UFC legend Chuck Liddell is engaged to his girlfriend, Heidi Rae, after a well-orchestrated proposal on the ice at Anaheim’s Honda Center.
Liddell, 55, pulled off the epic surprise on Wednesday, February 19, at the home of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks — but first, he had to get her to the arena.
The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, who has been dating Rae since 2021, said the couple had been asked to participate in a photo shoot by their beloved Ducks.
“I truly thought we were there to do a shoot and everything was completely normal,” Rae exclusively told Us Weekly. “I’ve been to countless of these with him throughout the years.”
Once the couple made it on the ice – in custom Ducks jerseys, of course – the arena Jumbotron, which had been lowered to the ground, read “Heidi, will you marry me?” Liddell then dropped to one knee and pulled out a ring with Ducks’ mascot, Wild Wing, watching on intently.
“Surprised is an understatement,” Rae said. “I just cried because I was so overcome with emotions. We’ve both wanted this for so long and it’s been a long road. Having your happily ever finally come was surreal. Getting to spend your life with your best friend and the person you trust most in the world is an indescribable happiness.”
Liddell said logistical hangups meant he had to “cancel and change” the proposal a couple of times, but he was confident about the plan when the big day finally arrived.
“I wasn’t really worried about her finding out,” Liddell told Us. “We had done pretty well. She didn’t ask a lot of questions. She’s done this with me in the past. It was probably a little different, but I don’t think she thought that much about it.”
When it came to the ring, the UFC Hall of Famer sought the advice of two very important people in his soon-to-be fiancée’s life.
“I had help from her daughters,” Liddell said. “I know when to ask for help. She had a very particular style.”
Rae’s daughters – Ashtyn, 25, and Halle, 21 – picked out a pear-shaped canary yellow diamond surrounded with pavé diamonds on a diamond pavé eternity band.
“It was just so beautiful,” Rae said of the ring. “It was quite enormous.”
As for their eventual wedding, Liddell and Rae are actually third in line in their blended family when it comes to making their way to the altar.
“We have two kids that are engaged currently,” Liddell explained. Rae said two of the couple’s daughters got engaged in December 2024.
Liddell added, “We’ve got to plan it around them. But we’re not pushing it out too far. We’ll figure it out.”
After adding her own wedding to the couple’s busy calendar, Rae gushed about the guy she plans to spend the rest of her life with.
“There is no one I could love more,” she said “He is the best, most trustworthy man.”
