Former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell’s custody battle with ex-wife Heidi Northcott has taken another contentious turn. The UFC legend recently accused Northcott of abducting their 14-year-old daughter, Guinevere, shortly before the teenager was due to begin high school. Northcott has denied the accusation and claimed their children no longer feel safe speaking openly with their father.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the 56-year-old filed an emergency custody request after alleging that Northcott took Guinevere to her residence in Orange County on August 14, five days before the teenager’s scheduled first day of school. Chuck Liddell further alleged that his ex-wife had “no intent to return her” and appealed for full custody of their two children.

Among his allegations were that she did not follow the court-ordered custody schedule, used the children as messengers, and failed to bring Guinevere to extracurricular activities. The former UFC champion also expressed concern about the impact of the situation on his daughter, claiming that missing school could potentially cost her a place on her volleyball team. He further argued that Guinevere’s absence was causing significant stress for her younger brother, Charlie.

Liddell has asked the court to grant him full custody and requested that Northcott’s visits with the children be monitored.

Meanwhile, his ex-wife has strongly rejected those allegations.

“For the past 5 years after our divorce, Chuck has been obsessed with staying in my life and trying to control me,” Heidi Northcott told TMZ. “(Kids) don’t feel safe speaking up to him at this point.”

Northcott didn’t explain exactly why their children don’t feel safe speaking up to their father. She denied ever abducting Guinevere and insisted that she has never prevented Liddell from seeing their children.

“My door has always been open for my kids to see Chuck, and I never abducted anyone,” Northcott added.

According to her court filing, Liddell’s ex-wife has alleged that Guinevere is experiencing “severe anxiety and mental distress” and that she does not want to return to her father’s home.

The competing claims remain allegations from both sides, and neither constitutes a court finding that the other parent committed wrongdoing.

Chuck Liddell and Heidi Northcott’s custody battle continues

Liddell and Northcott began dating around late 2009-early 2010. After about a year together, ‘The Iceman’ proposed to her in November 2010, and the two married later that same year. They spent nearly a decade together and had two children, 14-year-old Guinevere and 13-year-old Charlie. However, their marriage eventually fell apart when Liddell filed for divorce in October 2021. With their highly contentious divorce finalized in April 2025, both were granted joint legal and physical custody of their children.

According to the divorce agreement, the former UFC star was also ordered to pay $5,000 per month in child support, while the settlement included additional financial obligations.

Now, barely more than a year after the divorce was finalized, the custody arrangement has become the center of another legal dispute.

Chuck Liddell has argued that Guinevere’s absence from school could have serious consequences, particularly because she had worked to earn a place on her school’s volleyball team. Northcott, meanwhile, claims the teenager’s distress is connected to her relationship with her father and says Guinevere does not want to play volleyball at this point.

Northcott also raised financial concerns in her response, saying she is a full-time mother without additional income and has struggled to cover the costs of the ongoing legal battle.

“I am a full-time mother and do not have extra income,” she wrote in her response, as per US Weekly. “I have been financially bullied in court. This is partially why I had to fire my attorney. I cannot afford all the fees.”

The dispute is now headed back to court, with a hearing scheduled for August 24.

For Liddell, who retired from the sport in 2018, the latest legal battle adds another difficult chapter to his post-UFC life. The former champion, whose last bout in the UFC was in 2010, remains one of the most recognizable figures from the sport’s early mainstream era. However, his focus will now remain firmly on resolving the custody dispute involving his children.

With both parents presenting sharply different accounts of what happened, the upcoming hearing could provide more clarity on Guinevere’s custody situation and the allegations surrounding her move to Northcott’s home.