Danny Amendola Did MMA Fighting With Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell During Offseason to Prepare for 2013 Season

FOXBORO, Mass. — New Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola isn’t just a football player. He also knows a thing or two about mixed martial arts.

Amendola spent his offseason out in Los Angeles training with MMA stars Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell in an effort to improve his strength and speed for the 2013 season.

“I did MMA fighting this year, so it’s kind of like a little more extreme,” Amendola said. “Everyone’s seen MMA. This was my first time doing it. …

“I definitely have much respect for that sport. Those guys are crazy. It’s an intense workout.”

Now that he has tasted what MMA is like, Amendola says that he plans on doing it “for a long time.”

For those wondering if he actually traded blows with Couture and Liddell, though, the answer is no. Instead, his workouts focused on the other aspects of mixed martial arts.

“We work out at the same gym out there,” Amendola said. “I saw them doing it and I was kind of hesitant to do it at first. We didn’t actually punch each other. It was just drills and grappling.”

That doesn’t mean that he was completely opposed to the idea.

“I’ve got that little guy inside me that wants to mix it up,” he said.