Chuck Liddell ‘Staying Ready’ for MMA Comeback, Interested Bouts vs. Sonnen, Ortiz

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Chuck Liddell’s short-lived stint on Celebrity Big Brother was the training footage that accompanied some scenes involving the UFC Hall of Famer.

Liddell was the first person to be voted out of the Big Brother house, but he could have something else in the works. In an interview with TMZ Sports, “The Iceman” admitted that the training wasn’t just for show. The 48-year-old former light heavyweight champion is still interested in making a mixed martial arts comeback.

“It’s still a possibility, for sure,” Liddell said. “So I didn’t want to get too far out of shape. I was in there boxing the whole time. There’s a lot of stuff that they didn’t show but I was just having a good time in there and staying in shape. I’m staying ready.”

Rumors of a Liddell comeback first began to surface last year. At the time, longtime trainer John Hackleman speculated that it would only come to fruition if the price and opponent were right. Shortly thereafter, Bellator President Scott Coker confirmed that the promotion was in talks with the UFC veteran, not for a potential fight, but for a “brand ambassador type of relationship.”

Nonetheless, it appears the opponents that would interest Liddell most reside in the California-based organization.

“I’ve said it before in the news, Chael [Sonnen] would be a good warmup fight to get back into it,” said Liddell. “Tito [Ortiz] would be great if he’d even consider fighting me. I hear he wouldn’t. He doesn’t want to fight me at all. He’ll fight other people but not me, of course.”

Liddell hasn’t competed since falling to Rich Franklin via first-round knockout at UFC 115 on June 12, 2010. While Liddell was one of the sport’s most popular stars during the UFC’s rise to prominence, he ended his promotional tenure with defeats in five of his last six appearances — four via KO or TKO. He was named UFC executive vice president of business development shortly after announcing his retirement but was released from that capacity as part of a series of layoffs by new owners WME-IMG at the end of 2016.

Ultimately, a Liddell comeback depends — as Hackleman said — on what’s presented.

“It depends on who they offer,” Liddell said. “I’m down for just about anything.”