He was the face of the franchise and for a time the biggest star in mixed martial arts. Anywhere the Ultimate Fighting Championship went, Chuck Liddell was not far behind. As one of the central figures in moving MMA towards mainstream acceptance, he appeared in movies, on television shows, in commercials and on magazine covers.
Liddell was a savage force and one of the fiercest strikers the sport has ever known. He still ranks second on the UFC’s all-time list in knockdowns (14), per FightMetric, and according to FightMatrix.com, he holds places in the top 10 in career victories (16), appearances (23) and title-fight wins (five).