goes oh, he needs toget out there right now.
No, no.
So I'm like, look, you hired meto be their coach, so I'm going

(29:43):
to treat them like they're oneof mine.
All right, he will go out therewhen I say he's ready, or you
can go ask him who they want tofire Me or you.

Speaker 1 (29:53):
Just get umped up.

Speaker 3 (29:56):
Me and her became friends later on.
I talked to her later Look, I'mwilling To do what you guys say
to make a show.
I know you guys are the guysthat make shows.
I'm willing to do what you guyswant, but first you brought me
in as a coach.
These are fighters.
They're not actors.
They've got to fight on thisshow Because they wanted me to

(30:17):
train them At the beginning.
When it first started, it waslike 60 days long and they
wanted me to train them twice aday, every day.
I'm like no one can do that andthey're fighting along the way.

Speaker 2 (30:28):
Not only that, you're overtraining.

Speaker 3 (30:31):
I know, but they're fighting along the way.
I'm like I can't do that tothese guys.
But they didn't.
They just wanted content.

Speaker 2 (30:39):
They wanted to shoot for TV and I'm like, look this
is what.

Speaker 3 (30:43):
I think.
We got that back and forth.
We got to the point where Isaid look, I get what you're
doing, we can work on it.
But I think they said when Icame back the second time, they
said I still have the record forthe most broken rules.
I wasn't good at listening.
I wasn't real good at listening, but I'm not real good at that.
It was a real adjustment periodbecause I think Dana had to

(31:07):
tell me and said hey, look youguys, you better understand
something.
These guys aren't like wannabeTV guys.
Yeah, they're not normal people.
These are real fighters.
If you treat them like that,you're going to run into
problems.
I'm not, you know.
It's like you might want towatch how you treat them.
You know because they're usedto that.
There's a different, like thatculture.
Sometimes in Hollywood some ofthose like they treat those guys

(31:28):
like extras and stuff in movies.
Oh, first time I'll tell you.
So.
Cradle to the Grave, one of thefirst big long movies I was on.
I was on how High before thatfor a second, but that was kind
of a funny scene, by the way.
I went and watched it.
I was on there for two seconds,waited all the way to the

(31:50):
credits.

Speaker 2 (31:50):
Didn't see my name on the screen.
First movie, they misspelled myname.
No, oh, no, come on, I'm likeyou made the Simpsons though,
bro.
I did no, no, no, that's lateron.

Speaker 3 (31:57):
You made the Simpsons , well it's like I'm telling you
like my first fight in the UFC,ufc 17.
I'm walking out to the ring andmy name's right everywhere else
, right, I'm walking out andit's missing a D I'm L-I-D-E-L.
I'm like, really, my grandmawill roll over in a grave right

(32:19):
now.
I'm like, but anyway, I waswalking out, but it's just.
You know, people can't spell myname.
Yeah, I mean, if they spelledyour name wrong in the UFC, I
was walking out, but it was.
It's just.
You know, people can't spell myname.
I don't.

Speaker 1 (32:30):
Yeah, I mean, if they spelled your name wrong in the
UFC, I think that Did I.

Speaker 3 (32:34):
No, you want to do the funniest one where that was
yeah, let's go After.
After everything, this is downdown the road.
Right when I was working forthe UFC, after I retired, they
sent Sports Illustrated, sent mea Green Bay book thing that
they had for as a gift and they,by the way, they put my,

(32:55):
spelled my name right on whatthey sent.
Well, they forwarded it to myhouse.
My office forwarded it to myhouse.
On the forwarding address, myname was L-I-D-E-L.
Your office, my office, saidthat to me.
I'm like the UFC office.
I was working for the UFC.

Speaker 1 (33:17):
I'm like who is this guy?

Speaker 2 (33:21):
Who is this guy?

Speaker 1 (33:23):
Make sure you don't do this on my check guys, it's
the same guy that done it when Iwas doing the walkout.

Speaker 3 (33:27):
Have you ever had anyone?
The first time I went to EuropeI got you to turn it to me when
I was doing the walk-up.
But no, have you ever hadanyone?
See, I have my.
The first time I went to Europe, someone else bought the ticket
right To go out to the trainright?

Speaker 1 (33:35):
Oh, don't start with that shit.
You know me.

Speaker 3 (33:38):
I know Chuck Liddell.
They put on.
No one said anything when Iwent there, took me about 45
minutes and I finally pulled outa magazine and showed them that
that was me, because my name onmy license is Charles.
Yeah, so they're like someonebought Charles and they didn't
say anything on the way in.
But I'm trying to go home.

(33:58):
I'm like guys, I got you, I'mhere, I don't live here, I just
need this passport.
I'm from the US.
I just want to get on the plane.
Please, I'm from the US, I justwant to get on a plane.

Speaker 1 (34:08):
It's pleased man, the amount of times my name has
been booked by promoters as FlexLewis and I turn up at the
airport, I give my driver'slicense in there's no Flex Lewis
.
I'm like Stephen, yeah, andthen one time, same like you.
I'm like how can I prove thatpeople call me?

(34:29):
You know their connection is.
So I had two issues that I gotaway with.
One issue they wouldn't allowme to fly and I'm like you've
got to be kidding me, because amI wrong?
Because somebody booked me asUnderflex Lewis.
And then I've done guest pausesbefore and I've taken home
whatever they've given me, likea little plaque.
Thank you for guest.
You know doing the P runs,felix Lewis.

Speaker 3 (34:48):
So that's my new Puerto Rico, felix.
Anyways, in the early days Iused to have, I knew like, okay,
I'd go and they wouldn't havemy name at the hotel that we
were going to, because we did alot of traveling and trying to
promote stuff.
And I go okay, try, l-y.
Okay, r-y Okay.

(35:08):
Yeah, that R-I-L-Y Okay, r-yOkay yeah, there we go.
That's me, they're like okay,and then when I list all these
different names, then I finallyget the right one, okay.
Yeah, that's fine.

Speaker 1 (35:17):
Chuck, have you had any issues like in people in
hotels?
I'll tell you why I ask thatwhen they used to book me in for
certain appearances whatever itbe, classic international I'd
get to the hotel because ofsituations of old and I'd change
my name on the hotel roomstraight away.
People would call my hotel roomand ask me Flex, yeah, who's

(35:38):
this?
And I'm thinking it's reception.
What shoe size are you Askingme like?
I want to make you custom bootsand I'm like who the hell is
this?
Twice?
This guy found our.
What hotel I'm in?
Did he take the boots, bro?
No, he wants to take a pictureof your feet and send them to me
.
And I'm like ah, bro, who?

Speaker 2 (35:55):
is this.
I told you you had a career infeet.

Speaker 1 (35:58):
I told you have you seen the mess in my feet, bro?
Anyways, you ever had anyissues like that?
Hotel room issues, no.

Speaker 3 (36:06):
Thank God, actually I , no, not actually.
He's like.
Actually, actually, one of myidiot buddies was staying with
me and I had my oldest son withme and we're staying in one of
the big, huge rooms at Red Rockright, and I didn't even go out
because I had my son.
We were out goofing arounddoing stuff around there,

(36:28):
probably we were bowling.
My buddies went out, but it's ahuge suite.
I don't know if you know, I waswith my son.
We were out goofing arounddoing stuff around there,
probably we were bowling.
My buddies went out, but it's ahuge suite.
I don't know if you know thosetop four suites over there.
They're huge, they're massive.
So he was staying on the otherside, went on that side, so I
hear someone walking around outin the living room, in the
living room, aaron, I walk outand there there's this bimbo,
like I don't know, like whateveryou want, but she's dressed

(36:48):
like I mean like half herclothes on.
What are you doing Like?
What are you doing here?

