UFC Quick Quote: 'I can't retire (Chuck), but he gave me his word'

by Adam Wagner on Jun 29, 2009 5:30 PM EDT Comment 62 comments

"I can’t retire him, but he gave me his word that he was going to retire so … To be honest with you, he and I have talked, and he has said, yes, he will retire … So we’ll see what happens. He and I are getting together next week … We’re going to get together and talk about a lot of things. He’s coming into town, and we’ve got a lot to talk about."

-- UFC President Dana White responds to comments made on the "Cofield and Cokin Show" on ESPNRadio1100. Despite claiming that he "retired" Chuck immediately after his loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 97 back in April, White has since backed off a bit from the retirement talk, allowing that it’s the former champion’s ultimate decision, but underscoring the fact that Liddell gave White his word that retirement was imminent. Everything could be settled at their meeting next week, when White plans to discuss "The Iceman’s" future with the organization, including his retirement plans (or lack thereof), as well as "a lot of things." (Perhaps an induction into the UFC’s Hall of Fame could fall into that category, as could details of a post-fighting career with the promotion?) Steve Cofield pressed White regarding rumors that Liddell could be interested in a light heavyweight matchup with former middleweight champion Rich Franklin as the headliner for UFC 103, which is thought to be occurring in Dallas on September 19. When asked, White simply laughed it off, saying, "Who knows, we’ll see what happens." Since reigning atop the UFC’s most exciting division from roughly 2004-2006, Liddell (21-7) has since dropped four of his last five bouts, albeit to three of the top five ranked light heavyweights in the world, and can likely still serve as a top pay-per-view draw. The countdown to "The Iceman’s" future in the UFC, which began back in April, looks to be coming to a conclusion with his upcoming meeting with the company president. Will he retire, or could we see one more round against "Ace"? Sound off, maniacs.

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liddell 2rd round tko gotta go out with a win chuckie. make it happen!

by Ted on Jun 29, 2009 5:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I really wish He’d stop making private conversations public. It’s disrespectful to his ‘friend’.

by DSmith on Jun 29, 2009 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i’ll ask him at the ufc expo!
yeah!

by mikeybear on Jun 29, 2009 7:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I am sure Chuck is a great guy, and I wish him the best, but the sooner the one dimensional fighters like him are out of MMA the sooner MMA can fully evolve into the next phase where all the fighters are complete in all areas of MMA like a GSP.

When that happens, MMA will be epic (as if its not already).

by noneed4name on Jun 29, 2009 7:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

To be fair to Chuck he isn’t one dimensional, the reason all of his fights are stand up battles is because his wrestling is that good that it’s near impossible to take him down, his sprawl is legendary. He’s also very good defensively on the ground and is excellent at getting back to his feet, he’s only been submitted once and that was by Jeremy Horn when he was a rookie.

Chuck’s problem is that he never developed a well rounded offense, as he only uses takedowns to score points and his striking technique is the same every fight. Now that his chin and speed have gone, Liddell’s easy pickings for the elite of the division and every fight both his health and his legacy take a battering.

I’d like to see him go out with a win but I don’t see him being competetive again, so why keep fighting? I agree with Dana on this one, though he could have dealt with it better and saved a lot of hassle by keeping this a private matter until him and Liddell came to an agreement on his future. Arguing with Hack and undermining Chuck isn’t helping either side.

by David W-S on Jun 29, 2009 8:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No arguing Chuck’s sprawl, but his ground game was always grossly overrated.

