Iceman: My Fighting Life, By Chuck Liddell
Admittedly, I am not a Chuck Liddell fan. I appreciate that he is a huge star and brings lots of fans to the UFC. I appreciate the hard work he puts into put on a big show whenever he is on a card. I appreciate the sacrifice he makes on behalf of the UFC, but I am just not a fan. His style isn�??t for me. His interviews are dry, I don�??t like his Mohawk. With that being said, I did enjoy Chuck�??s book.
Iceman is another book in what is the latest trend, MMA autobiographies. Just like Mick Foley�??s book opened the door for other wrestlers at the height of WWE�??s success; Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell, Jens Pulver are now testing the waters in the MMA market with Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture rumored to be following.
Like any other autobiography, Chuck�??s story starts off in childhood giving a background to who he is. He grew up with a single mom and his grandfather was his biggest male role model. He speaks very highly of pops. Chuck is a smart guy; he went to college on an academic scholarship and developed a rep as a tough wrestler.
The interesting parts, of course, revolve around his love of fighting. Dana White has said on numerous radio and TV interviews that the reason these guys are so great, is they are wired differently. I would agree. Chuck repeatedly talks about how much he loves to fight. I think the normal reaction would be not to fight, to avoid fighting. Chuck (I assume all other MMA stars as well) loves fighting. He talks with great passion about his training session and his mentors and teachers in the Martial Arts / kickboxing scene. He clearly has a hunger and a drive to constantly improve and learn.
This story is far less nomadic than other autobiographies from wrestlers or even pro football players. Chuck spends some time fighting in Vegas, Japan, or South America, but he never has to live there. He grew up in California, went to school in California, and still lives there. Aside from the actual fighting, it seems like an easier road to follow than being an NFL star where you go to college, then get drafted, then traded etc.
What I found very fascinating was the discussion of the fights themselves. Chuck talks in great recollection about what he was thinking during key fights in his career. He discuses in-fight strategy and how it changes as the fight progresses. He breaks down stances and nuances that even a savvy MMA fan would have a tough time picking up on. He talks about how one little mistake can be your down fall (such as the Rampage UFC fight).
I had to shake my head at his hypocrisy in a few parts. He repeatedly calls Tito Ortiz a punk and a coward for not fighting him. He talks about being the number one contender for a while and Tito constantly ducking him (making a movie, which seems like smart exposure move for any athlete, whose career could end in an instant). What I feel Chuck doesn�??t look at is the money side of things. Tito has been on record as saying that he didn�??t like the deal. In his book, Chuck says he never was about the money; but to me that doesn�??t mean no one else can be. It is still a business and a job and your window is small as a pro athlete, doesn�??t it make sense to make as much as you can? The ironic part of this, Chuck talks about Dana being his manager earlier in the book. Chuck�??s first contract with UFC was coming up and Dana was telling him not to sign the next one because it wasn�??t worth it. If Chuck really wasn�??t about the money he would have told Dana to forget it and signed the contract. Instead Chuck went to fight in Pride. So when Chuck holds out for money he is making a smart move and listening to his manager, when Tito does it he is a punk. I am sure that UFC had some fights lined up for Chuck as soon as he signed that contract, by not signing was Chuck ducking someone else, could he be labeled a punk by one of his potential opponents?
More hypocrisy ensues as soon as Chuck wins the light heavyweight belt from Couture. Chuck has to fight Vernon White (who?). In his book, Chuck claims that Vernon said Chuck was ducking him. The only response Chuck has to that claim is “Not likely.” So when Chuck thinks someone is ducking him, that person must be a punk, but there is no way Chuck could ever be perceived as ducking someone else.
He continues his written assault on Tito as he talks about the events leading to their rematch. He says Tito�??s antics were designed to draw attention to himself (DUH) and that he was again being disrespectful and a punk. Since Chuck is admittedly a dull interview, wouldn�??t it be smart of Tito to create some buzz around the fight? To this day, that second fight between Tito and Chuck is one of the top two UFC PPVs of ALL TIME, in terms of buys. Chuck even takes credit for that in the book. As Rowdy Piper once said (and I�??m paraphrasing), do you really think they liked you that much, or just hated me?
Despite my criticisms, I enjoyed the book. It was a nice ride through the UFC, I await other MMA stars�?? stories as well. As I mentioned, I didn�??t come into the book as a Liddell fan and he didn�??t win me over. But I would still recommend this book to fight fans, especially those who have crossed over from wrestling fans