When did I know Chuck Liddell would beat Tito Ortiz? Wednesday night at 10pm. That is when I had a chance to take a sneak peak at Liddell's final training session before facing Tito Ortiz in the main event of UFC 47.
The Pit fight team was grappling with Liddell downstairs at the workout rooms in the Mandalay Bay and the scene was something that I have never seen in all the years I've covered the Iceman.
Some gastly awful country song was blazing in the background, Liddell was singing at the top of his lungs, bouncing around like he just won the lottery. His training partner at the time, Glover (prounounced Glow-ver....yes he is Brazilian) was smiling and head trainer John Hackleman leans over to me and says "I've NEVER seen him better....NEVER."
I knew Wednesday Night at 10pm that this would be Chuck's coming out party. Now fast forward to Friday night.....the Iceman came out of his dressing room.....smiling? When was the last time you saw Chuck Liddell smiling walking to the Octagon? Answer... NEVER. Yes I've seen him confident, with an ice cold look on his face, but I have never seen him....SMILE before a fight.
Tito Ortiz, who still is one of the best at 205, despite what any keyboard warrior is typing at this minute, didn't have the strut in his step entering the Octagon. It was more of a death march walking to the cage, as friend and world class boxer Fernando Vargas was screaming in his ear, hoping to inspire the former UFC champion.
As Ortiz did his pattened run around inside the Octagon before the fight started, Liddell stood in his corner cemented to HIS spot, as if he was saying, I'm not going anywhere, see you in three minutes and bring your "A" game.
Liddell was ready alright and the ultimate statement was made before any punch was really thrown. Ortiz midway through the first round, locked up with Liddell in the clinch for a brief encounter. When Ortiz tried to throw Chuck, it was the Iceman turning the tables and throwing Tito aside as if he was saying, "you have to do a lot better than that."
This was a bigger moment of the fight than any strike Liddell landed, because Tito at that point knew he was in big trouble and felt like he had to stand with Liddell. That decision by Ortiz was the biggest tatical mistake this side of Grady Little leaving Pedro Martinez to pitch to the New York Yankees in Game 7 of last years ALCS series. (Did I just say that as a Sox fan?)
Ortiz admitted the horrible decision at the news conference when he said "He hits really hard, and he got me with some good shots, but I stood with Chuck for a round and a half and tried to show my standing is decent. I landed some good shots, but Chuck Liddell hits hard as hell."
Ortiz now finds himself finding that fact out too late. Ortiz now joins Alistar Overeem, Babalu, Guy Mezger and countless others as great fighters who thought they could stand and bang with the Iceman. Ego and Chuck Liddell were the big factors in the beating Ortiz took and now he will have to dig deep and work harder to re-establish himself as still one of the five or six best fighters in the 205 division.
opcorn: 
