One of MMA’s most famous rivalries is back in the spotlight, as Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz’s long-running feud is revisited from its beginnings in the late 1990s to their trilogy of fights.
Liddell and Ortiz, both former UFC light heavyweight champions, first met and began training together in 1998 while managed by Dana White. White, along with Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, later became the new owners of the UFC and quickly recognized the magnitude of a Liddell vs. Ortiz showdown.
Their first clash came in the main event of UFC 47 back in 2004, with the winner expected to become the No. 1 contender. Liddell stopped Ortiz in less than two rounds after a barrage of punches. Reflecting on that performance, Liddell said, "To end of that fight I hit him with 23 punches in seven seconds," while Ortiz has since acknowledged, "He was the victor," and, "Congratulations to him. He got his point across."
The rivalry extended beyond the cage, including disagreement over whether they were ever truly friends. Ortiz recalled, "Me and Chuck Liddell met in 1998," and, "Started training with each other and we just became friends." He added, "I guarantee you Chuck will sit in this chair and tell each and every one of you that we were never friends." Liddell’s response was blunt: "We weren’t friends," while Dana White claimed, "Every time they were in the gym together, Chuck Liddell just absolutely dominated," and, "in this case, Tito was absolutely, 100% terrified of Chuck Liddell."
Liddell and Ortiz fought again three years after UFC 47, with Liddell winning by third-round knockout, before their final encounter in 2018 at the first and only Golden Boy MMA event, where Ortiz won by knockout. More than 20 years after their first meeting, Ortiz has publicly acknowledged Liddell as the victor in their early fights.