Speaker 4 (36:54):
Welcome why are you here, hello?

Speaker 3 (36:57):
I'm looking for my buddies and I guess my idiot
butt had left his key card inthe jacket of what room we're in
.
I don't know what went on, butI guess he thought he was paying
her to go out and then he justleft.
So she was coming there tocollect and I'm like, look, you

(37:20):
need to get out of here.
So I look I got like here's acouple hundred bucks.
Just kidding, he owes me this.
I'm just like I'm going to callmy guy.
I mean, you know what, do me afavor If you want to.
I'm going to go down and talkto the front desk or something.
I'm like I don't care, go ahead.

(37:43):
I'm like it's the Fertitta'shouse.
They don't even care.

Speaker 2 (37:50):
They're not going to get mad at me.

Speaker 3 (37:51):
I'm like, yeah, and you're the whore.
And then, oh, they're justthreatening to have a guy come
up.
I'm like, bring him up, hey,you know what, go out and get
him.
But before he comes up, justlet him know my name's Chuck
Liddell.
Just let him know that.

Speaker 2 (38:05):
With two Ds, yeah, two.

Speaker 3 (38:06):
D's yeah, two D's.
Ask him if he wants and let'ssee if he wants to come up.
Yeah, he probably did.
He probably took a picture.
Yeah, maybe.
Yeah, he might have.
He might have took a picture,but he was like they never.
I'm like dude, but you need toget out.
I got my kid here, I'm done.

Speaker 4 (38:20):
Get out.

Speaker 3 (38:21):
But like the idiot guy Left that's what I tell her,
if you carry that around, itfell out of his pocket and she
picked it up off the floor, butit had her room number on it
because he left it in the jacket.

Speaker 2 (38:33):
I used to take pictures of the hotel room, so I
had it in my phone.
That was the only way I'd everactually find my room later in
the night.

Speaker 3 (38:40):
You know that's a funny thing.
I used to do that too.

Speaker 1 (38:49):
Chuck, you know your stardom.
I mean, it's global right.
You can't go anywhere aroundthe world Without people
recognizing you, taking picturesand stuff.
But what was the what was thepart that you realized like, wow
, I'm known globally and my faceis, my head is being shaved.
Kids are shaving their hairstill like me, men are doing it.

Speaker 3 (39:09):
That was pretty crazy .
Like seeing a lot of stuff waskind of nuts, I mean.
The first time I really noticedI was actually it was after
Ultimate Fighter started airingand I was in Florida visiting
with the girl, mandy Willifordthe girl that was on the show
and hanging out with her and wewere walking through a mall and

(39:32):
usually back then I could tellyou that guy probably knows who
I am, and that guy over theredoes, and that guy with the
tap-out shirt, he knows me.
I could walk through a mall andI could tell you pretty much
who had a shot at knowing me.
Yeah, and all of a sudden I gotpeople walking by.
I got you know 50 or later.
Hey, you know, six is all.
Hey, great fight the othernight I'm.

(39:52):
Wow, you know.
Like, yeah, you got all thesedifferent people.
I got random, like you're, likethere's no way, how do you know
who I am?
I mean, I think an icon.

Speaker 2 (40:00):
I mean as short as that.

Speaker 3 (40:01):
I remember the first time I had a lady have me sign
her arm and she pulls up and shehas a tattoo of it's like a
picture of me.
She was like probably like 55.
Wow, I had a tattoo, a bigportrait of me on a tattoo on
her arm, I'm like sure.

Speaker 2 (40:18):
If you're out there, dm us Granny.
Yeah, we want to see thistattoo.

Speaker 1 (40:21):
Even if it's slightly soggy, we want to see it but
honestly, brother, you became anicon.

Speaker 2 (40:26):
It's like it's infighting right, because
there's names that come up fromthe past, like Mike Tyson.
Chuck Liddell is right in thatright.
No, it's cool.

Speaker 3 (40:38):
It's amazing.
And people ask me do you everget tired of this?
And I said, you know, notreally, because, like it's a
blessing to be able to makesomeone's day.
Like, man, I was having ahorrible week, man, and you know
, man, now you made my wholeweek, man, I'm so better.
Like I've had guys tell me hey,man, you helped me walk again.

(40:58):
Like I don't know, I watchedyour video before I went into
rehab.
They told me I wasn't going towalk, so I'm walking, you know.
So stuff like that, you know itfeels good.
I mean, I've got some stupidstories as people you know not
understanding time and a placeor just being overly like just

(41:20):
assholes pretty much yeah,you're like eating when you're
with your kids and they're likeon you, but even that if I'm
eating, I don't care If I'm notwith a group of people and
you're not interrupting them,because it bothers them.
You're bothering them, not me.
If I'm sitting by myself, sitdown.
If you're fans, sit down.
I'll sit down and talk to you.
I mean that's fine.

(41:42):
I mean, but like you know, likeyou get some, I get guys.
I've danced slow dance with agirl Tap on my shoulder.
Can I get a picture?

Speaker 2 (41:50):
What?
Yeah, you're like taking a piss.

Speaker 3 (41:54):
I've been two separate times.
I was taking a piss and hadsomeone get mad at me for not
shaking their hand.
I got my dick in my hand.
Like I'm not going to shakeyour hand right now.
Can we wait until we get out ofthe bathroom?

Speaker 4 (42:06):
Yeah, I will take a picture.

Speaker 3 (42:08):
I had one time where I was in Beverly Hills at one of
the gyms I think it might havebeen any place, but they had a
sauna right and there was about15 people in there in towels or
whatever, and some dude comes up.
Hey, hey, can I get a picture?
I kind of went um when I getout.
Yeah, yeah, and he goes out,and then we're sitting there for

(42:31):
a few more seconds and one guygoes.
Was that awkward for anyoneelse?

Speaker 2 (42:35):
Yeah, you're like I'd feel a lot more comfortable if
you had clothes on.
Bro, my gosh.

Speaker 1 (42:40):
I got my own stories, as you know why I took my
tricep.
But I want to go back to thefame side of things, because you
went from having this mentalityof chasing and climbing.
There was fame, but it wasn'tof the magnitude that it became
right.
But when that fame came, whatkind of distractions came with

(43:02):
it?

Speaker 3 (43:05):
Well, I mean, I think a lot of it was still the same,
because I just kind of slowlygot that way.
But I mean, I think it's justyou have more options, you have
more options and stuff to do.
It wasn't really, I mean, forme it was just there's more
availability to differentwhatever you wanted to do.
I was able to do more things,and also I was able to afford to

(43:27):
do more things.
We grew up poor and we didn'tdo a whole lot.
It's a different experiencesometimes.

Speaker 1 (43:35):
So you're living life as well as you're knocking
people out yeah.

Speaker 3 (43:39):
I was good, you know.
I think if I was in this era, Iwould have done, I would have
fought a lot more.

Speaker 2 (43:46):
That's a great point.

Speaker 3 (43:47):
I would have been in camp a lot more, because back
then I mean I fought.
Basically I had a fight here inVegas for Nick like an open
hand strike fight, and then myfirst fight, real MMAma fight,
was in the ufc 17 and then fromthere I went.
I did a few other things, butfor the most part I fought in

(44:07):
the ufc, ufc or pride for mostof my career.
Yeah and so and so basicallythere's only so many big fights
you have here, so I I fought onaverage probably three times,
like three times every two years, pretty much.
So you know, it was one ofthose things.
But now I'm a guy that'swilling to fight If I'm healthy

(44:29):
after a fight like they.
I loved when they offered me GuyMetzger after Randleman.
I knocked Randleman out in aminute 18.
Fast, yeah, and they needed aPride, neededa fill-in for um to
fight guy metzger, and it wasin three weeks.
And then we had to do like athree-way deal between the ufc,
me and and pride.

