Liddell: I don’t like the way McGregor talks, but …
“I don’t like it, but I can put up with all the loudmouth, crazy things he says when he goes out and fights like he does and gives you those kinds of finishes.”
UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell retired six years ago today. He lost six in a row via KO, and UFC president Dana White gave his friend The Talk, and a front-office position as vice president of business development.
In an extended interview with Kevin Iole for Yahoo Sports, Liddell talked about the state of the art, and its biggest male star, UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor.
“I love the way Conor fights,” said Liddell. “How can you not? I mean, the guy delivers. I’ve been an Aldo fan for years, and he’s been such a great fighter, and Conor went out there and did what he said he was going to do.
“I’ll be honest: I don’t like the way Conor talks. I’m not a fan of that. I get it. I understand it. It’s his way of intimidating guys and getting into their head. Everyone has their way of trying to get into the other guy’s head before a fight, and talking is his way. I don’t like it, but I can put up with all the loudmouth, crazy things he says when he goes out and fights like he does and gives you those kinds of finishes.”
Liddell also discussed the largest female athlete in the sport, or the world, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
“Only she knows what was in her mind and if it was just a bad night that she can easily fix, or whether her confidence was shaken,” said Liddell. “It looked to me like she went out there with the idea that she would try to box with Holly, which her coach said she could do, and she got hurt early. That will affect what comes after.
“If she thinks it’s just a situation where she messed up and she’ll be able to make the changes that will make a difference, go ahead. But if her confidence is shaken and there are any doubts at all in her head, she should take a fight against someone else first. There’s no right answer, so to speak. It’s about what is in her head.”
Liddell also talked about coming back. He’s 46. He won’t.
“I’m a fighter, and I’ll always be a fighter, and it’s what I love to do,” he said. “There were times I thought about it, but never to the point where I picked up the phone and asked Dana to get me a fight. But I definitely miss it. I’ll always miss it. That’s never going to go away.”
