Chuck Liddell defends comments on being able to defeat Mike Tyson

Chuck Liddell has clarified his previous comments regarding a potential fight between himself and heavyweight boxing legend Mike Tyson.

Liddell was once known for being one of the scariest men on the planet during his prime with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was beating top contenders left, right and center, until all of a sudden, his career started to go downhill. His last outing came in 2018 when he was beaten by Tito Ortiz via first round knockout in their long-awaited trilogy fight.

In regards to his recent remarks regarding what would’ve happened if he went toe to toe with Tyson, however, Liddell felt the need to clear a few things up.

Look 1) I’m talking about when we were fighting 2) I’d take him down so he’d have one shot on my way in 3) I’m a big fan of mike and have no desire to fight him. But hypothetically speaking, when we were fighting, yes I would’ve beat him! https://t.co/EYKCogSs60

— Chuck Liddell 🥶 (@ChuckLiddell) November 14, 2019

I remember Tyson and I’m a huge fan of his but I’m not sure why biting Holyfield’s ear off makes him a better street fighter or better at stopping takedowns? https://t.co/aa9zUcKCiN

— Chuck Liddell 🥶 (@ChuckLiddell) November 18, 2019

He won’t get three minutes I’d shoot right away. He had no ground training or takedown defense training at all. So he’d have to catch me on the way in or he’d never get off the ground period! https://t.co/juixbvqjJ8

— Chuck Liddell 🥶 (@ChuckLiddell) November 18, 2019

One of the biggest concerns for MMA fans over the years has been the volume of damage sustained by some of their top fighters. Liddell is certainly located towards the top of that list, with many wondering whether the aforementioned fight against Ortiz was a good idea.

Nonetheless, if these tweets are anything to go by, Liddell was seemingly just discussing a fantasy matchup when he mentioned Tyson late last week. 

Tyson has long been retired from the world of boxing but he’s certainly still regarded as a fairly prominent figure, which should hardly come as much of a surprise given his overwhelming success in the sport.

The crossover between boxing and mixed martial arts is certainly an interesting topic, and it makes for an intriguing conversation regarding just how successful someone could be if they fully dedicated themselves to the transition.

Tyson Fury has made it clear that he wants to give MMA a go, whereas on the flip side, Jorge Masvidal has voiced his interest in boxing Canelo Alvarez, following in the footsteps of Conor McGregor who challenged Floyd Mayweather back in 2017.

Who do you think would won a fight between Chuck Liddell and Mike Tyson in their primes?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/18/2019.