(44:51):
And because I had like a,because usc was going to keep,
keep me, they wanted me, and Ihad a two-tier deal, like if I
won over there, I got one tier.
I lost over there, I had adifferent tier If I lost over
there.
I got a different tier.
Then I went over there andthree weeks later so I took a
week off.
John gave me a week off becauseI had already planned to stay
out in New Jersey with myrelatives.
Then I got home.
We took a week to put in thetraining camp, went out and

(45:12):
fought again.
Got paid twice.
Got paid twice.

Speaker 2 (45:17):
At that time I made $10,000 and $10,000 and then
$20,000 and $20,000.
I made $60,000 in three weeksand that was more than I'd made
in my career at that point.
That Kevin Randleman knockoutby the way so fast was super
impressive.

Speaker 3 (45:36):
Kevin Randleman was a monster Unbelievable Coming
down from head.

Speaker 2 (45:39):
I asked for that fight because they weren't going
to give it to him.

Speaker 3 (45:40):
That was a scary fight.
They didn't want to give it tohim because they said, well, if
you beat him, you're going to bein line.
You've got to fight Tito.
I said, yeah, of course he'sgot the title.
Still, I want the title, I'mnot not fighting him.
Yeah, so I went out and I wonhim because he came down.
He came down.
Heavyweight champ was supposedto dominate, so I wanted the
next guy to make it better.

Speaker 1 (46:02):
Were you friends back then, you and Tito, or the
rivalry had already started?

Speaker 3 (46:10):
It comes down to friends.
Here's the thing.
What happened was we trainedtogether a little bit.
I mean, he started trainingwith a buddy of mine and my
buddy brought me in to help him.
I was a sparring partner for alittle bit and the thing was I
beat him at everything I couldbeat him in a straight wrestling

(46:30):
match.
He was probably better atsubmitting people, but he
couldn't do it to me.
I'd sweep him If he started ontop of me.
He couldn't stay on top of me.
At practice I won the takedownbattle every time we trained.
I think he got two takedowns onme the whole time we trained.

(46:50):
Wow, and that was only when wewere doing straight wrestling no
striking.

Speaker 2 (46:55):
And that's impressive too, because he was such a good
wrestler Both those times.

Speaker 3 (47:01):
Well, he's the style of wrestling I fight against.
He's kind of a of a bullywrestler and I you're not gonna
muscle me.
I mean, I can throw me around,muscle me and wrestle me.
You can't.
If you're gonna beat mewrestling, you're not slick me,
right?
You know you don't get a.
You don't get a muscle me.
You're a meat, I'm a.
I was a meathead, I was strong,I was flexible.
You know it's really hard tobully me.

Speaker 1 (47:19):
Right and then sorry.

Speaker 3 (47:23):
So what happened was so when it looked like so, I
went and fought, I won those twofights right, and then they had
a last minute.
They offered me what was hisname?
Now I can't think of his name,vitor.

Speaker 4 (47:40):
Belfort, they offered me Vitor to do.

Speaker 3 (47:42):
I think it was 37 and a half and it was like one of
those is going to make it on toBest Damn Sports Show.
So I was like, oh yeah, I wantto get on that.
So yeah, I'll do it.
I'll do short and order.
So I beat him there and thenTito jumped in the ring and said
when he's done with Ken, he wasgoing to kick my ass.
He said that.
And then all of a sudden, I gofight Babalu.

(48:02):
And they're like, oh, you don'twant to fight Babalu, he's got
10 straight wins.
He's a beast.
You don't want to wait.

Speaker 4 (48:07):
They were building him up.

Speaker 3 (48:11):
But you don't want to risk your title shot, just wait
for your title shot.
I'm like, no, I need to fight,I'll fight him.
I got him, so I knocked him outwith a head kick.
And then, all of a sudden, titowins against Ken and all of a
sudden, instead of I'm going tokick his ass when I'm done with
Ken, it's like, well, I don'tknow, maybe I ought to go to

(48:31):
Pride or two, go to Friends.
Tell me one time you called mefor anything other than asking
me to do something for business.
Tell me one time you came.
I mean, you come up and say,but he made it.
And back then he made it soundlike you know, he took me.
I mean, if you talk to the wayyou listen to his interviews,
back then it sounded like hetook me out on the street,

(48:53):
taught me how to fight, and hebetrayed him.
He said, oh, he used to sleepon my couch.
Are you with him?
Yeah, right, you know why?
Because that cheap bastardwouldn't get me a hotel and I
was willing to stay on his couchand eat his wife's cookies
instead of feed me.
I was a sparring partner, I wasjust being cool staying there.
I didn't make it sound like Ineeded it.

(49:15):
I had a house, I had a gym, ahouse.
I was good, but it was like oneof those things.
But that was back right beforethat fight.
Dana was like you got to getbetter at interviews, right, and
Jim Gallo was my manager at thetime and his sister did drama

(49:38):
somewhere, but she was a dramateacher, did the drama from
somewhere, like, but she was adrama teacher.
She's like he's like hey, youwant, you want to do like an
interview, uh, like a coachingthing with her, and I'm sure
that'd be cool.
So we went in and and she kindof, you know, she's like like
first, first off, you'respeaking at a two.
I need you at least at an eight, okay, so you gotta, you gotta
be a little bit louder.

Speaker 4 (49:59):
Yeah, okay, volume, my volume's gotta to be up.

Speaker 3 (50:02):
And then the other thing he saw and she had me
write out the 10 most commonquestions I'm asked at the time
and she wrote out some.
And then she looked at it andshe said, look, you basically
got two questions here andthey're both dumb.
So he's like so just answer yesor no and talk about whatever
you want for about a minute anda half, A minute to a minute and

(50:25):
a half.
And if they're any good forthese old school radio
interviews, if they're any good,they'll take that and make it a
good interview and they'll playoff that and do that stuff
Because I can talk.
I mean, if you ask me, peopleback then would ask me these
asked and answered questions.
And you're like, um, yeah, Likedo I, or do I want to make this
guy sound like an asshole orbecause he's not right, but I,

(50:49):
you know what do you want me tosay?
Like I mean I don't want to.
They ask dumb questions, butthat that really.
And then they're like, man,you've gotten so much better at
interviews.
I'm like, yeah, man, you'vegotten so much better interviews
.
I like, yeah, what I did was Iwent, got a coach.
You guys, you can't tell me,just tell me, do better yeah,
I'd be coming up to you goingthat your right hand sucks.

Speaker 2 (51:09):
We do better, do better yeah, I think I'm not
telling you how, but go ahead.
We talked a little bit aboutthis with all Joe and Merab and
it's like, know there should besome kind of media training.
They're pushing you guys infront of the entire world and
that's actually some people'sworst fear is getting up and

(51:30):
speaking in front of people, andso you know it's like that is a
whole new thing that you haveto like now deal with and now
also be good at it, which I feellike that's tough for guys,
especially if they're not usedto putting on a show, except for
when they just knock people outright.
It's like they're morefight-focused.

Speaker 3 (51:47):
But the thing is for me I think some people get too
into being a character or doingthat the easiest thing for me is
just me, Just be you, If youcan just be.
You answer the way you think.
I mean there's little thingsyou can.
She did a lot of little thingsthat she could help me.
I don't want to hear it thatway.

