Chuck Liddell Identifies Biggest Issue in MMA Today

undefined wrote:: Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer and former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell never shied away from big fights. He's also never shied away from speaking his mind. While many discuss the controversy surrounding fighter pay, Liddell identified what he believes is the biggest problem in mixed martial arts today on a recent episode of Inside MMA. "I'm probably not going to be popular with the fighters with this one, but my biggest problem is guys playing it safe," he said. "I understand it from a coach's standpoint and a manager's standpoint. I understand why you'd want to play it safe and win every fight. I get it. But do I want to watch a guy go beat a guy for four rounds and then ride him the fifth round not doing anything? You want to be worth more? Go out and fight. Have fun. Knock people out. Submit them. Beat them. I don't care. Just go try to finish a fight." During the broadcast, Liddell used Georges St-Pierre as an example, particularly following St-Pierre's UFC 69 knockout loss to Matt Serra. "Rush," the UFC's No. 2-ranked pound-for-pound fighter and current welterweight champion, has been utterly dominant since the defeat, winning his last 11 fights and defending the belt eight times. Also after the loss, St-Pierre (24-2-0, eight KO/TKOs) became quick to employ his superior wrestling and athleticism to win his fights, an effective tactic, but a less entertaining one for many fans. Here's a breakdown of GSP's victories: Before UFC 69: Six technical knockouts, four submissions, three decisions. After UFC 69: Two technical knockouts, one submission, eight decisions. Another example is Jon Fitch. Fitch (24-6-1, five KO/TKOs) racked up 14 decisions in his career. Like St-Pierre, Fitch displayed dominant wrestling and controlled many of his opponents with ease. But those aren't always the fights people want to see. After a 1-2 stretch, he was cut from the UFC. By contrast, Liddell finished his legendary 29-fight career with 13 knockouts. During a nearly five-year, 12-fight span, he registered either a KO or TKO, or he went down swinging. Liddell took risks in his fights and in the matchups he accepted, unafraid of his opponents' style or specialization. But Liddell's approach is not universally adopted in MMA. As continued talk about fighter pay rages on, one cannot avoid the potential ramifications of wins and losses, particularly in terms of endorsements, contracts and fan following. These days, mixed martial arts is a mainstay on major sports networks and fighters enter the cage wearing gear from top brands, including Nike, so playing it safe can be tempting. While exposure is seemingly increasing at an exponential rate, and as much as fighters have to lose, they also have all the more to gain. As Liddell noted, an exciting bout can increase an individual's value. source

How can you argue with the man. He's exactly right.

Yeah he's not wrong, at least not entirely wrong.
Pretty much everyone can agree that it's no fun watching a fighter stall and lay-n-pray for an entire fight, but as big a fan of Chuck's as I am, if he's being honest with himself he knows damn well that he still wants to fight, and he damn well knows the reason why he can't.

If you want to be known as one of the most exciting fighters of all time, be a huge fan favorite, and be involved in fights that people will talk about for decades, take Chuck's advice.
If you want to stay in the sport for as long as possible and continue to win, even if you get booed by the fans and are labeled as one of most boring fighters in history, ignore Chuck's advice and try to do what GSP does.

I thought he was going to say TRT.

Amen chuck

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