Where does Chuck Liddell ranks All-Time in UFC LHW division?

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

Top 3...

Chuck (with that look in his eyes) and TUF built the UFC into what it is today...

 

[MartinGibson86]

Rumble should be higher tbh


Gus, Glover, Bader; Davis, Lil Nog, and Manuwa are better than Chucks to wins

 

[Clark Rogers]

As a huge Shogun fan, how can any of you guys rank Shogun above Chuck? His UFC run wasn't nearly as good as Chuck's.

I was just thinking this. Maybe overall careers Pride included, but as just UFC champ it's a stretch

 

[tat2man5k]

He koed Chuck and should have won machida 1 and won machida 2. Forrest 2 was a good win. His ufc run initially wasn’t bad at all. He was a champion

Yes, but Chuck beat EVERYONE over a long period of time. Shogun lost his first fight, won a few, won the title then has been on a downward spiral since. Overall careers can be debated but I don't see how anyone can say Shogun had a better UFC run than Chuck

 

[HHJ]

1. Jones
2. Chuck-Wanderlei
4. Rampage-Shogun
6. Tito
7. Lyoto
8. Hendo
9. Rashad
10. DC

Despite losing to him,youd still have to put Wanderlei above Chuck. Wanderlei beat more top LHWs,stayed around longer etc

 

[tat2man5k]

Shogun was never that good


He lost to Forrest ffs

Well I won't go that far, but I firmly believe that overall, Chuck had the better UFC run

 

[tat2man5k]

Shogun was fucked up from injuries. He performed very well vs. Machida, for example, later in his time in the UFC.

Agreed 100% but that doesn't take away the fact that Chuck had the better UFC run.

 

[HHJ]

Yes, but Chuck beat EVERYONE over a long period of time. Shogun lost his first fight, won a few, won the title then has been on a downward spiral since. Overall careers can be debated but I don't see how anyone can say Shogun had a better UFC run than Chuck

The problem is going by their UFC careers only is missing such a huge chunk of Shogun's career,and even if Chuck's ufc ranking would be higher than Shogun,it really doesnt paint a clear picture or have much meaning.

 

[Choco]

Obviously below the man that in their first fight toyed with him, destroyed him (In his prime), humilliating embarrassing him and the whole promotion he represented; and in the second fight took his prime and his chin in less than to minutes

 

[Andy Capp]

Agreed 100% but that doesn't take away the fact that Chuck had the better UFC run.

Sure, so?

I mean, that may be a fact--I won't try to dispute it, but if you're looking to honestly compare their entire professional MMA careers it's not really a useful point, is it?

And if you're restricting the discussion to only UFC performances, that's stripping a lot useful of context from the discussion, don't you think?

Point being, does it make sense to include any fighter in this discussion whose career was mostly outside the UFC? I don't think so.

 

[Andy Capp]

I was just thinking this. Maybe overall careers Pride included, but as just UFC champ it's a stretch

Please see my post immediately above. What's your take on that?

 

[Ghostoftheville]

Ranking his legacy as a UFC light heavyweight, he's top 3. He beat the top guys in the division in the promotion for what, 5 years? Until the combination of age and talent got him. Most of the fighters better than Chuck, still can't match his accomplishments.

 

[IloveTHIS]

Why is DC a clear #2? Rumble twice, Gustafsson, old man Hendo, old man Silva, Oezdemir and a guy signed just so DC could fight on a card after his original fight fell through. Personally I don't see how that's better than Rampage, Couture, Evans or Shogun

Because anyone with a brain and two pairs of eyes knows with out the slightest question DC would walk through everyone else

 

[Pequeño Corey]

It’s important to be the best in your era. Chuck was the clear #1 in UFC, but you had those other guys across the pond that could beat him, so it gets weird. If we’re looking solely at UFC career, he’s #2 or #3 for me. DC has that same issue in that he was always #2 to Jones. I don’t really count DC’s “defense” where he got headkicked and retained his belt, so Chuck edges him out in terms of title defenses.