(52:07):
You're my hero.
I don't want you to say it thatway.
I want you to say it this way.
I'm like you know.
Hitting a guy in the street isnot worth breaking a hand, and
I'd be able to fight for a while.
I don't want to feel likeyou're worried about breaking
your hand.
You know I want to.
You're my, you're my hero.
I don't want, I don't want toworry about that, so don't talk

(52:28):
about that you know, I'm likewell, you know I'm not really
worried about it.
I just I mean, if I, if Ibecause if I punch you I don't
care much about anything like Itell me, I tell because I, I
tell people like, if I actuallypeople get like I meet people,
friends of my buddies, and westart talking about it and I'm
pretty animated when I'm talkingabout something I'm into right

(52:49):
and people like start going.
I can see them going like we'regetting like a little argument
or discussion about somethingthat we disagree on and they
start going.

Speaker 4 (52:58):
I'm like oh, man, come on man.

Speaker 3 (53:02):
Don't do that you got nothing to worry about.
If I hit you, your mom's goingto ask you why I waited that
long because that's how big anasshole you are.
I mean, that's not my thing.
I don't like forcing people todo things.
I'm like the next thing you'regoing to give me an hour time.
Why don't you just punk thatguy?
Why are you talking to him?
Why don't you just punk him andget it?

(53:22):
I, I the next.
He's looking at me all the timeabout.
Why don't you just punk thatguy?
Why are you doing?
Why are you talking to him andjust do that?
Why don't you just punk him andget it over with?
Because you know if, if I punkhim, 99.9% of the time he's
going to make the right decision.
Has he done enough not to makeit to the hospital?

Speaker 2 (53:33):
Yeah, Go ahead and have it that one.

Speaker 3 (53:42):
Has he done enough?
But has he done enough for meto go to jail or get sued?
No, so why I can always take itthere if I need to.

Speaker 2 (53:51):
Well, thank God, you're not like that.
There's always that.

Speaker 3 (53:54):
If they cross that.
That's people got to remember,though as I've gotten older, the
line's way up here.
But there is a line, butwithout my family around or good
friends that you're trying tohurt, you're going to have a
real tough time getting me to doanything.
I've had guys take swings backin the day before I was on TV.

(54:15):
You sure you want to do that?

Speaker 2 (54:19):
This is your last chance.
Are you sure you want to dothat?

Speaker 3 (54:21):
This is your last chance.
Are you sure you want to dothat, like you catch the fist?
Yeah, kind of the same kind ofthing.
Are you sure you want to trythat again?
We're trying it again.
It's not going to look so good.

Speaker 1 (54:30):
You missed the first time.
Yeah, yeah, you missed thefirst time.
Do you want to be in my book?

Speaker 2 (54:35):
No, you don't.
Yeah, exactly If I could for asecond.
Going back to the schtick,right, Because I feel like a lot
of guys nowadays kind of haveto have that schtick and I don't
know if that comes from WWE orwhatnot.

Speaker 3 (54:47):
I mean, I ain't mad at them, though, because think
about it.

Speaker 2 (54:50):
They make money that way.
Right, it's like they'regetting more people interested
in the fight.

Speaker 3 (54:54):
Hey look, it's like Chael Taunton.

Speaker 2 (54:56):
He's great, no, no, his.
He's great, no, no, his talking.

Speaker 3 (54:59):
Yeah, no, but Chael did that and I used to make fun
of him.
I used to give him a hard time.
I'm like, yeah, good thing youdo that, because you're the
boringest fighter out there.
The way he's old, he's athrowback to lay and pray.

Speaker 2 (55:14):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (55:14):
You know, like he's like, but I mean he's, but he's
a character, people want towatch him.
But he's a character, peoplewant to watch him.

Speaker 2 (55:22):
He had two title fights because of it.
Colby Covington, all these guys, I mean there's guys who have
put this kind of thing togetherand it's worked for them.

Speaker 3 (55:29):
I'm not mad at you for it.
It helps you jump the line.
I used to get ready back in theday.
There's only about four or five, six UFCs each year.
I used to get somewhat readyfor everyone because if someone
fell out, I wanted to be readyto go and jump in because I
wanted to jump the line.
I don't want you know you'redown, I'm getting there, but I

(55:51):
don't want to have to.
If I can jump the line, if Ican lip, I'm sure someone could
talk me into lipping off theright way and I could jump the
line.
I might have been talked intoit back then.
I don't know.
I'm kind of glad I got to do itmy own way, but it wouldn't
have been you though, chuck,yeah, no, but I still won't say
stuff.
I don't think you needed it.
I was on Dancing with the Stars,right?

(56:11):
So they're always asking me tosay certain things while I'm
training, while I'm dancing,because they want to get these
sound bites, right.
Can you say this?
And there's certain things thatthey want me to say, like
threatening, and it's not me andI'm not doing it because I'm
not playing somebody.
Hey, if I'm doing it and I'mactually doing a movie and I can

(56:35):
act, I can be a character anddo anything you want, but if I'm
playing me, i't, and there'scertain things I wouldn't do.
And finally, one of the days I'mlike dude, we're working out
like six hours a day sometimesand I'm like you ask me one more
time.
I'm going to kick your ass.
I'm telling you, stop it, stop.

(56:57):
I told you I'm not going to saythat I don't want it.
You don't understand it.
And when we got off the camera,he said look man, I'm not going
to say that I don't want it,you don't understand it.
And when he got off the camera,he said look man, I'm sorry,
but I just I have to ask you orI'll get in trouble.
I went oh okay, then we're good.
I'm sorry, man, I just thoughtyou were just being a dick.
I'm my bad, I'm an idiot, myapologies.

(57:18):
Go ahead, ask as much as youwant.
I'm just not going to, I'm justnot going to answer.
I'm just not going to repeat it.
It's not going to happen.
But you can ask as much as youwant, as long as it doesn't get
you in trouble.
I don't want to get no onefired.

Speaker 1 (57:32):
Now that I know, still no.

Speaker 3 (57:35):
The answer's still no .

Speaker 1 (57:37):
The Dancing with the Stars Chuck.
First of all, listen, I enjoyedthat and see you up there.

Speaker 3 (57:43):
Well, it was great.
We were still.
That was still back.
We're still trying.
It's a new market, it's not ourdemographic, it's something
People see that we're not.
We're still fighting a littlebit.
Back then there were a bunch ofNeanderthals that don't have
anything else they can do right,so it was one of those things I

(58:05):
still got.
You know, they do some piecewith me.
My daughter painted our nailsand stuff like that.
It was cool.

Speaker 2 (58:11):
Yeah, I thought it was great for the sport Again.
I mean, the sport has grown inso many different ways and it
broke.
You're one of the guys whobroke it into all these
different spaces, you know and Ithink that that was really
important to do some pretty coolstuff.

Speaker 3 (58:26):
Yeah, you've lived a hell of a life.
Yeah, I mean, I mean I could domy entourage, like that was.
I bet I would ask everybody toget on that.
Like I just I'm like everybodyknew.
Like I'm like, yeah, that's myfavorite show.
It's the last show.
That was the last show that I Iused to make sure I watched it
on time, like Like I'd watch itevery week on time.

Speaker 1 (58:43):
You know I didn't TiVo it.
It was a funny idea.
I loved it too.

Speaker 3 (58:47):
And then you had the pot and I got a part and I was
hoping they were going to haveme do like and I said I just
want to walk on and say hi,vince, or something.
And they said, hey, we're doingthis punk show, why don't we
put him?
Make the punk him Perfect.
It was awesome.

Speaker 1 (59:00):
It was great, great scene.
Flex was doing a little Dancingwith the Stars in here right
before you got here, he's gotsome dance moves I'd love to see
you on a little Dancing withthe Stars.
I was supposed to have gone on,believe it or not.

