KICKBOXING.COM EXCLUSIVE

Kickboxing.com:  How & when did Chuck Liddell start his training with the world famous Pit Gym?

John Hackleman: The Pit opened its doors in 1985, that’s when it all started.  I started banging with people who would come to the gym after they heard about me and what I brought to the ring.  People, especially grapplers, would come to my gym and want to test me.  With me being a striker and having knowledge in several art forms such as Judo, Kenpo, Boxing & Kickboxing, I just kept it all on the feet.  The more people I dropped, the more people talked.  Then in 1991, Chuck Liddell, with a backgroundin NHB and having fought Vale Tudo in Brazil, walks into the Pit with curiosity.  He had heard about what I was doing and what I was doing for my fighters, he wanted to see if the rumors were true.  So we stepped into the ring.  I gained his respect that day and we’ve been together ever since.  Chuck is now a part owner of The Pit and both he and I train all our fighters together.

( At this point, Chuck calls on another phone line --- “Okay, so did you finish the set?”….. “Yeah, just work some bag, then do a three five”…. “Just head up to ******* gym and work the bag there”  )

John: Sorry about that, it was Chuck.

KB.com: No problem. Sounds like Chuck hes out of town right now still following your training regiment.  What kind of training do you got him on right now.

John:  Our training varies everyday, no one day is like another.  We like to mix it up, do track in the morning, then some power training and then after head over to the bag and work three five minute rounds.  We do a lot of focus on the take downs and also working from the ground, escapes from different positions.  Working with great training partners like Scott Lighty and the Leg Lock Master Scott Adams, we have people coming in from Team Quest as well.  We are really fortunate at The Pit to have world class fighters from around the world come down and train with us.

KB.com: Seems like the Pit is definitive the place to train to get to that higher level of fighting.

John: A lot of people say that, we just do what we do and that’s knocking people out.

KB.com: That leads me into my next question, in Chuck vs Randy 1, Randy seem to have controlled Chuck on the ground but in Chuck vs Randy 2, it was a different game.  Chuck started throwing his leather and clipped Randy, which ended in a knockout in the first round.  Is the game plan different for part 3 since Randy might be prepared for this?

John: Yeah, there’s not going to be much of a change except for a few tweaks.  Its really the same strategy, all due respect to Randy who is an amazing fighter with great skill, he may be preparing for this, but you cant work out your jaw. From Greco Roman, BJJ masters to AbuDabi and Olympic Gold medalists, its all good but when you get punched in the face, all bets are off, everything is out the window.  Everyone knows it, Chuck can throw the heat and he can take the heat, that’s really the difference.  You seen him get bombed with a hits but he wont even blink, never seen him dazed or wobble, that’s just the type of person Chuck is and you cant train for that.  Either you go it or you don’t, something you’re born with.

KB.com: Kind of jumping ships here but word on the street is that Chuck wants a piece of Wanderli, is this true and what are your comments?

John: Yeah, Chuck’s been calling him out a few times, in the ring one time.  I know Wanderli will step in with him too, Wanderli will step in with anyone, but there is too much politics around it.  Pride doesn’t want to let it happen.  Everyone has been asking, everyone wants to see it but Pride I guess has too much pride, they don’t want to make this a show.  Wanderli is a great fighter but we all saw what happened when he stepped in with Vitor, he got knocked.  And we all know what happened when Vitor tried to step to Chuck.  I mean Vitor is one of the best fighters out there professionally and also on a personal level.

KB.com: What is your prediction for Chuck vs Randy 3?

John: KO