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Showing posts with label Mauricio Rua. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mauricio Rua. Show all posts

Four months after his most recent fight, a loss to Shogun Rua at UFC 97, Chuck Liddell is relaxing and enjoying life. But he's not ready to say he's retired.

In an interview Wednesday with FanHouse, Liddell said that he doesn't know if he'll fight again, and he doesn't know when he'll be ready to retire. Liddell wants to determine the future of his career on his own schedule, and he's only going to decide for sure after he gets back in the gym and tests himself again.

Liddell also talked about connecting with the fans, dealing with a Twitter imposter, and his acting career. The full interview is below.

Michael David Smith: Let's start with the question everyone is asking: Will we see you fight again?
Chuck Liddell: I don't know. I don't know what my final decision will be. It's hard for an athlete to quit what he's done his whole life. So I don't know. I'm going to make the right decision for me, and that decision could come in a couple months. But we'll see.

Dana White has made it very clear that he doesn't want you to fight. Do you wish he'd keep that opinion to himself and let you make your own decision?
He's an opinionated guy. That's how he is. He says what's on his mind, and that's why I like him: You always know what he's thinking. So that doesn't bother me.

What kind of time frame are you working on? If you decide to fight again when will that be, or if you decide to call it quits when would you officially retire?
I've always said I'm going to make that decision in the gym, not in the ring. After some time off I'll get back in the gym, throw some punches and take some punches and see how I feel again, and after that I'll make my decision.

You've lost four of your last five. If you do fight again, what do you think you need to work on to start winning again?
Well, some things work and some things don't, and for me, the way I was fighting, I was getting hit too much and taking too much damage. Things were hurting me that didn't used to hurt me. So I think I need to work on my timing and my head movement.

What do you think of Tito Ortiz returning to the UFC?
It is what it is. He's coming back and doing what he wants to do.

You've already beaten him twice. Would you like to beat him a third time?
Well, I always enjoy beating him up, but I don't see that unless he has a few wins. He'd need to have a win or two for that to make sense.

Dana has said he'd like you to be sort of an ambassador for the sport. Is connecting with fans the kind of thing you want to do more of?
Yes, for sure. I love the fans and I love the sport, so anything I can help out with in any way, I'm going to. I'm also doing this Sports Legends Challenge, where there are 25 of us sports legends going to the Bahamas and playing some poker with a bunch of fans.

Another question about connecting with fans: Are you on Twitter?
No, I'm not.

Are you aware that there's a fake Chuck Liddell on Twitter with more than 11,000 followers?
Yeah, I know, and it's ridiculous. People have called me and asked me about my Twitter, and it's not me. I think I'm going to need to take it over or get it taken down or whatever and have an official one so people know if they see something with my name on it, it's coming from me. That's why I got on MySpace, too. There was some guy on there telling people he was me, people were sending e-mails to him and he was replying like he was me, he was telling people I was going to meet them somewhere, he was telling girls to send him pictures.

You mentioned wanting to connect with the fans. Do you see the value of Twitter in doing that?
Yeah, I don't do a lot of that -- I don't like the online chats or post on message boards -- but if I get on Twitter I'll tell fans what I'm doing.

What's up with your acting career?
I've got some things coming up. I have some meetings next week talking to people about some roles. It's something I enjoy.

Everyone knows you were in Entourage and you've done some other stuff, but you were a child actor long before you were a fighter, right?
Yeah, I was in The Postman Always Rings Twice with Jack Nicholson. That was fun. I think I made like $33 or something. I got to miss a whole day of school, and when you're a little kid, that's cool.

What did you think of UFC 101?
I thought it was a good show. B.J. Penn and Anderson Silva winning was what I thought would happen, but it was a good show.

What do you make of Anderson Silva? Could he move up and win the light heavyweight belt that you owned for a couple years?
Anderson Silva is a tough guy, man. He's dangerous. He's got heavy hands and he's not afraid to throw them. He's a dangerous opponent for anyone.

Are you still watching a lot of MMA even though you're taking some time off from fighting yourself?
Absolutely, I watch all the fights I can.

Are you going to do more training of younger fighters?
I'll decide that when I make a final decision about whether I'm fighting again. Lately I've been doing other things and haven't had much time to train guys, but that's something I want to do. I like working with younger fighters.

What do you like about coaching?
I like the personal interaction. I like working on the finer points, improving the little things that can make a big difference that the younger fighters don't always know about.

When you look at where the UFC is now compared to where it was when you first started fighting, how much more popular it is and how the sport has grown, do you take a lot of personal pride in that? You were one of the best and most popular fighters and you had a lot to do with its growth.
I don't know if I'm the one who gets credit, but I'm proud of where the sport is, and I think it's still going to get bigger. It's a great sport and it's going to get a lot bigger than what it is. Mixed martial arts is great, and it's here to stay.

Source: MMA.FanHouse.com

UFC President Dana White (picture) recently reiterated that Chuck Liddell is done as a fighter following Liddell's first round knockout loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 97: Redemption this past Saturday. In an interview with InsideFighting.com, White noted that while Liddell may be done as a fighter in the UFC, he will still have a role in the organization.