Speaker 2 (59:12):
You would have done good.
I'm not kidding, he can dance,he's got moves.

Speaker 1 (59:16):
Well, a couple of drinks, but everybody looks good
when they've had a coupledrinks, right.

Speaker 2 (59:19):
You think you do Liquid courage.

Speaker 1 (59:21):
Yeah, the UK.
I was supposed to have doneDancing with the Stars and it
was right after Mr Olympia andpost-Olympia you go on like a
media tour and they couldn'talign it, so I kind of picked up
a few pieces.

Speaker 2 (59:33):
It must have been harder when you're that big,
though, too, I still could move.

Speaker 3 (59:37):
No, I'll tell you the hard part for that.
It's funny.
Anna Turbin's guy was mypartner and she said this
interview and I was talkingabout it and she apologized
because she realized she calledme a Sherman tank and she's like
I'm so sorry.
I didn't mean it in any bad way, you're fine.

(59:58):
I'm okay with being called aSherman tank.

Speaker 1 (01:00:01):
I'd be calling a low risk.

Speaker 3 (01:00:04):
A lot worse.
But she said the difference isthe girls will back, lead the
guys right, but with you.
If you go the wrong way, I gowith you.
I can't do it, I just can't getthere.
Because, you can't pull.
They can't pull you becauseyou're so big.
It's not as easy to back leadyou, so smaller guys are easier

(01:00:25):
for them to back lead.
Usually it's the guys lead thegirl, but that's the other way
around, because then they knowwhat they're doing and you don't
Do you still have any of them,moves.
You still be able to retain anyof them moves.

Speaker 2 (01:00:36):
I don't think I ever had any of them moves.
Take a crip, walk in here.
Oh man, you could crip walk inhere, oh man.
But I do feel like the stepsare very similar in fighting.
It's just like learningpatterns.

Speaker 3 (01:00:46):
When I went out, we'd already started working on.
I forget what type of dance itwas, but it was one with a lot
of Pivoting and swinging around.
I was like, man, that wouldhave been a good one for me.
That would have been Because itwas a lot of the stuff that I
do To get backing up and movingand getting angles on guys Right
.

Speaker 1 (01:01:06):
So, but we never got to do it.
I know you mentioned thisearlier, but my gosh, how dope
would it be to be in theSimpsons?
I mean, we all grew up watchingthe Simpsons, right, and this?

Speaker 2 (01:01:14):
guy.

Speaker 3 (01:01:16):
The best part of that was, though.
So I went to go to do a coupleof lines I had at the studio,
and they go hey man, they'redoing a table read.
Do you want to do the tableread right now?
I don't know, want to listen tothe table read?
Sure, so, for the next episode,not the one I was in.
And so what they do in a tableread, they have all the voices
around the table and they gothrough the script and I'm

(01:01:39):
watching and they're all invoice, right, character right,
and hank azaria is there.
You know, he does like a few ofthe guys in the bar, right,
yeah, he's got a couple.
By the way, this guy startsdoing a conversation in the bar
between himself in threedifferent voices.
No, amazing.
I was like, wow, that is cool,because he's like he was

(01:02:01):
switching back and forth, justlike.
It was like I'm like the sameguys talking three different
voices coming out, and I knowand I was a fan of the show, so
I know, I'm like, I know thoseguys, like I know, wow are you
sitting in a room like everybody?
table with everybody okay, soyou guys are like reading with
each other basically they were,I wasn't, but they know, no, I
was there just going to go dolike a sit on a mic like this

(01:02:24):
and do like my line for the show, right.
But they were in there for atable read at the beginning
because they kind of workthrough the thing and they kind
of make the final edits andthey're like, oh hey, this works
, this doesn't that kind ofthing.
You know they do that.
That was a cool experience andhe's a man, that guy's a stud,
so he does more than getting upat half-blast.

Speaker 1 (01:02:41):
Does he do?

Speaker 2 (01:02:47):
I think he does more.
It's like four or five voicesthat he does.

Speaker 1 (01:02:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:02:52):
It's amazing I forget now.
That was back in the day when Iwatched that show.

Speaker 1 (01:02:56):
Yeah, I watched the behind-the-scenes of South Park
the other day and the guyswitching their voices.
They do about six to eight.
Yeah, Same thing with thefamily guy Seth McFarlane.

Speaker 2 (01:03:06):
He does like three or four of those voices himself.
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:03:08):
He's talented, chuck, you know you've got obviously
with you now, being in thesituation you're in right now,
watching it from the seats.
Is there any athlete that manyou just get amped for every
time he fights?
Or is there a few?

Speaker 3 (01:03:26):
Well, a lot of them.
I mean.
I love fighting them.
I love guys that go out thereand fight Like Poirot is, like
he's such a nice guy too.
You know, I went out and workedwith him a little bit with
Glover when he first startedcoming over.
I was working with Glover whenhe first started coming over.
I was working with Glover withhim because he was coming over
from kickboxing and they'd beenworking with him.
He's just, he's such a nice guyand he likes fighting and he

(01:03:47):
likes he's kind of like you guyskind of remind me of each other
.
I was going to say like honestly, because like he doesn't need a
shtick, you didn't need ashtick because you're just a
killer and I feel like he's likethat and a nice guy too at the
same time, and he trains withGlover, who's one of my favorite
guys, and he used to be mysparring partner, your partner.
Yeah, he's such a good dude.

(01:04:09):
So you know so tough, same thing, Same type of guy, like he's so
funny, like someone was tellingme, like they told me that one
time, you know, john getsnervous before fights, john
Hackleman nervous before everyfight.
So they're walking out I don'tknow what fight it was, but they
were walking out for it.
I think it was Rampage, butthey were walking out for it and
one of the guys, glover'slooking at him and goes I can't

(01:04:32):
do this man.

Speaker 2 (01:04:33):
I can't.

Speaker 4 (01:04:36):
I gotta go.

Speaker 3 (01:04:36):
John.
John's like he goes, justkidding John, let's go have fun.
I'm dying that's how relaxed heis fighting, going out to fight
Like he's just, he's fun.
Glover's a good dude man.

Speaker 1 (01:04:53):
I know with Alex I've seen a couple of weeks.

Speaker 3 (01:04:56):
Well, he changes with Glover.
And I went out and was workingon some of the wrestling stuff
and just look, you know justlittle position things that can
help.
You know, like I'm not tryingto change, he's a better striker
than me.
He's a better kickboxer than Iam for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:05:11):
Wow, you're saying that even in your prime.
If you guys were to meet up,well, that's a different story.
That's a different story.

Speaker 3 (01:05:23):
That's a different story.
But I would have wrestled him.
We would have been wrestling.
I'm not going to stand thereand let that guy try to hit me.

Speaker 1 (01:05:26):
I don't think he's trying to Stand in front of you
and get hit by you too.

Speaker 2 (01:05:30):
I was going to say he's going to say the same thing
.

Speaker 3 (01:05:31):
You said yeah but I would try to Neutralize giving
him that shot.
I'd have a better shot ofbeating him.
Being a smart fighter, you dothat.
I mean that's like Alex Overeem.
When I locked out Overeem, he'sa better striker than me.
I took him down right away inthat fight.

(01:05:53):
No one ever sees it.
I can only see a clip from that.
It starts right when I'mwalking and I'm hitting him with
a straight right.
But I took him down the firstthing I did out there.
I hit him a few times, scoredsome, got up and then he was
thinking I was going to shootagain and I landed a punch.
So I caught him good and thenfinished him.

Speaker 1 (01:06:10):
Well, he says he was a better striker than me and
he's the guy who knocked him out.
But I think we know the resultsthere.

