UFC 69 is homecoming for Swick

By Steve Sievert

As an aspiring professional mixed martial artist, Mike Swick had dreams of fighting in his hometown of Houston in front of thousands of fans at the Astrodome.

Swap out the Dome for Toyota Center, and that dream becomes reality next month, when the Clear Lake native returns to Houston to fight on the undercard of UFC 69 — the first Ultimate Fighting Championship event to be held in Texas.

"This means everything," said the 27-year-old Swick, a consensus top five UFC middleweight. "This is what I've dreamed of doing since I started MMA. I grew up fighting in the smaller shows around Houston, and at the time, MMA was banned.

"A lot of people were like, 'The sport's never going to get big. What are you doing with your life?' And it turns out we're coming to Houston. It's unbelievable to be able to do it. I said it was going to happen, and now it's here."

Japan's Yushin Okami will provide the opposition for Swick's homecoming bout. The Clear Lake High School graduate was scheduled to face Okami at UFC 68 earlier this month, but when plans fell into place to bring UFC 69 to Houston on April 7, it was a natural to put the hometown fighter on the card.

"It gave me more time to train, and I'm in the best shape of my life," said Swick, who left Clear Lake as an 18-year-old to work the security detail for a U.S. government construction project in Russia and, after several stops in between, eventually wound up living in San Jose, Calif. "This is the longest I've ever trained for a fight."

Pushing his first bout of the year back to April also gave his left hand more time to heal. Swick damaged ligaments in the hand during his fight against David Loiseau last September — a fight that was supposed to be his final tune-up before a title shot.

Swick took a unanimous decision over the tough Canadian, but the victory lacked the spark and spectacular finish that had become Swick's calling card and stamped him with the nickname "Quick."

"The Loiseau fight wasn't as impressive as I wanted it to be," said Swick, who got started in martial arts at a tae kwon do gym when he was 8 years old."I didn't have near the performance that I wanted. So, I can understand that they didn't give me one (title fight) right after, even though he was the former No. 1 contender. That just motivates me to make this fight even better."

The 25-year-old Okami tore through his first three UFC opponents in 2006 to raise his pro record to 20-3 and quickly move up the middleweight ranks.

"He usually gets off to a slow start and tries to wear you down in the third round," said Swick (10-1). "But I honestly don't think this fight's going to go to the third round. It's going to be, hopefully, my most exciting fight ever."

Iceman on ice
UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell is battling pneumonia.

Liddell, who was incoherent and momentarily fell asleep during a recent live interview on a Dallas television station, has been on a virtual nonstop promotional tour since beating Tito Ortiz in December.

The hectic pace caught up with "The Iceman," and the illness has put his planned May 26 bout with Quinton Jackson at UFC 71 in doubt.

"Chuck is supposed to be the headliner for that event," said UFC President Dana White. "This thing is growing so fast and Chuck Liddell is biggest star we have. The guy's not stopping. He was with (UFC co-owner) Lorenzo ( Fertitta) and I three weeks ago, and he was sick then."

Prior to the sickness, Liddell was still on the mend from torn ligaments in both a knee and finger and had yet to resume his normal training schedule.

UFC 70 in the house?
With the UFC still at loggerheads in its negotiations with Home Box Office, UFC 70 appears headed for basic cable.

The show was originally slated to be UFC's coming out party on HBO, but the two sides are in separate corners when it comes to how the telecasts will take shape.

White, who has meticulous control over nearly every aspect of UFC events, wants his footprint on the HBO production, as well. HBO prefers a more objective approach and wants final say on how the telecasts come together.

That has made Spike TV the likely home for UFC 70, scheduled for April 21.

"I want to get it on free TV for everyone. That's what I'm working on," said White.