Customer Reviews

Iceman: My Fighting Life

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Chuck Liddell is a great fighter and his fights are entertaining. The contradiction of his ferocity in the Octagon to his mild-mannered nature outside of it is fascinating. I wish the book had more depth and exposed more of the real Chuck. But after reading about how Chuck was raised and getting a glimpse into his demeanor and lifestyle, it makes sense why the book is rather shallow. I enjoyed and appreciated the insight Chuck gives into each of his fights (e.g., his opinions on this opponents, his disposition towards the fight, the technical breakdown and strategy employed, etc.). But I could do without his bragging, the awkward-at-best and poor-at-worst writing, and the general lack of biographical meat.

This book really put it into perspective how mainstream MMA has become. I didn't realize just how popular the sport and its fighters have become until I read this book.

The book also provides details and insight into why Chuck does what he does. It provides life changing events and the decisions Chuck made to keep going. I find myself thinking of Chuck's life and the decisions he made and it provides a calming influence to me as I now understand that life can only beat you up if you let it. I found the book helpful in understanding Chuck and I am an even bigger Liddell fan since reading the book.

I encourage all MMA/UFC fans to pick up Chuck Liddell's new book. Chuck pulls no punches in discussing all of his fights, his feud with Tito, and his life as MMA's biggest star. Chuck discusses his street fights, college life, and the fame and foturne that goes with being the ICEMAN.

GREAT READ

Being a big fan of UFC, I decided to pick up this book. It was a good book, but it was a very easy read. The childhood story of Chuck Liddell was very interesting but nothing suprised me of what he did growing up. I look forward to the releases of Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture's books being released in the next couple months. As for this book, definately worth picking up if your a fan of UFC and Chuck Liddell.

Have never been a big Chuck Liddell fan - I always felt he was overrated; seeing him get destroyed by Quentin Jackson in Pride kind of confirmed my feeling - but I enjoyed this book immensely. Lots of good stories told throughout - though he does repeat one or two - and plenty of detail on his fights. I was definitely entertained - I read the last 200 pages of the book in a single sitting, something I never do anymore.

My only knock would be that there's lots of filler or empty space throughout. The book is divided into a whopping *47* chapters (one of which is a single page!) Each chapter comes with a blank page. So right away you've got 47 pages of nothing in a 300 page book. The chapters also include a half-page header on them that's essentially worthless - so another 23 pages of nothing. 70 pages of nothing in a 300 page book is a lot, IMHO.

Still, that criticism is only enough to knock the book down to 4 stars. This is an excellent read for any fan of Liddell or MMA in general. Recommended.

Yes, WOW is right. Former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Chuck "The Iceman " Liddell tells it all. Excellent book, very detailed, and would highly recommend to any Chuck fan or MMA fan.

Chuck is not only one of the greatest fighters ever to step into the octagon, he is down to earth, a good father, and a loyal friend to those who know, work and train with him. Money, fame and fortune has not changed him and his love for fighting. He would be just as content fighting in his backyard for free to prove he is the best.

One of his most intriguing fights he talks about in detail that I was amazed by his courage and toughness was the Vale Tudo Championships in Brazil. A brutal thirty minute war with Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons, whose record at that time was 13-2. Chuck's only second career fight and he beats a heavily favored veteran fighter in his own back yard. No rounds, no gloves, no breaks, very few rules. Not many men as determined or as brave as Chuck would take on such a challenge. When Chuck saw Pele the next day, he said his face looked like the Elephant Man's.

Quote from book. "Winning that fight earned me my first magazine cover. Naturally, it was Full Contact Fighter. It also put me on the international map as a mixed martial arts threat. Most important, it helped me realize what I could do in the ring. I knew I had the talent to go far in this sport."

And far he did, winning the UFC LHW title in 2005 against Randy Couture, and defending it four times. After watching his incredible performance against Wanderlei Silva on December 29, 2007, I believe he will win his title back soon.

There is very little interesting information in this book that hasn't been revealed in interviews or articles that are free on the web. Chuck seems like a private guy who doesn't make for interesting reading, even if he was a UFC champion.

I read this book in one day while stuck at the airport. I'm a UFC follower and I enjoyed reading this book. Chuck's got a great story. He's been there from the start of UFC.

I picked this up and read it cover to cover on a 6 hour flight.
I am very impressed but at the same time intrigued by Chuck as he is an interesting character. It is not often a guy with a mowhawk and tattoos on his head scores a 1200+ on his SATs.

The chapters are short and sweet, and each one tells a life lesson.
If fact Chuck recommends ripping out the table of contents and posting it on your wall. There were some interesting stories about his no holds barred fight in Brazil, and his extreme training at the Pit, along with his acting career on Entourage. However, hands down the best story was about how easy it is to pick up girls on a fight night after you win the UFC championship.

This book was everything the Matt Hughes effort wasn't. Liddell speaks in detail about his fights, his overall strategies, and specific tactics against particular opponents. The man comes across as likeable and intelligent. He does us a favor by sparing us stories of his childhood years, and skips right to the meat of the book.

I learned a lot of interesting things; Dana White trained at the same gym as Chuck Liddell - so did the Fertitta brothers. Liddell lost his manager because of a disagreement over TUF2 - the man thought he should have been paid more money and Chuck realized this was necessary both for the sport and his recognition. The UFC launched their TUF reality show completely on their own dime and then pitched it for free to any network willing to take a chance! These are the kinds of things I really wanted an insight into and Liddell's book delivers in spades. The Matt Hughes book, in contrast, gave me nothing.

I wasn't a fan of Chuck's prior to reading this novel, but I am now. It's obvious that he cares passionately about the MMA game and I hope he manages to recapture the LHW belt.