Chuck Liddell and Anna Trebunskaya
Only the most astute MMA fans woke up Thursday with their minds on one of the most important anniversaries in the sport.
Wait. Did we say “most”? We probably meant “least.”
Either way, some of us are wondering how the hell it’s been 14 years since Chuck Liddell debuted on Season 9 of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Wait. Did we say “some of us”? We probably meant “nearly none of us.” Oh, fine. One of us: Me. There’s no shame in loving the ballroom.
Liddell, at the time, still was an active fighter in the UFC, though the former light heavyweight champion was mired in a 1-4 slump that started when he lost the belt to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in May 2007.
After DWTS, “The Iceman” fought one more time in the UFC and was knocked out in the first round by Rich Franklin at UFC 115. He returned nearly five years ago for a one-off fight against Tito Ortiz in an attempt to beat him three times, but Ortiz knocked him out in the first round, as well. That left Liddell 1-6 in his final seven fights with five of the losses by knockout.
On DWTS, with professional partner Anna Trebunskaya, Liddell finished in 11th place. The pair was eliminated from the show in the fourth week of the season. Liddell got…