"Chuck Liddell is stupid rich," White said. "Chuck Liddell is done. He's got nothing left to prove. He's the most famous guy on earth. I love him like a fucking brother and I don't want to see him get hurt. There is no reason for it. He's fucking forty years old man. These guys that are fighting now are young, explosive, fast fucking kids who are well rounded mixed martial artists. There's no fucking reason for Chuck Liddell to be out there at forty years old still fighting. I don't want to make a fucking nickel off that ever. Believe me, it will be a fucking war if he tries not to retire, believe me. I love him. He helped me build this business. We started when he was making five hundred and five hundred. And we had the dream of him becoming a big star and winning the title and making all kinds of money."

"We did it all man," White continued. "We fucking did it all. We did it. We did it. It's fucking over. He's forty years old, it is over. It was amazing that he was able to fight until he was forty. That's what a bad motherfucker he was. He has nothing to prove to anybody, period. It's over. We did everything that we set out to do. It has been an amazing run, it's been fun. We did it together, we stayed loyal to each other the whole time and we did everything that we hoped to do and now its over. He can do it financially. And plus, I'm going to bring him into the organization in some other way and he's still going to make money. He's been loyal to me and I've been loyal to him and that's not going to change now Justify Fullthat he's retiring. He'll always be a part of the organization. He'll take on another role, he'll still make money and he'll be with me until the day we die."

The playable demo for "UFC 2009 Undisputed" is now available for download for free through the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network.

Chuck Liddell and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua are the playable characters in the demo, which features a limited version of the tutorial mode.

"Fans around the world have been clamoring for a great UFC video game for quite some time," said UFC President Dana White. "We are pleased to offer a free sample of UFC 2009 Undisputed featuring two great athletes and competitors, Chuck Liddell and 'Shogun' Rua, prior to launch."

The same demo was available earlier this week, but was only for gamers with special pre-order codes.

"UFC 2009 Undisputed" is scheduled to hit stores May 19 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

UFC 97: Redemption comes to us live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Below are the official results for the event:
  • Anderson "The Spider" Silva def. Thales Leite by unanimous decision
  • Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def. Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell by TKO (strikes) at 4:28 of Round 1
  • Krzysztof "The Polish Experiment" Soszynski def. "All American" Brian Stann by submission (arm lock) at 3:53 of Round 1
  • Cheick Kongo def. Antoni Hardonk by TKO (strikes) at 2:29 of Round 2
  • Luis "Banha" Cane def. Steve Cantwell by unanimous decision
  • Eliot Marshall def. Vinicius Magalhaes by unanimous decision
  • Denis Kang def. Xavier Foupa-Pokam by unanimous decision
  • Nate "Rock" Quarry def. Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald by TKO (strikes) at 2:27 of Round 1
  • Ed Herman def. David Loiseau by unanimous decision
  • Mark Bocek def. David Bielkheden by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:57 of Round 1
  • TJ Grant def. Ryo Chonan by unanimous decision
  • Sam "Hands of Stone" Stout def. Matt Wiman by unanimous decision

A day after news the Quebec Athletic Commission and the UFC came into agreement for the UFC 97: Redemption to remain in Montreal, the remaining bouts for the April 18 pay-per-view card have been officially confirmed.

UFC 97 is headlined by a middleweight title bout between current champion Anderson Silva and number one contender Thales Leite. The co-main event features a match-up between Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell.

It's interesting to note that popular Canadian fighters Jason MacDonald and David Loiseau were left off of the main card leaving Krzysztof Soszynski the sole Canadian representative on the cards main lineup.

Soszynski will fight former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Stann. The main card also features a critical heavyweight tilt between top contender Cheick Kongo and fast rising heavyweight prospect Antoni Hardonk.

Luis Cane versus Steve Cantwell rounds out the main card in a highly anticipated light heavyweight match up.

Below is the official UFC 97 Fight Card:

Main Card:
  • Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leite
  • Chuck Liddell vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
  • Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brian Stann
  • Cheick Kongo vs. Antoni Hardonk
  • Steve Cantwell vs. Luis Cane

Preliminary Card:
  • Denis Kang vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam
  • Jason MacDonald vs. Nate Quarry
  • David Loiseau vs. Ed Herman
  • Mark Bocek vs. David Bielkheden
  • Ryo Chonan vs. TJ Grant
  • Sam Stout vs. Matt Wiman

The meeting between the UFC and Quebec Athletic Commission on Tuesday was a success. UFC 97: Redemption will remain on April 11 in Montreal. According to Corus Sports, the Quebec Athletic Commission will permit elbows and knee strikes at UFC 97. Also, the UFC will not have to produce a smaller cage for the night's fights. If the commission did not follow the unified rules, the UFC had plans to move the show to Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC 97 is headlined by Anderson Silva versus Thales Leite and Chuck Liddell against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

UFC President Dana White will meet with the Quebec Athletic Commission next week in hopes of saving UFC 97: Redemption.

