Former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell has joined 15 other ?celebrities? for a spot on the upcoming season of the hit ABC television show ?Dancing with the Stars.?
?The Iceman? will compete against other notable non-dancers such as ?Sabrina the Teenage Witch,? the Chairman from ?Iron Chef America,? and some guy who was banging Brenda Walsh.
Liddell hasn?t competed since a technical knockout loss to Mauricio ?Shogun? Rua at UFC 97: ?Redemption? from the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, back in April. It marked the fourth loss in his last five fights.
Company president Dana White has pressed his good friend and big time money-making machine to hang up the gloves, saying he has made a ton of cash and has nothing left to prove. Liddell ? who will be 40 years old by the time April 2010 rolls around ? is still on the fence about a possible return.
But the icy one is certainly keeping busy while he decides.
The full cast includes:
? Kathy Ireland (model)
? Macy Gray (singer)
? Melissa Joan Hart (actress)
? Mya (singer)
? Ashley Hamilton (ex-husband of Shannen Doherty)
? Michael Irvin (retired football player)
? Mark Dacascos (actor, host ?Iron Chef America?)
? Donny Osmond (entertainer)
? Kelly Osbourne (daughter of Ozzy Osbourne)
? Debi Mazar (actress)
? Chuck Liddell (ultimate fighting champ)
? Natalie Coughlin (Olympic swimmer)
? Joanna Krupa (swimsuit model)
? Louis Vito (snowboarder)
? Aaron Carter (singer)
? Tom DeLay (retired politician)
The show pairs a number of celebrities with professional dancers as they compete in front of a panel of judges. Viewers cast their votes for their favorite performances via phone or Internet. The couple with the lowest combined score (judges plus viewers) is eliminated until only one couple remains.
I?m sure that when Dana White pushed for Liddell?s retirement so that he could become an ambassador for the sport, this isn?t exactly what he had in mind. But if Mr. Mohawk makes it into the later rounds ? and manages to look good while doing it ? it could generate some additional mainstream interest.
?Dancing with the Stars? premieres on Sept. 23 on ABC.