Speaker 3 (01:06:16):
I mean like if you look at his straight kickboxing,
like he was, I mean if I satthere and if I let him relax in
a kickboxing fight, becomfortable and be a kickboxer.

Speaker 4 (01:06:26):
I would have had trouble.

Speaker 3 (01:06:28):
It's like I remember Cain Velasquez fought.

Speaker 4 (01:06:31):
Júlio Santos.

Speaker 1 (01:06:32):
Oh, yeah, first time.

Speaker 3 (01:06:33):
First time he went out there and we were trying, he
got convinced he was going tobeat him striking, and I'm like
I actually told him hey, man,you take him down a couple times
first.
Just please go out there.
My advice.
It sets up your other shotsWell, and what it does with the
straight strikers?
It freezes them a little bit,it throws them off a little bit,

(01:06:55):
which knockouts are a lot oftimes little fractions of time
or something.
So you freeze them up a littlebit and it opens up things,
right, you know.
So, now that he's worried aboutbeing taken down, it opens up a
lot more and it helps yourdefense, right, it helps your
defense and your offense.
So when Kane got knocked outthe first time, when he went

(01:07:17):
back and you saw him and hemixed everything together and
then he did not give up.
He did win with standing, butit was after doing everything.

Speaker 1 (01:07:28):
Yeah, is there any fight there that if you could go
back in your prime, that youwould just love to fight, just
to fight that person?
It doesn't matter.
Like you know, obviously you'regoing to say you're going to
beat that person because that'sthe Alive or dead?

Speaker 2 (01:07:39):
let's say yeah, alive or dead.

Speaker 3 (01:07:40):
let's say yeah, live or dead.
I mean that one.
I mean, if I hate those thingsbecause everyone's I but I I
just think I would have matchedup well with john jones, that's.
I mean, he's a beast at what hedoes.
He's good, great wrestler.
Wait, anybody's good at makingpeople fight when they don't
want to fight, and I think Iwould have had a lot.
He would have had a lot oftrouble with me because of that.

(01:08:02):
He wouldn't have had that on me.

Speaker 2 (01:08:06):
His height's always been a problem, and his reach
has always been a problem.

Speaker 3 (01:08:09):
But my reach isn't that far off.
John listed it at 76.
It's about 79 and a half.
The reason they listed it thatway John was a little crazy with
that stuff.
John didn't want you to planfor a guy that long, because if
they measured it and it was 79.5, they'd say 80.

(01:08:29):
And if it's 80, they're going.
Okay, we need a really longperson to train with us.
But at 76, it's kind of normal.
It's a little bit longer, butkind of normal for his height.
So no one's ready for it.
And then by the time theyfigure out, I've actually
sparred with some guys that werereally good at distance.
But since we're sparring, I'mnot gonna mention name, but I'm.
You know I'd land something.

(01:08:51):
Damn it, damn it like because Ican't.
They'd be surprised I'mcatching them and take them.
They've had to take them acouple rounds to adjust and in
most fights that a couple roundsto adjust and in most fights
that couple rounds it's gameover.
It's game over.
Yeah, or you're knocked out.
It's just too late, you adjusttoo late, but I have a lot
longer reach than people thought.
But I think he would have hadan exchange with me and it would

(01:09:12):
have been trouble.
That would have been a greatfight, but like that when you do
that, you can't really go backand do that.

Speaker 1 (01:09:20):
It's like I don't know, yeah, but I think, for
from in your position right now,being as accomplished as you
are, all you're doing,respectfully, is saying this is
a an incredible fighter.
I would have loved to just feltthat power that he talks about,
or whatever it would be.

Speaker 3 (01:09:35):
Or like yeah, I mean I would have liked to see if he
could have, if I really was thematchup.
I thought it would be for himBecause you know, styles make
fights in a lot of things A lotof guys are easier, like some
guys, just don't.
Don't stay away from that guy.
If you can miss him, it'sbecause he's not good for your
style, you know?
Yeah, styles make fights.

Speaker 1 (01:09:55):
Is there anybody that surprised you that you fought
against?

Speaker 3 (01:10:01):
I don't know that anyone surprised me.
I always expected guys to comeout and fight and be tough.

Speaker 1 (01:10:10):
Not really, I mean they all got fucked up pretty
much anyway, right, yeah, man.

Speaker 2 (01:10:19):
There was a period of time where it was like that
Mike Tyson just tearing throughpeople, knocking everybody out,
and everybody was watching.
Just watch that knockout man.
They wanted to see you icesomebody.

Speaker 1 (01:10:30):
Yeah, what were you at with the time tires?

Speaker 4 (01:10:34):
We're at 1.12.
Oh wow, when the players dwell.

Speaker 1 (01:10:38):
Yeah, we're in that range, so we're probably like 10
minutes, 5, 10 minutes to wrapthis up.
Go ahead.
Are you on, mike?
I can't hear you.

Speaker 4 (01:10:44):
You can't hear me.

Speaker 1 (01:10:45):
I can hear you now.

Speaker 4 (01:10:46):
All right.
Okay, so you faced suchtremendous adversity and I'm
curious if the rest of lifeseems kind of inconsequential or
things that stress people outdoesn't really bother you, based
off the fact that you've justhad to go head-to-head with
killers, I mean, everything isdifferent, man.

Speaker 3 (01:11:05):
You have to deal with different things.
I mean there's differentemotions, different stuff.
Like you know, I've gonethrough some pretty stuff that
sucks.
You know it's still not easyStuff worse than fighting for
you.
I love fighting, there'snothing worse.
But the one thing I missed themost, probably when I retired,
was that time, that 8 to 12weeks of camp where everybody

(01:11:31):
around me understood it and Ifocused on getting ready for
that fight.
I still had fun, did my thingwith my kids and did stuff, but
I didn't worry about anythingand everyone knew not to bring
me any problems.
Unless you know like I tellpeople like if I'm gone, I don't
care if my house is burningdown, unless I can do something

(01:11:51):
to stop it.
Don't tell me, I don't want tohear it, leave me alone.
Yeah, you know it's funnybecause Flex I know that single
focus and being able to andeverybody got it around me too
Like it's not, like you know.
It's not like oh, come on, comedrink with me, man, come on,
you're not drinking with us.
It's like oh, I'm training fora fight, oh.
Oh, I've come to do this.

(01:12:11):
I've got to go train, oh, okay.

Speaker 1 (01:12:13):
Oh, they don't ask because they know you're in the
zone.
They know you're.

Speaker 3 (01:12:17):
Once they figure it out, they're like okay, Chuck's
in the zone, We'll deal withthat later.
Even the people around me arelike okay, just make a list for
me, Don will take care of it.

Speaker 2 (01:12:26):
We'll deal with this in eight weeks.

Speaker 3 (01:12:36):
That's what I never used to think I did.
But my buddy's like oh yeah,you're always cool and mellow,
but you were a different catthat last week.
That shot is getting sharpBecause you're at that point,
especially the week before,because I stopped training the
last training session, and thenyou're ready to go and now

(01:12:57):
you're not using your energy foranything because you're kind of
just cruising, doing a littleworkout here and there, but we
never did anything big afterthat like 45 minutes of just
kind of moving through themotions.
so now I have all this extraenergy and I'm sitting there and
I'm like, and you're ready togo and you're prepped for a

(01:13:17):
fight.

Speaker 4 (01:13:18):
So yeah, it's a.

Speaker 3 (01:13:21):
You get in a little mode.

Speaker 1 (01:13:22):
Is there one thing that you kind of took for
granted when you were competing?
I'm sorry fighting that.
You wish you kind of know youwere tired.

