"He just started relying on the one punch a little bit too much, but a lot of his skills are going to come out now. There are a lot of things we've been working on. Howard and Sammie have been working on a lot of things with him and you will see a lot more skills from Chuck now," stated Pit Boss John Hackleman as he talked about Chuck Liddell's preparations for his upcoming clash against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua this Saturday at UFC 97. Check it out!
PC: How did this camp go for Chuck's big fight against Shogun on Saturday?
JH: Perfect!
PC: Are you guys out there already?
JH: Yeah, we're in Montreal. That's why I had the cell phone issues.
PC: What things were you looking for in this camp to let you know Chuck was ready?
JH: We had fresh people coming in. We had Howard Davis Jr. there with us for six weeks. We had Sammie Henson and some fresh sparring partners from American Top Team and American Kickboxing Academy. We changed some training strategies a little bit and it's been perfect. He's had no injuries and his timing is perfect. The power is there still and his weight is good.
PC: I was wondering about his weight because this has been a lengthy layoff. So he's good there too?
JH: He's already on weight, so he's good.
PC: I know you were looking forward to a rematch with Wanderlei. Shogun was a fight you also wanted as far back as the first time we spoke. Are you still excited for this fight?
JH: Yeah! I think this is a great matchup for Chuck. I've been studying him for hours upon hours and I think it's a great matchup.
PC: When you study him, do you go back and watch his Pride FC fights as well?
JH: I watch all of his fights: Pride, UFC and Chute training. I even got a video cam that shows him shadowboxing in the hallway.
PC: Have you seen a difference in his style since he's entered the UFC?
JH: Nah! The only difference I've seen is he can't head stomp now. That's the only difference I see. Everyone else does, but I don't see much difference.
PC: The rematch with Tito Ortiz in 2006 was the last Liddell knockout we've seen. Is Chuck out to prove a point against Shogun and show people he can stop Rua?
JH: No, I think he wants to show people some new tricks now. The punching power is not going to go. Foreman still had it at 50. The power is not going anywhere. We've got some other tricks up our sleeve against Shogun.
PC: Not overlooking Shogun by any means, but do you still want the rematch with Wanderlei?
JH: No. I don't really care about that fight.
PC: You told me the things you were looking for in his training, but what are some of the things you will be looking for early in the cage Saturday night from Chuck?
JH: Just some new skills that he's been working on and some old skills that he hasn't brought out in awhile.
PC: Do you think Chuck fell victim to his own punching power and that's why his defense began to lack in previous fights?
JH: That's a good one. I think he got a little overzealous trying to knock people out and got away from some of the defensive things. I think he forgot how many skills he really has. He was an NCAA Division I wrestler, he has excellent Jiu Jitsu, he's a Purple Belt in Jiu Jitsu, he's a great boxer as well as a puncher and he's one of the greatest kickers in the UFC. He just started relying on the one punch a little bit too much, but a lot of his skills are going to come out now. There are a lot of things we've been working on. Howard and Sammie have been working on a lot of things with him and you will see a lot more skills from Chuck now.
PC: It was refreshing seeing him use takedowns against Wanderlei and he was even throwing more kicks in the Evans fight. Is that something we have to see more of from Chuck to prolong his career?
JH: If it works, you know? It didn't need to come out so we didn't bring it out. Without bringing it out, he became the legend and as successful as he was. Now maybe it's time to open up the door again and start laying down some more beatings. He made it to the top of the heap knocking people out and now, maybe on his way back up, he'll take a different road.
PC: I know you're not a fan of fighting outside of the U.S. Are you okay with this fight being in Canada?
JH: I still wish it was closer in Vegas, but we're just little peons that do what we're told. It would have been better for us to fight in Vegas, but we have a good little gym here and the guy opens up for us and we're in a nice hotel and the whole team is here so we're good to go.
PC: Thanks for your time John. Good luck on Saturday night my man. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
JH: I think this is going to be a great fight so you don't want to miss it!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]