It all boils down to how you rate a title run with wins over Gus, Rumble, and Volkan to Horn, Randy, Sobral, and Ortiz. It’s hard to compare quality of competition from different eras, imo. Rumble was dangerous, but beatable if you could avoid one of his missiles and make it past the first round. Gus had the fight of his life vs. Jones but was hit or miss outside of that. I still think for their era, Randy and Tito were solid wins, and both were champions. I gotta lean Chuck here, but understand where someone would rate DC’s competition higher. It’s all highly subjective.

Having lived through both, I gotta say that Chuck’s was more exciting and just felt more remarkable. No denying he was a bigger star than DC.

Yea, I think I’m settled on #2.

 

[OneOfOne]

It’s important to be the best in your era. Chuck was the clear #1 in UFC, but you had those other guys across the pond that could beat him, so it gets weird. If we’re looking solely at UFC career, he’s #2 or #3 for me. DC has that same issue in that he was always #2 to Jones. I don’t really count DC’s “defense” where he got headkicked and retained his belt, so Chuck edges him out in terms of title defenses.

It all boils down to how you rate a title run with wins over Gus, Rumble, and Volkan to Horn, Randy, Sobral, and Ortiz. It’s hard to compare quality of competition from different eras, imo. Rumble was dangerous, but beatable if you could avoid one of his missiles and make it past the first round. Gus had the fight of his life vs. Jones but was hit or miss outside of that. I still think for their era, Randy and Tito were solid wins, and both were champions. I gotta lean Chuck here, but understand where someone would rate DC’s competition higher. It’s all highly subjective.

Having lived through both, I gotta say that Chuck’s was more exciting and just felt more remarkable. No denying he was a bigger star than DC.

Yea, I think I’m settled on #2.

Its not just the title run. You also have to consider their non title fights as well. Chuck beat Randleman, Overeem, Mezger, Belfort, Sobral, Tito, and Bustamante in non title fights. Plus Chuck had more title wins as well. Easily Chuck > DC at LHW.

 

[Escabar]

If its purely Ufc then probably number 2 as guys like Wand and shogun would be lower based on solely ufc runs. If it included all promotions maybe 5?

 

[tat2man5k]

Sure, so?

I mean, that may be a fact--I won't try to dispute it, but if you're looking to honestly compare their entire professional MMA careers it's not really a useful point, is it?

And if you're restricting the discussion to only UFC performances, that's stripping a lot useful of context from the discussion, don't you think?

Point being, does it make sense to include any fighter in this discussion whose career was mostly outside the UFC? I don't think so.

You may be right but OP's post said UFC. My point is simply that IMO, Chuck had the better UFC run.

 

[tat2man5k]

The problem is going by their UFC careers only is missing such a huge chunk of Shogun's career,and even if Chuck's ufc ranking would be higher than Shogun,it really doesnt paint a clear picture or have much meaning.

Guys, I'm just saying that in OP's post, it says UFC. So in MY opinion, responding to the OP, Chuck had the better UFC career.

 

[Pequeño Corey]

Its not just the title run. You also have to consider their non title fights as well. Chuck beat Randleman, Overeem, Mezger, Belfort, Sobral, Tito, and Bustamante in non title fights. Plus Chuck had more title wins as well. Easily Chuck > DC at LHW.

Excellent point. I tend to hyper focus on title reigns. It’s just easier and cleaner. But yes, Chuck’s body of work at LHW as a whole is very good. DC only had 9 fights at the weight class. This of course invites the negatives, being that Chuck lost to Rampage and likely would have lost to Shogun if they fought in Pride, imo. Not so sure that Chuck would have beaten Wandy if they fought in Pride during that time. But of course, it’s all speculative. Chuck beat him in the UFC so that’s all that really matters.

 

[marvinparsons]

If we are talking strictly UFC and accomplishments, not who the best fighter is necessarily, I'd have Chuck at #2.

Probably:
Jones
Chuck
DC
A tie between like 10 guys (Tito, Shogun, Rampage, Randy, Glover, Machida etc.)