When UFC’s Dana White won $5,000 bet after Chuck Liddell ‘beat the crap’ out of hotel security guard

Chuck Liddell is one of the pioneers in the UFC. UFC president Dana White is a close friend of Liddell’s and used to manage his career.

There is an interesting story about them from back in the day. During that time, the pair were on a trip in America to promote the UFC, as the organization wasn’t as big back then.

UFC head honcho Dana White once bet on Chuck Liddell to beat a hotel security guard. White won a $5,000 bet as ‘The Ice Man’ successfully submitted the guard.

White is a fan of gambling so it comes as no surprise that he once bet on Liddell to beat a massive hotel security guard.

While staying in a hotel, White had a conversation with one of the security guards late at night. The security guard didn’t believe that Chuck Liddell is a professional mixed martial artist. So White made a $5,000 bet with him to wrestle Liddell. If the security survived two minutes against Liddell, he would take the money and vice versa.

The hotel security guard was no match against the former UFC light heavyweight champion. Liddell managed to lock a neck crank and submitted the guy in under two minutes. At that point, the basement was filled with hotel staves who wanted to watch the action.

Chuck Liddell wrote the story in his autobiography.

“Those first few years no one knew us on the East Coast. I toured Ibiza, Spain, with Dana and was stopped every five feet.”

“But in Boston or New York or Philly, I was just some guy with a Mohawk people crossed the street to avoid. One night we went out after a day of pushing the UFC and wound up at our hotel at around two in the morning.”

“While I went straight back to my room that night, Dana got into a conversation with one of the hotel security guards, who wanted to know what was up with Dana’s buddy with the tattoo on his head.”

“Dana told him I was a UFC fighter. The guy’s first response was ‘This is all crap. None of that stuff is real.’ Dana answered, ‘I’ve got five grand in my pocket and I guarantee that you can’t last five minutes with Chuck Liddell.’ The guy took the bet.

“Then Dana called me down into the lobby. He told me he had five grand riding on me to beat the crap out of this hotel security guard, who used to be a high school wrestler. I had two minutes to make him tap out. Anything less, and Dana was out five thousand bucks.”

“It was like the old days of Vale Tudo fighting in Brazil – we were all part of the circus, just looking to entertain the masses, make a few bucks, and win a few fans. And, in less than two minutes, just as Dana asked, it was over. Before the guard could make a real move, I put him in a neck crank that was so fierce he started yelling, ‘I can’t see, I can’t see’.” Liddell wrote.

Chuck Liddell began his professional career in 1998 at UFC 17. The 52-year-old competed in various promotions and finally became UFC light heavyweight champion in 2005. Liddell was a knockout artist, successfully defended his title 5 times with all of them ending via knockouts.

Liddell retired in 2010 but made a comeback to face his rival Tito Ortiz in 2018. The pair clashed within Golden Boy Promotion where Ortiz won after knocking Liddell in the first round.