Retired UFC star Chuck Liddell has revealed he’s not a huge fan of featherweight sensation Conor McGregor's trash talk, claiming the Irishman is a bit too mouthy for his liking.
Speaking to Kevin Iole of Yahoo in an interview five years on from walking away from the sport, Liddell touched upon a variety of different topics, including former bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and a possible return. However, his contrasting opinions on McGregor were especially intriguing:
I love the way Conor fights. How can you not? I mean, the guy delivers. I've been an Aldo fan for years, and he's been such a great fighter, and Conor went out there and did what he said he was going to do.
I'll be honest: I don't like the way Conor talks. I'm not a fan of that. I get it. I understand it. It's his way of intimidating guys and getting into their head. Everyone has their way of trying to get into the other guy's head before a fight, and talking is his way.
I don't like it, but I can put up with all the loudmouth, crazy things he says when he goes out and fights like he does and gives you those kinds of finishes.
McGregor certainly backs up his bullish words outside the Octagon with some exceptional showings inside it.
His most recent win was the prime example of that in action. McGregor was telling the world he’d finish Jose Aldo—then the top pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC and undefeated in over a decade—inside the opening round. As we can see here courtesy of BT Sport UFC, the fight was over inside a spectacular 13 seconds:
Sometimes McGregor can stray over the line in the eyes of some. Snatching Aldo’s title belt from him during a media briefing in Dublin was heralded as genius in some quarters and disrespectful in others.
As Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden noted ahead of UFC 194, McGregor is magnificent at promoting a fight:
Nevertheless, it’s no surprise that Liddell, who was more of a strong silent type during his days as a fighter, doesn’t see the benefit to all these antics.
The former light heavyweight champion also spoke about Rousey and what could be next for the bantamweight having suffered a shock defeat to Holly Holm at UFC 193. Liddell thinks that given the beating she took at the hands of the former boxer, Rousey needs to take a lot of time to consider her options:
It looked to me like she went out there with the idea that she would try to box with Holly, which her coach [Edmond Tarverdyan] said she could do, and she got hurt early. That will affect what comes after.
If she thinks it's just a situation where she messed up and she'll be able to make the changes that will make a difference, go ahead. But if her confidence is shaken and there are any doubts at all in her head, she should take a fight against someone else first. There's no right answer, so to speak. It's about what is in her head.
It’d certainly be a surprise to see Rousey adopt similarly upright tactics against Holm if they were to participate in a rematch. The new champion was able to tag the judoka with ease and a jaded Rousey eventually succumbed to a brutal left hand and follow-up kick to the head.
There has been some talk of a potential rematch between the pair next year, but as noted by Sports Illustrated's Jeff Wagenheim, it could put Holm in a potentially awkward position if she's forced to wait around for it:
Liddell also ruled out the prospect of making a return to the Octagon himself. “I'm a fighter, and I'll always be a fighter, and it's what I love to do," said the 46-year-old. "There were times I thought about [coming back] but never to the point where I picked up the phone and asked Dana to get me a fight. But I definitely miss it. I'll always miss it. That's never going to go away.”
The former light heavyweight earned many admirers for his fighting style, winning 21 of his 29 fights in professional MMA, 13 coming by way of knockout. He, like the rest of UFC fans across the globe will surely be excited to see what’s to come from McGregor, Rousey and others in what should be a stellar 2016 for the brand.
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