INTERVIEW: CHUCK LIDDELL

BRAVO: Hello, How are you feeling?

CHUCK: Tired, but other than that, good.

B: You recently made your movie debut, [in Bachelor Party Vegas] how was that?

C: Fine. Different. Weird to have to do things over and over from different angles and stuff.

B: Is it something you're planning to do more of in the future?

C: It's fun, I don't mind doing it, as long as it doesn't affect my training schedule.

B: What's your training schedule like?

C: I usually train for three months for each fight, five days a week. When I'm off I try to get out there, do the PR, get the message across as much as I can.

B: What do you do to relax?

C: Play with my kids, hang out, do regular things at home, go out to lunch with my friends, cruise around.

B: I understand you're quite a music fan, what do you like?

C: Everything. From country to Slayer.

B: You've even appeared in a couple of music videos, right?

C: Yes, American Head Charge. That was fun. It was all about me having a bad day. They showed all the different things happening to me and different things I'd done to people, like a lady squirted me with a hose. So I was having a really bad day and I snapped and went back and took it out on everybody.

B: Was this based in reality?

C: No, I never snap like that.

B: Who do you admire in the sport?

C: Peter Cunningham, the kick boxer. Muhammad Ali, Hagler, Leonard, those old-timers.

B: You started your fighting career in college?

C: I wrestled in college. But my degree was actually in Business Accounting.

B: Were you planning to go into that line of work?

C: If I had to get a real job, that's what I would have done. But thank God I didn't have to.

B: Why did you study that?

C: I wanted to be a PT major, but my Grandparents didn't think that was a real major, so I chose Business. It's something i'm, good at, I'm really good with numbers.

B: Has that helped with the business side of your career?

C: Yeah, it's helped. But then I don't live the high life. I have a pretty simple life. I like my simple life.

B: UFC 57 has recently been released on DVD. How to do look back at that fight?

C: I don't think I could have done any better. I fought great and it went real well for me.

B: Do you consider it the highlight of your career?

C: I did really well. One of the highlights, certainly.

B: Any other highlights?

C: When I got a shot at Tito Ortiz. He'd been dodging me for so long, so it was great when I finally got to fight him. And I put him away like I told him I would.

B: Do you have any regrets?

C: No I don't. I love what I do.

B: Is there anyone you didn't meet in the ring, that you wish you could have fought?

C: Wanderlei Silva. I would love to have a shot at him.

B: How was the experience of making the Ultimate Fighter reality show?

C: Great. That's my favourite part of training, getting fight ready and trying to make the guys there better. Proving who they are.

B: Did you have a mentor like that?

C: Well John Hackleman and John Lewis, my trainers, I've been with them for 15 years and they've really helped me. I'm probably one of the few fighters who's stuck with the same camp for the whole of their career.

D: What are your plans for the future?

C: I hope to carry on and extend this career for four or five more years. I'm 36 now, I'd like to carry on until I'm 41, 42. But I can't wait to get back into training. That's all I'm thinking about right now. One fight at a time.

B: So the recent retirement rumours are untrue?

C: I don't know where those rumours came from. I'm as good as I've ever been and I love what I do. The only time I'd ever regard retirement, is if i'm unable to perform in the ring the way I do. It doesn't matter where I am in my career, if I feel I'm not able to perform, I will retire. But I'm performing better now than I ever have.