Speaker 3 (01:13:30):
Took for granted.

Speaker 1 (01:13:33):
Or something you miss as the fighter.

Speaker 3 (01:13:36):
Like I said, I just I miss it.
People always ask me what don'tyou miss from fighting?
There's nothing I didn't miss.
I liked going to the gym andgetting ready.
I used to say I take a couplemonths off after every fight by
taking off it didn't mean I wasout of the gym.
Taking off, I wasn't the focusof the time.

(01:13:56):
Usually I had to be back byMonday or Tuesday to spar with
someone because they had a fightcoming up.
Just because I was done didn'tmean they're done.
Time off to me just meant Iwasn't the focus of the training
camp.
I always love martial arts.
I love fighting, love.
I mean I've been doing karatesince I was 12.

(01:14:18):
You know I used to and I alwaystell people like I, that's one
of those things I used to do.
I used to go to wrestlingpractice and I do my homework at
school, go to wrestlingpractice and then I go to karate
after I go to.
I do for football season.
I go to football and then I goto.
I go, I try to get all myhomework done.
So I go to karate after youknow.
So I won't let it go.
So, yeah, I love training and Ialways.

(01:14:41):
I kind of figured out when Iwas young that if I train harder
than these guys over here and Ikeep learning more, I can meet
these guys that have been here alot longer than me or have been
here doing this longer orthat're better than me.
I can get better than them.
I learned that I felt that whenI was little.
So I just always was alwaystrying to get better, always
improving, always getting better, always get better, because I

(01:15:02):
wanted to be able to beateverybody and with the evolution
as that sport grew, with allthese different, you know, and
that was the thing what happenedat first.
Remember when I first came intoit, I was really.
They're still trying to be likethe wrestlers versus the
jiu-jitsu guys the strikers.
And then at that time there'sthe guys that have evolved and

(01:15:24):
really figured out wait, we'vegot to learn everything, we've
got to do a little bit ofeverything.
And then there's the guys thattried to keep proving it was
their style, and then they kindof faded out.
It's their style because they.

Speaker 4 (01:15:35):
You have to adapt.

Speaker 3 (01:15:35):
Don't adapt.
Adapt or die, especially backthen, if you don't adapt.
It was going so fast and youhad to be decent To be a good
fighter.

Speaker 1 (01:15:47):
You had to be decent at everything.
Was it hard to get trainingpartners back then who were
specialized in certain things tobring them in for camp?

Speaker 3 (01:15:54):
Everybody was trying to figure out how to do camp.
I mean, we were figuring outhow do you mix wrestling and
striking and jiu-jitsu.
One of the best adjustments wemade was for sparring.
When we were doing sparring youcould shoot any time.
So you didn't get—because theproblem is a lot of guys would
get— we'd get in a kickboxingstance, get comfortable in

(01:16:16):
kickboxing and then when wewrestle we get in a wrestling
stance.
Then when we fight, we're inthe middle somewhere.
Now you're timing things off.
That's why I try to tell peopleBill was talking about striking.
I'm like, oh, it's not likeboxing.
Well, you can't strike like aboxer in a kickboxing match

(01:16:36):
Because, guess what, I'll kickyou in the leg.
I'm going to kick you in theleg.
I'm going to do that a coupletimes and you're not going to
want to fight anymore.
I mean I always said like, if Ifight a boxer in a kickboxing
match, you got one round andknock me out.
By the end of that round you'renot gonna be able to put enough

(01:17:01):
weight on that front foot to toknock me out.
So I mean, it's just, it's oneof those things that people.
I always get that thing withpeople about the striking and
your striking is different fromme?
yeah, because gloves aredifferent angles and and it's
just, you can't stand a certainstance.
You got you got, you gottaworry about wrestling, you gotta
worry, you got to worry abouteverything.
So it changes the timing alittle bit and everything you
know.
But so it was always hard to toadjust.
So I, my timing got better withmy wish, because I was finding

(01:17:25):
a hard part.
I was had a lot of knockoutsand kickboxing.
I was having a hard timetransferring it over and then
when I started doing that, sonow I, now I'm training, so I,
even after that, when I workwith a couple of good boxing
coaches, I'd start at thebeginning I'd just say, hey, man
, this is my stance, you can'tchange that.
After that I'll listen toeverything else, I'll take any

(01:17:48):
advice, but I'm not changing mystance.
I mean, obviously, if I wentback to boxing or back to
kickboxing, I'm hoping it'schanging my stance, but as long
as we're doing MMA, this is mystance.

Speaker 1 (01:17:58):
Yeah, it worked out, definitely worked out.
Obviously, now with Tyed,you've got this incredible
legacy People still talkingabout your highlights, as if it
happened last week.

Speaker 3 (01:18:11):
You know it's a surprise, we were just talking
about this, my girl um, we'rewalking out.
I'm walking out of a pizzaplace and you know there's a
it's right right after the highschool football game or
something and there's a bunch ofkids could have been like
probably eight to about 12.
There's probably about 10 ofthem out there in front of the
pizza place where our parentsare inside, and we're walking

(01:18:33):
out, hey that's chucklin, ohlike what are you 10.

Speaker 2 (01:18:39):
it's kind of cool.
It just happened when we werein the gym right here.
The general manager was likedude, he's like he's freaking
out bro yeah he's like my dad isthe biggest fan.

Speaker 3 (01:18:50):
I get.
I get that a lot.
The, the.
That was for the first time.
Hey, you're my dad's favoritefighter.
I'm like, oh great.

Speaker 4 (01:18:59):
I'm not that old.

Speaker 3 (01:19:01):
But now really I get it a lot and the cool thing
about it is I've had people telltheir dad they're into MMA and
they go oh you gotta check thisguy out.
So all they've seen is ahighlight reel of me knocking
people out.
So that's kind of nice too.
Or I get a lot of people likeman hey, I had a lot of good

(01:19:23):
times with my dad watching youfight.
That's good, thank you, andthat's cool.

Speaker 1 (01:19:27):
That's really cool, Super cool.
Talking of which and it's anice segue how does a dad know
yourself with two kids?
Right, you have two kids.

Speaker 3 (01:19:36):
Well, I have five, total Five.
I got two younger ones, I got11 and 12.

Speaker 1 (01:19:41):
Well, wikipedia needs to change that fucking thing.
Oh dude, wikipedia's been wrongforever.
Oh gosh.

Speaker 3 (01:19:47):
Someone asked me who's this and they said it was
my karate instructor.
Like on there, it was onWikipedia.
I'm like I have no idea whothat is.
That's his claim to fame.

Speaker 1 (01:19:57):
He's telling everybody.
I don't know how he got it upthere, but okay but as a dad,
how did that affect you when youwere in your prime?
Did that affect you at all?
Being a dad, balancing life andfighting um?

Speaker 3 (01:20:11):
when I was, when I was fighting, I had two kids
that were with their moms.
They were with me here andthere, but they weren't with me
a lot.
They moved away.
So I spent time with themwhenever I had them.
It was great.
I have a good relationship withmy oldest daughter just got

(01:20:36):
married.
That was cool.
Oh congrats.
Yeah, she's awesome.

Speaker 1 (01:20:39):
That's cool Brad, to be Chuck Liddell's daughter.

Speaker 3 (01:20:44):
Yeah, she's in like neuroscience stuff.
I think it's doctorateBeautiful.

Speaker 1 (01:20:50):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (01:20:53):
I've got some good kids.

Speaker 1 (01:20:54):
Yeah, we were talking just before we went on air
About the kids, and every timewe talk, we talk about the kids.
That's why I brought it up.

