NHRA Drivers Train With Tito Ortiz And Chuck Liddell Ahead Of Their Trilogy Fight

Drag racing, and motorsports in general, has a universal appeal that pulls in fans from all walks of life, including those who participate in other sports. Former NBA forward Larry Nance, Sr. was an avid drag racer, current NFL defensive end Fletcher Cox owns a highly successful small tire team, while former NFL cornerback Troy Vincent helped launch three-time Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown’s pro driving career.

Another professional athlete made his (very imposing) presence felt a couple of weeks ago when the NHRA tour returned to Pomona to wrap up the 2018 season. Multi-time Ultimate Fighting Championship world heavyweight champion Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell hosted several pro drivers at his nearby training facility, where he is also training for his upcoming bout with longtime MMA rival Tito Ortiz, who also hosted the drivers at his facility before the world finals.

Among the drivers joining Liddell were our own Alex Laughlin and Jonnie Lindberg, both of whom appeared to have a blast while working their butts off under the watchful eye of Liddell and company. They were joined by Jack Beckman (funny car), Jim Campbell (funny car), Erica Enders (pro stock) and Scotty Pollacheck (pro stock motorcycle) and media personalities Amanda Busick and Courtney Lambert.

The drivers spent the afternoon working with Liddell on various workouts, from fitness and conditioning exercises to actual in-ring combat techniques. You can see the group was all smiles despite begin but through the ringer by The Iceman, who returned to competitive fighting last week against Ortiz after stepping away for almost 8 years. He trained hard for the fight, but lost in the opening round to Ortiz.

We love seeing this type of crossover for the NHRA and the drivers certainly looked to be having a great time! Hopefully we’ll see more of Liddell and Ortiz in the NHRA universe sometime soon!