by maSUCCESS Editor John Corcoran

Las Vegas, NV-It won’t be Tito Ortiz, Rashad Evans, Wanderlei Silva or Randy Couture in front of him, but on Monday, September 21, 2009 at 8:00 p.m., when UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell makes his debut on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars the stage may have changed, but the intent hasn’t.

“I want to win,” Liddell told UFC.com. “I don’t like losing in anything, so I’ll work as hard as they’ll let me.”

But Liddell is in for a big surprise. Action film star and martial arts phenomenon Mark Dacascos is also a contestant in the same show. Mark, the son of national forms champions Al and Malia Dacascos, was a world-class kung-fu forms champion himself before he made the transition to an acting career. He’s a fabulous technician. In fact, Mark’s athleticism could easily make him the favored contender to win the show’s title over Liddell and everyone else.

In recent years, Mark Dacascos, 45, has also become famous as the “Chairman” and host of the Food Network’s Iron Chef America. Before joining ICA in 2005, Dacascos has played not only martial artists, but a wide array of characters over the course of his film and television career. He’s starred in 36 films and TV shows.

He was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the internationally-acclaimed French epic, Brotherhood of the Wolf. He also starred in the cult classic Only the Strong; Cradle 2 the Grave opposite Jet Li; Only the Brave; Nomad; and The Lost Medallion, to be released later this year.

Hopefully, Liddell and Dacascos won’t be voted off the show in the first or second week and readers of this newspiece (this issue comes out in early October) will be able to check out their fancy footwork in action.

The two martial arts stars will join 14 other celebrities on the hit TV series, in the process becoming the first in our profession to compete on the show. Liddell, one of MMA’s first true crossover stars, is comfortable with being an ambassador for his sport, and looking forward to having some fun in the process.

“I’m gonna go out, be myself, and show what kind of people we do have in this sport,” he said. “I’m sure the reaction will be mixed [among fight fans]. My friends are gonna be excited and I’ll never hear the end of it because they’ll make fun of me, but it should be fun and I think everyone will like it.”

Liddell, 39, has registered 21 pro MMA victories and earned a light-heavyweight world championship. A few years ago, his autobiography, Iceman: My Fighting Life became a New York Times bestseller.

He’s already been gearing up for his Monday meeting with his dance partner and the initial training stages as he gets ready to become the latest in the line of sports greats who have competed on the show, including NFL legends Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice, Basketball Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler, Olympians Apolo Anton Ohno, Shawn Johnson, and Maurice Greene, and former boxing champions Evander Holyfield and Laila Ali.

The last notable MMA champion to appear on a television series was Tito Ortiz, who competed earlier this year on the business reality-TV show The Apprentice, overseen by Donald Trump. He was cut halfway through the competition.

John Corcoran
Managing Editor
“Martial Arts Success” Magazine
1905 Sierra Hills Way
Las Vegas, NV 89128
(702) 645-3331
E-mail: jcorco4234@aol.com