According to Corus Sports, White will present his case to the Quebec Athletic Commission on why they should stick to the Unified Rules of mixed martial arts for UFC 97.

The Quebec Athletic Commission are looking to do away with elbow strikes, and possibly reduce the size of the Octagon.

UFC 97, co-headlined by Anderson Silva versus Thales Leites and Chuck Liddell against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, is currently scheduled for the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec on April 18. Tickets already went on sale Wednesday. But, a recent announcement that the province may change its rules regarding MMA regulation, UFC 97 could be in jeopardy.

The concern is real and UFC 97 may have to be re-scheduled or completely moved, which would obviously upset many Canadian fans. That is why White is heading up to Canada to attend meetings in Montreal to see if he can save UFC 97.

Ben Askren, a 2008 Olympic wrestler, who just returned from the Beijing Olympics will soon decide if he will continue to work toward the 2012 Olympic Games in London or make a move into the MMA.

The University of Missouri wrestler, who won the 2006 and 2007 NCAA National Championship in wrestling in the 174-pound weight class, is a long time fan of the sport and sees the level of competition he could face as a whole new challenge.

"I see it as the ultimate competition, one man against another man, very limited rules, and the toughest guy wins. So that's definitely what I like about it," said Askren.

He competed at 174 pounds while in college and at 163 pounds while in the Olympics, but he said if fighting is his ultimate choice, he would compete in the 170-pound welterweight division.

He has worked in Missouri with a local gym rolling in jiu-jitsu a couple of times a week already, but has very limited striking experience to his credit. Askren is realistic about a move into MMA and knows he has a lot to learn.

"I'm not going to go in the cage unprepared," he stated. "I'm a worker and I'm going to work. I'm going to get good at what I do. I want to get good at jiu-jitsu, get good at striking, and I'm going to go in there prepared."

The Olympian stated in the interview that he's a fan of MMA fighters such as Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, and has seen the success of the past top wrestlers such as Matt Lindland and Josh Koscheck in MMA.

"Pretty much any high level wrestler that applies themselves to mixed martial arts does well in it," he commented. "I think you'd be hard pressed to find one that actually trained in mixed martial arts and didn't do well."

Just getting home from China a few days ago, Askren has thoughts of possibly competing in the Olympics again, while also mulling the decision to coach at his almamater or making the move to MMA. It's a decision he will make very soon.

"That's a decision I've got to make coming up really soon, maybe in the next couple weeks," he said. "There's a definite possibility I might just focus on MMA. I don't want to say 100 percent, but it's definitely a possibility."

Of course being an Olympic level wrestler, Askren also wants to fight the very best in the world if he does transition into MMA.

"I want to face tough opponents, I don't want to face 'cans', as they call them," he commented.

Askren's next move will be to attend the upcoming World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) event to take a look at high level MMA first hand. WEC 36 takes place on September 10 in Florida and features a main event title bout between the defending WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber and challenger Mike Brown.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua recently followed his brother Murilo "Ninja" Rua by leaving Chute Boxe. Shogun recently sat down with MMARingReport.com to discuss a variety of topics including his decision to leave the famed Brazilian camp, the status of his knee and his thoughts on Liddell-Silva.

Shogun On Why He Left Chute Boxe:

My brother left the team last week and there is no way I remain in a team my brother does not belong. I owe him my career. It is because of him I became a professional fighter. He brought fighting to my family. My idea is to stay in Brazil, in Curitiba. So far I don't want to move to US and I am trying to convince Murilo to stay too. I'd like to open a gym in Curitiba maybe this January. I've been searching for places and growing the idea stronger. But after that I have to focus on UFC. I fight again in March and I need to train harder and harder for my next fight.

Shogun On His Knee Injury:

My knee is good. I am recovered and training already. Every morning I run few miles and I am ready to return. Shogun On Whether The Knee Affected His Performances Against Forrest Griffin Or Not: I know what I've done wrong against Griffin. And I cannot blame any hurt for my mistakes. I have the total responsibility for my acts and bad results. Right know I just want to look to the future and thank all my friends and fans who supported me in those bad days. I know I will be back better than ever. I lost the first battle but I will win this war for the belt! Shogun On Liddell-Silva: I am rooting for Silva even more because he is a true friend. Nowadays every fighter is in the same technique level. But I do believe Wanderlei will defeat Liddell. He just needs to pay attention to his counter-attacks. It's Liddell's game… he spins and throws punches. On the other hand Wanderlei likes to show they audience why they paid for their tickets. He gives it all. He has more stamina, more heart and he is way better than Liddell when the subject is exchanging punches. I believe Wanderlei may win this fight by knock-out. (mmafightline.com)

Two UFC fighters, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Murilo "Ninja" Rua today officially announced their left of the Chute Boxe Academy team. The team leader, Rudimar Fedrigo spoke about the Rua brothers decision, "We whine very it left of Murilo and Mauricio Rua. They are formed fighters in the team and left for form the team of them in the USA. We remember that the doors of the Chute Boxe will be always open for both and we desire both luck and success in its new undertaking."

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