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Chuck Liddell's Bar-fighting Tips

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Dreadlord: Chuck Liddell didn't learn how to brawl in the Ultimate Fighting Octagon. In his memoir "Iceman," Liddell describes maneuvers he picked up in a karate studio, the local alley and several bars. Although Liddell doesn't approve of slugging it out when you've got a few shots under your belt, he worked for years as a bartender, and breaking up fights came with the job description. While Liddell admits he likes to fight, he also tries to avoid it. Stopping a shoving match might begin with the best of intentions, but everything changes when you get smacked in the jaw. Bar-fighting and Ultimate Fighting require different tactics. Liddell doesn't recommend bar-fighting, ever, but if you have to defend yourself, his suggestions might just save your sweet cheeks. Chuck's Bar-Fighting Tips 1. Don't Do It (But...) Asylum: What are your tips for bar fighting? Chuck Liddell: My number one tip is, "Don't do it." I worked as a bartender for a lot of years, and there's no reason to. Ninety-nine percent of the fights that happen in bars, there's no reason for them. It's a waste of time. But if you're going to do it, watch your surroundings. Watch for people. Be careful. Watch for bottles. Watch for the friends of the person you're fighting. The biggest thing you have to worry about is other things coming at you other than the guy you're fighting. And watch for the door guys, too -- the door guys are coming soon. Trust me. Or maybe even the bartender. He might be jumping over. 2. Talk Yourself Out How do you talk yourself out of a fight? It's always been pretty easy for me to talk myself out of a fight. There's a right thing and a wrong thing to say when people are trying to get in your face. You know, threatening you by saying, "I'm going to kick your ass!" You respond: "OK, whatever bro." A lot of it has to do with being confident in yourself and not really feeling the need to prove yourself all the time. I have friends who still say, "Hey, that guy's looking at me funny." So? I got a Mohawk and a tattoo on the side of my head. Yeah, they're looking at me funny. It's OK. That's alright. There's no reason to fight them over it. What if you're a smaller guy and someone is picking on you? Is it going to do you any good to beat him up? Is that going to help you any? If you really feel that way, go ahead. 3. The Cheap Shot What if someone throws a punch or attacks you? At that point, he's put you in a position where you have to fight. OK, I understand. I have no problem with that. If you're attacked, strike vulnerable areas, obviously. I always say look at "He Got Game," the one where Denzel Washington comes up to a guy, and the guy starts getting in his face, so he just hits him right in the throat. The guy can't breathe. (Ubermench Says this is one of my favorites also) That's one of my favorite ones if you're going to cheap-shot somebody. People don't know what to do when they can't breathe all of a sudden. 4. Strike Vulnerable Areas Any other obvious vulnerable areas you'd go for? Well, I mean, I like liver shots. But then you've got to have a pretty good upper-body-shot hitter. You throw your left -- your left up towards the liver. Up on an angle. Just below the ribs. (Bas would be proud of Chuck) 5. Using Bottles What about grabbing bottles or glasses? I'm not going to advise anybody to grab a glass or a bottle. I'm not saying I haven't seen it done. And I'm not saying it doesn't work, but I'm not going to advise anybody to hit anybody with anything. I don't like seeing that, and I've worked in bars, and you can see a lot of damage caused by a mug or a bottle. It's not pretty. 6. Fighting Many People In "Iceman," you explain that when several guys are trying to fight you, it's best to keep your back up against the wall. It helps to limit where they're coming from, because you can't watch in all directions. It's hard to fight a guy lying on your back. It makes it kind of tough. So if you can, you cut off the angles from where they're coming at you. If you can get in a hallway, do it. If I'm in a hallway with no one behind me -- just me and my friends -- they have to come down the hallway. If you have 20 people, you're still only fighting two at a time. 7. Know Your Surroundings Would you approach a bar fight differently than a mixed martial arts fight? Definitely, it's a whole different animal. You have to be more concerned with your surroundings. You very rarely run into a one-on-one fight. And very rarely do I run into guys who would let it be a one-on-one fight. If I tackle you or just try to choke you, then your friend starts punching me in the back of the head. You still gotta watch your surroundings and who he's got with him -- and whether or not they're grabbing a bottle, or they're pulling a knife, or whatever. 8. Throwing a Knockout Punch You say throwing a knockout punch is about timing and accuracy. It's about landing the right punch in the right spot at the right time. I think timing, accuracy and speed are more important than pure power. Just catching a guy in the right spot -- coming in, or just running into a punch. How do you prepare for that? A lot of training. A lot of focus work. A lot of sparring and different kinds of training. I will train two to three times a day, four to five times a week.

TheIronWarrior: I think Number 2 brings it home in a great way. Everyone doesn't need to around acting like they are bad asses all of the time. If you are bad, then you are bad, and you don't need to prove it to anybody.

windsor88: --- Quote from: TheIronWarrior on July 17, 2008, 01:46:24 PM ---I think Number 2 brings it home in a great way. Everyone doesn't need to around acting like they are bad asses all of the time. If you are bad, then you are bad, and you don't need to prove it to anybody. --- End quote --- yeah but how do you get the "badass" rep without proving it?

Dreadlord: Chuck seems like a cool composed guy when it comes to dealing with /shutting down bar brawls before they can happen. I have another interview somewhere where he talks about how he talks them down. One of my favorite fighters despite all the hype. Mark of a true martial artist - doesn't have anything to prove but has the skills to knock 'em out if they try.

TheIronWarrior: --- Quote from: windsor88 on July 17, 2008, 03:41:58 PM ---yeah but how do you get the "badass" rep without proving it?  --- End quote --- By proving it when it's necessary to defend yourself, or get into professional fighting, and make a name for yourself. A couple of thoughts.........

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