its-time-my-360-view-of-the-ufc

infamous Chinawhite—where he was making an “appearance.” I got there and wherewas Chuck? He was up on the balcony hanging out with some friends. I went up to joinhim, and there were crowds of MMA-loving Londoners shouting his name up from thestreet; some were even shouting mine. Here we were, far from home, and they knewthis fighter by sight.That doesn’t surprise me. I love our UK events. The UK ghters (and sometimes thefans) always come ready to ght. They are a naturally tough people, always ready tothrow down, especially after a pint or two.Looking out over this London street scene now, Chuck leaned over and said, “Theypaid me a lot of money to come here and drink tonight. But you know what? I’m havinga good time!”People love being around him in social settings because he puts them at ease. Iremember spending a Sunday afternoon with him hanging out at the pool at the VegasHard Rock Hotel, site of the hotel’s famous Rehab party, which was even the basis of areality show on TruTV. It was great fun, great girls in bikinis and thongs, and we’rechecking everyone out. Chuck’s standing there with his four-pound Chihuahua and hisjet-black-painted toenails. That’s Chuck: the world’s toughest man, petting a Chihuahuaand showing o his painted toenails. He’s just himself. And who’s gonna tell himotherwise? He can do whatever he wants.BUFFERISM NO. 11“I’VE NEVER MARRIED, BUT I WAS ALMOST DIVORCED TWICE.”Twice in my life I considered marrying. Thank God I didn’t. It would have ended indivorce, without question. I wasn’t ready for marriage. I probably would havefooled around on them. Today, I will not enter into a marriage if I have even theslightest thought of cheating. It’s not fair to her, me, or the institution of marriage.His persona aside, I think Chuck will always be remembered as a formidable ghter.The skills come rst, of course. He was a striker rst and foremost, but also a topwrestler. His ability to get up after someone shot on him or went for a takedown wasincredible. He was like the Terminator; he just kept getting up. It was amazing to watchhim get pinned against the cage, and then see that leg of his just come up out ofnowhere and propel him to his feet, where he could shrug o an opponent. I’ve seenvery few fighters who can “sprawl” and evade the takedown so handily.One of the rst times I saw him ght, in 1999, he refused to tap against Jeremy Horn,who had more than a hundred MMA ghts, more than anyone on the planet, probably.Horn got Chuck in an arm-triangle choke. And the ght ended only because the refereerealized that Chuck had gone to sleep.To sleep.They pried away Horn’s arm and there was Chuck, out like a light on the Octagonoor. I wondered: Did it happen before he realized he should tap? Or did he refuse to