UFC: Chuck Liddell Says He Would've Given Jon Jones A 'Lot Of Trouble'

Former UFC light heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell said he would have matched up well against Jon Jones back in his prime.

About a decade ago, UFC’s light heavyweight division used to be ruled by heavy-hitting strikers such as Wanderlei Silva, Rampage Jackson and Liddell. Over time, MMA evolved rapidly and the light heavyweight division is now stacked with multi-skilled fighters such as the current light heavyweight champ Jones.

But in 2016, Liddell lit lid on a possible fight with Jones saying: “Of course, I’ll beat him in my prime. What am I supposed to say? You’ve got a problem with me saying I’ll beat you in my prime, I’ll beat you right now.”

Given Liddell’s age, the fight would’ve been evidently one-sided as the younger Jones would definitely have the most advantage. However, the fight never came to fruition.

In a recent video call interview with Submission Radio, the 50-year-old UFC legend was once again asked about the current light heavyweight division. Liddell was pressed to name one fighter from this generation who he wished had fought during his prime. Not surprising at all, “The Iceman” said Jones.

According to Liddell, he and Jones would’ve matched up well during his time. The former champ was even confident that he would’ve given Jones a lot of trouble back then.

“Well, that was an easy one. Jon Jones without a doubt. I think I would’ve match up well against him styleswise. I would’va given him a lot of trouble. So I would really like to have a shot at that one,” Liddell claimed.

Liddell still thinks Dominick Reyes beat Jones by a slim margin in the scorecard. In fact, the UFC Hall of Famer thinks that Jones’ reign as a champ is already numbered. But until then, Liddell is certain that Jones’ biggest problem is himself.

“I thought Dominick Reyes beat him too but by a little bit. It was close enough (that) you can’t really complain. But guys are getting better and closer of beating him. We’ll see,” Liddell predicted.

Last October 2019, UFC released “30 for 30: Chuck & Tito,” a special TV documentary series highlighting Liddell’s iconic rivalry with fellow Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz. It generated quite a buzz as some expected that the two bitter rivals would reignite the bad blood between them. However, things went the other way around and the pair finally squashed their long-time beef.