Speaker 3 (01:20:59):
I used to tell people too, training camp was great
for the kids Because I'd be gone.
I mean, to be honest, I'd traineight hours.
I remember Tito would say I'dtrain seven, eight hours a day.
I'm like bro, I was on yourcouch that time, I don't
remember.
Are you counting driving to andfrom the gym and to interviews

(01:21:19):
and all that stuff?
Because I mean he'd go runningand then he'd do like a striking
workout and a wrestling workout.
But I mean legitimately, maybethree hours if you're not,
unless you're counting the fullwarm-up and everything, maybe.
But like I was saying, sayingeven during training camp, I'm
gone for a couple workouts a dayfor now and then, and then the

(01:21:41):
rest of the time I play with mykids.
I go out and play in the pooland go goof around and joke
around.
My kids were spoiled kids backin that day too, and all my
fighters that are at the housewould be my oldest daughter.
Hey, can you get me this, canyou get me that?
Go get this, play this gamewith me.
And they're like okay, she waslike running the whole place.

(01:22:05):
It was funny.

Speaker 2 (01:22:07):
I was going to say maybe he was doing the
eight-hour arm workout.

Speaker 1 (01:22:10):
Nobody wants to touch that Chuck.
Can I land in this?
Oh, a funny thing.
I don't know if you've seenthis.
I'm probably people sent it.
Have you seen that guy kickingoff in Walmart?
He was like oh, I tried, chuck.
You know, chuck Liddell, Itrained that guy?

Speaker 3 (01:22:23):
Oh dude, I just saw that.
Yeah, that guy's hilarious.
You don't know him right?
No, not at all.
That's book.
No, we trained once for asecond.
Yeah, yeah, oh man, I used toget that on.
I don't know how many times Ihad people come to me hey, my
buddy's just borrowed you.
And I'm like, oh yeah, tell me.
I said hi, I can.
Then they'll try to dig into it.

(01:22:44):
I'm like, okay, bro, like um,well, uh, they told me oh yes,
his name's this.
I'm like, oh yeah, I told him.
I said hi, and I'm like theywant me to acknowledge.
Like'm like dude, I'm trying tobe nice.
I don't know that name.
And if he sparred with meUnless he one time sparred with
me At a class or something and Iwas just doing a thing he

(01:23:06):
wasn't my sparring partner.
No, no, he was your sparringpartner.
No, he sat in the seminar.
If he was my sparring partner,I know his name.
If you say his name, I willknow it.

Speaker 1 (01:23:16):
Because I picked him up off the ground.

Speaker 3 (01:23:20):
But I had my guys.
I had my guy.
They're friends of mine.

Speaker 2 (01:23:25):
When you share blood and sweat, that's how it works,
man, the funny one.

Speaker 3 (01:23:29):
Hey, you used to date my sister.
What's her name?

Speaker 1 (01:23:33):
Oh, Actually, I do know you could call it date.

Speaker 3 (01:23:37):
I don't know, I could call it date.

Speaker 1 (01:23:40):
That's her claim for fame, bro.
That's her claim for fame, Rock.
Anything else in partingquestions before the pod lands
the plan.

Speaker 2 (01:23:48):
I wanted to bring this bad boy up here, since you
had it here in the office.
I mean, you're an action figure, bro.

Speaker 1 (01:23:54):
How cool is that, though, bro?
Let's be honest, it's awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:23:57):
When I say my boy's got his own money, my boy's got
his own money.

Speaker 1 (01:24:01):
Yeah, as you guys know, if you've been and seen
the office tour that sitspridefully on top of the VHS,
ufc sets, that's one of myfavorite fights the card
collection.
That's one of my favoritefights because I remember being
around all the boys during thattime.
Everybody was talking about itand everybody can tell you where
they were when they watchedthat Chuck Tito fight.

Speaker 2 (01:24:20):
It was the hypest fight UFC had ever put on.
I mean, Ken and Tito had a goodrivalry, but that, I feel like,
was game-changing.

Speaker 3 (01:24:29):
Oh, you want to hear something funny?
That's a funny thing from that.
The first time we fought, wehad to do the pictures for the
thing, and this was back in theday when they actually used real
cameras and they had you boththere Real stuff.

(01:24:50):
It took about three hoursbecause they shoot a bunch of
shots shots Because they don'tget to see if they have the shot
.
It's not like now where they go, take three shots and look,
okay, I got it.
So we're doing that and wedidn't say one word to each
other.
And the only time we broke alittle bit we touched noses and

(01:25:12):
we both kind of went.
It was pretty funny, but wedidn't say a word.

Speaker 1 (01:25:16):
The whole time broke a little bit as we touched noses
and we both kind of went it waspretty funny, but yeah, we
didn't say it worked that wholetime.
Well, that's become one of themlegacy fights that everybody
talks about, no matter how oldit is.

Speaker 3 (01:25:26):
That's going to be talked about in 20 years time
hey, you know, the funny thingis like people say something
like I'm a bro, like I don'thate him, like I just, yeah,
you're tearing up't hate him.
Like, I just don't care enoughto hate him.
I mean I wish him the best.
I heard he's a good dad.
Give him that Good.
I mean I don't want anything todo with him, I don't, but I got

(01:25:47):
nothing against him.
I mean it's like hey, bro, it'sover, we're good.

Speaker 2 (01:25:51):
I saw the special, the documentary on ESPN.
It was great there's adocumentary called Chuck and
Tito.

Speaker 1 (01:26:00):
It's 30 for 30.
Yeah, 30 for 30.
I have not seen that.
It's great.
I should have.

Speaker 3 (01:26:04):
They did a really good job actually of kind of
glossing over the whole thingand the growth of the UFC and
kind of putting it together itwas a really good job they did
on that.

Speaker 1 (01:26:14):
You'll like it.
I love all that stuff.
Again, it doesn't matter howold that was shot, because it's
still so relevant and still soexciting to watch something that
you already know the outcome of.
I think the behind the scenesof that would be definitely
interesting.
30 for 30, yeah, okay, check itout.
Well, chuck, man, I reallyappreciate it.
Man, I know that you literallygot off the plane and came here

(01:26:35):
straight away.
For me, man, it means a lot.
Finally got you here to the gymafter us trying to pull this
off.
It's been a while it has.
I've been trying to get himhere and it's not because he
doesn't want to come here, it'sjust.
His guy is like two passingships.
I'm here, he messaged me.
I'm in Vegas, I'm not in Vegas,I'm in Vegas.
And then he said, bro, I amslammed, I can't get over, maybe

(01:26:56):
before the end, and I'm likeI'm not going to see him, but
we've done it tonight, and that.

Speaker 3 (01:26:59):
I appreciate it much, thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:27:01):
Thanks for having me Any parting words.
My man, no brother, Thank youfor coming.

Speaker 1 (01:27:04):
The Iceman in the Honored to again see us go from
that square off in Lincoln,nebraska, to now have a
friendship and see what you'vedone through your career, now
into retirement, all the thingsyou've achieved and being a true

(01:27:30):
pioneer of leading all theseopportunities to all the
fighters that are now justhaving these incredible new
opportunities.
And you were that man thatopened the door for so many.
So you've been a true pioneer.
You're a legend of the sport,the champ and everybody's you
know, everybody's favouritefighter on the scene.
My friend, so honoured to haveyou here.
Thank you for chopping it up solate and it's been a blast, my

(01:27:51):
friend.
I truly appreciate it indeedthanks, Brian this is Flex Rock,
the Iceman.
We are out.

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Chuck Liddell | Unfiltered Stories from the Octagon | Straight Outta The Lair Podcast

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Chuck Liddell | Unfiltered Stories from the Octagon | Straight Outta The Lair Podcast