Liddell: I told Dana Tito wouldn’t fight, just wanted to get on TV
Men’s Fitness: You’ve returned to The Ultimate Fighter TV show (broadcast on Virgin1 in the UK) to coach a team throughout…
Men’s Fitness: You’ve returned to The Ultimate Fighter TV show (broadcast on Virgin1 in the UK) to coach a team throughout the 11th series. How did it go?
Chuck Liddell: It was cool. I’m not a big fan of reality shows but I liked working with the guys. I learnt a lot about teaching. We’re working with guys that are already pretty good at what they do, so if they don’t understand what to do then I’m not teaching them right. It also taught me a lot about the way I fight because you have to learn your own details before you can teach them. At this level, with these types of guys, that’s what you need to teach them – they know most of the basic moves, but you need to teach them the details. The details are what make a difference.
MF: You were originally supposed to fight Tito Ortiz. Have you had to adapt your training for the new card?
CL: Other than the fact that Franklin’s a southpaw, there’s not much of a difference. I’ve had to work on my all-round game because he’s decent at everything. Him taking me down is not really a big threat, so if it goes to the ground it’s because I decided it should, but he is a much better striker than Tito.
MF: A lot of fans are upset that you won’t be fighting Ortiz. How do you feel?
CL: I still really want to knock him out. After the shit he said on the show, I really wanted to. He ran his mouth and now I get to say ‘I told you so’ to Dana. I told Dana that he wouldn’t fight me and that he was just going to use this to get on TV.
MF: Do you still think you’ll fight him one day?
CL: I don’t care. Honestly. I mean I’ve already knocked him out twice. All I want is, if he decides to come back to the UFC, that he should have to fight me to get back in.