MMA Legend Training Cleveland Browns Players

CLEVELAND, OH — The Cleveland Browns are ready for a fight heading into next season...literally.

MMA legend Chuck Liddell took a break from training for his comeback fight against Tito Ortiz to show up at the Cleveland Browns off-season training activities. The man known as "Iceman" is teaching the roster how to grapple and strike. In a video clip of the session, released by the team, Liddell is showing players how to punch, saying, "It's all hip."

"We're working with all the positions. This is my first week," Liddell said in the video. "It's a lot of fun for me. I like doing it, I like working with these guys and teaching them some new stuff and hopefully getting to watch them use it in a game."

The 48-year-old professional fighter said he enjoys being with the Browns because it reminds him of his own training camps. "It's focused," he said.

Bringing in an MMA legend is a unique step for any NFL team, but franchises have brought in odd trainers before. The New England Patriots have famously worked out with Navy SEALs, and other squads have their own training regimens. But the Browns have been a feckless franchise for decades, so dabbling in out-of-the-box methods can't be a bad idea.

Plus, Liddell does have a modicum of experience on the gridiron. He played high school football at San Marcos in California before heading to Cal Poly for college. He wrestled for the university from 1988 to 1993, according to the college's website.

The Iceman would compile a 21-8 record in the UFC and won the Heavyweight Championship more than once. He went on to start a film career and appeared to be retired from the fighting world. Then, in May 2018, he announced he would emerge from retirement and fight, for the third time, Tito Ortiz.

In the lead-up to that fight, Liddell has decided to help train the Cleveland Browns. Considering his background in wrestling, the Iceman's techniques could be particularly useful for the team's linemen. In the clips provided by the team, the 48-year-old demonstrates something akin to a swim move, where one player lifts their arm and goes around them (like they're doing wheeling their arm in a pool).

It'll be interesting to see if Liddell's teachings come into play during the season...particularly against aggressive AFC North foes like the Cincinnati Bengals (who have a history of real, on-the-field fighting) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (who have a history of tripping players).

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