© Marc Wickert 
www.knucklepit.com 
August 3, 2007

On September 22, 2007, UFCs most recognizable athlete, Chuck 'The Iceman' Liddell, will be taking his first step towards reclaiming the light-heavyweight title when he locks horns with another heavy hitter, Keith Jardine (12-4-1).

At the time of this interview, Chuck is resting at home in San Luis Obispo, California, with his focus set on this crucial upcoming battle at UFC 76. "I just got done with my second workout and I have one to go. We did running and wrestling this morning, and this afternoon we did sparring; Ive got conditioning and stuff tonight," says Liddell.

Chuck won his last seven matches before losing the light-heavyweight title to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 71, and he now looks forward to redeeming the belt, saying he doesnt think any particular part of his game let him down against Jackson.

"No, I thought everything was going well. I just made a mistake and got caught. It happens. I was real happy with the job I was doing. I had things I was going to do, and I was frustrating him early – moving around – and he just happened to catch me before I got a chance to catch him."

Now Chuck is looking to run over Keith Jardine like a runaway polar express, after The Icemans long awaited showdown with the former PRIDE middleweight champion, Wanderlei Silva, was postponed because Silva announced he needed more time for preparation, which resulted in Jardine putting his hand up to take on Liddell.

Chuck, what has John Hackleman been saying to you about your bout with Rampage?

" Not much. Hes been going over some things with me, and saying to be real careful with my technique. But what I did was something hed been telling me not to do for a long time."

Will you and John now go back to the drawing board and work out a strategy for you to get your title back?

"We started working at it a week after that fight."

Do you have a strength and fitness coach these days or do you take care of that yourself?

"John takes care of most of that: We do it together."

Have you been on the David Letterman show yet?

"Yes; it went great and I had a good time."

Your being on the show would have been good publicity for MMA, wouldnt it?

"Yeah, its good to be taken seriously on those shows, and now days were being covered by everybody – were on all the stations."

What did you think of the Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop fight?

"I thought it was a great fight – fun to watch."

I know you dont like to make predictions, but do you think the Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga match could go either way?

"I think it could and it will be interesting to see how it does go."

Do you have any interest in the heavyweight category?

"Right now, not really. But if it comes up, it comes up. It depends on what happens, but Ive got to get the title back at my weight class. Then we can talk about the heavyweight."

When you fought Tito at UFC 66, you seemed to start out with a wide, shallow stance. Is that stance part of your strategy to avoid offering a lead leg for the takedown?

"Yeah, it is."

When you seem confident of blasting your opponent away, you then adopt a longer, more dominant stance: Is that the case?

"As I get them backing up more, it allows me to use more power. But as I get them backing up, they cant really take a shot while theyre retreating. And once I remind them that I hit hard, and that they have to watch out for it, that enables me to step forward and get better shots off."

Youve lost fights in the past and always come back better than ever; can fans look forward to a new Ice Age coming?

"I hope so – were working on it and Im in great shape and getting down to business, so things should be good. Its what you have to do: Either that or retire, and Im nowhere near retiring."

Do you believe when a fighter loses his belt that he should have first option to challenge the new titleholder, or do you think its good for a former champion to have more time to mount the counter-challenge?

"I think they already had something set, and Im not arguing – Im sure its not going to take me long to get a title shot, so Im not too worried about it."

Keith Jardine was happy to stand with Forrest Griffin. Will he be prepared to stand with you?

"I think hes planning to stand with me and Im not going to give him much choice. I dont see him as too much of a takedown threat, so I dont believe hell have too much choice."

Do you expect him to be a little gun-shy after his match with Houston Alexander?

"Im not sure: Everybody reacts differently to things like that."

Sponsors?

"Cobb 28, Tapout, and Sinister Clothing."

For more on Chuck Liddell: www.iceman.tv and www.mmajacked.com.

For more on UFC 76: Knockout – www.ufc.tv.

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