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Chuck Liddell and Charles “Mask” Lewis will join Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock, Randy Couture and Mark Coleman in the UFC Hall of Fame.

On Friday, July 10th, the UFC Hall of Fame inducts its two newest members, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and TapouT co-founder Charles “Mask” Lewis.

“I appreciate this gesture and I’m glad that people appreciate what I do and that they think that I deserve this, but I’m just one of the guys that fight out there,” said Liddell, who admitted that this crowning moment of his storied career does come with some bittersweet feelings due to the fact that he won’t be able to share it with his longtime friend Lewis, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in March. “It’s gonna be a little rough being that it’s Charles and me, but for us to go in together, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Both legends of the sport in their own right.

I know this is late. For some reason, I thought I had published this last week, but I guess I didn’t. Thought some of you would still like to see it though.

Image courtesy of CombatLifestyle.com

In what will surely be a fast-paced and explosive fight, legendary fighter Frank Shamrock faces off against the durable Nick Diaz at the upcoming Strikeforce card on Showtime, April 11th.

Recently, we had the opportunity to talk to Frank and he filled us in on a number of important issues in his career, including the feud with the Gracie Camp, a probable move to professional boxing after rematches against Tito and Cung, the death of Tapout’s Mask, and what kind of books he reads to pump him up for his fights.

MMAConvert.com: Thanks a lot for taking time to talk to us Frank.
Shamrock: Not a problem at all, my pleasure.

MMAConvert.com: First off, how did the fight with Nick Diaz come about? Was this a fight you wanted or was it Diaz that was calling you out?
Shamrock: Well I got a call from Scott Coker and he said that he had just signed the Showtime agreement. He needed a big main event so I said, “Count me in.” Then, Scott called back about two days later and said, “What do you think about Nick Diaz?” and I said, “Uh, Nick who?” [Laughs]. Scott asked, “Well how about fighting him?” and I said, “I’d be happy to fight him.” And that was it.

MMAConvert.com: Do you feel you still have anything to prove against the Gracie camp? Is this fight with Diaz still an extension of that feud?
Shamrock: Well, I think I already proved everything; I knocked one of them out standing up and knocked one of them out on my back. I don’t what else there is to prove. I think that just stepping in their with a young guy who’s got a lot of good skills is enough for me these days.

MMAConvert.com: Despite the fact that you’re the one going down in weight and Nick’s the one going up, you’re being touted as the smaller fighter. What’s your reaction to that?
Shamrock: I think I’m the smaller fighter [Laughs]. I think I’m the little guy. Nick’s like 6’3. The last time I saw him he was easily 185 pounds and I’m only 5’10 and 183 pounds.

MMAConvert.com: How much weight are you cutting to get down to 179 pounds?
Shamrock: Well my natural body weight is about 183 pounds. I’ll be at around 186 pounds so I’ll probably have to cut about 5 or 6 pounds.

HT: Fighters Only Mag via TheMMAFiend

HT: Fighters Only Mag via TheMMAFiend

A memorial service for Charles “Mask” Lewis has been scheduled for April 14.

Image courtesy of Sherdog.com

When you hear of two exotic high performance vehicles crashing in the late night/early morning hours, it’s only natural to wonder if there was alcohol and/or street racing involved.

Less than 48 hours after the tragic accident that took the life of Charles David Lewis Jr., the OC Register breaks the news that Jeffery David Kirby, 51 years of age, has been formally charged.

A Costa Mesa man with two drunken-driving convictions was charged this morning with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in connection with a crash early Wednesday that killed a mixed martial arts entrepreneur. Jeffrey David Kirby, 51, could get a maximum of 19 years, eight months in prison if convicted.

He was arrested after prosecutors say he crashed his Porsche into a $140,000 Ferrari driven by Charles David Lewis Jr., 45, of Huntington Beach, while both were driving at high rates of speed on Jamboree Road in Newport Beach.

Lewis, one of the founders of a company called TapouT, a multimillion-dollar mixed martial arts enterprise, then lost control of his red sports car, ran over a curb and crashed into a cement light pole with such force that the Ferrari was split in two. Lewis – who called himself “Mask” – was killed instantly.