Not a single submission nor any GNP victories, all were by decision or knockout. Although knockouts are impressive, that is one dimensional.

by noneed4name on Jun 29, 2009 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah I see your point, the annoying thing about Chuck is that he had the potential to be a well rounded fighter but got lazy and stuck with his old tricks for too long. If he had been a more dedicated athlete and gone to more camps then he would still be a competetive fighter today.

by David W-S on Jun 29, 2009 9:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

acctually chuck has one submision in his wins..

by guyverbob on Jun 30, 2009 1:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why does Dana feel the need to play God when it comes to the fighters? If Chuck wants to continue fighting I say he should be allowed to. He can still beat most, if not all, of the non-top 6 LHWs in the UFC. And why is Rich Franklin the new go-to-guy? Dana et al are ruining Rich’s career and chances of winning another belt by having him participate in these catchweight and divisionally non-significant fights.

by jayshogun on Jun 29, 2009 5:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I completely agree…I think it is more dangerous to have Couture, Nog, Wandy fighting than Chuck. He still has 1 or 2 fights left, no more title runs, he just need to realize that, he can put on a couple of good shows and that’s it.
Franklin should be fighting a top contender, although most of them are booked / busy…they should give him the looser of Machida / Shogun, although that would be a long lay off for him

by Mascarita on Jun 29, 2009 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Franklin’s like a poor orphan child with no place to go; I think if he fought a guy like Keith Jardine or Griffin, you’d see why he was cutting to MW.

by O damn he got caught on Jun 29, 2009 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just wish Dana would let the man speak for himself. Retirement is an issue that Chuck has Earned the right to speak for himself on…I personally have NO DESIRE to see him get beat up again…He served his purpose, launching my boy Shogun back on the map…I really dont want to see Chuck turn into Ken Shamrock. I got too much respect for him…so I hope to never have to see that happen!

by JOhn G on Jun 29, 2009 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Call me crazy, but I’m not against Chuck vs Franklin, or Chuck vs Bonnar, Chuck vs Coleman maybe?? I’ve never been a huge Liddell fan, but when he retired, when they said “thats the last Chuck fight you’re ever gonna see”; I’ll be damned if I wasn’t feeling really sorry to hear that and even worse to see him go out like that.

by O damn he got caught on Jun 29, 2009 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Read the article again. It says Chuck and Dana had an agreement that his retirement was imminent. So Chuck HAS spoken for himself. He and Dana had an understanding. Chuck is just reneging on his word now, creating confusion. It’s plain to see that he’s all done. Everyone knows it, and nobody wants to see another one of his pathetic performances inside the octagon. His chin is completely gone, and that’s bad news for a guy with his style. The time has come for Chuck to accept reality, open a gym or something and start giving back to the sport that’s done so much for him.

by just some dong on Jun 29, 2009 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think Liddell has some fight left in him, perhaps not against top contenders, but he’s still a force to be reckoned with.

Let him fight if he wants to. I don’t think it will taint his career/legacy. Nothing can take away from his vast accomplishments.

Besides, for all we know Liddell could have some underlying issues that he has been dealing with, and once he figures things out he might be back with full force. Kinda like Couture, or Mir after the motorcycle accident (which most people thought would be the end of his MMA career). Wishful thinking?—perhaps…

In the end it should be Liddell’s decision, you never know what might happen. Wouldn’t it be great if we could have the old Iceman back, even if for only a few more years!?

by JS on Jun 29, 2009 6:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Retirement is not an option for these fighters! Fighting is encrypted in these guys’ DNA…

by syd[a.ka."The Negation"] on Jun 29, 2009 6:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Chuck is more than a fighter to Dana. He’s a friend who he doesn’t want to see get hurt or go out in a way he will regret. The only thing he’s don’t wrong is not allow Chuck to announce these things himself. Chuck earned that right.

Anyway, I have the solution. Treat him exactly like a new fighter in the UFC. Give him an intro fight and let him try to work his way up the ladder. If he loses and drops off the bottom rung then he’s out of the UFC like a new fighter would be.

by Punch You in the Ovaries on Jun 29, 2009 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Whether a good thing or not, my guess is we’ll see Chuck fight again. I believe he could still beat any highly ranked opponent on an occasional day. The problem is that I can’t him stringing together the 3-4 wins it would require to be in the mix for the belt. Also the time factor….winning 3-4 in a row would make Chuck a couple years older yet, still using a style dependent on explosiveness, reflexes and hand speed. Exactly the things that are first to fade with age and/or hard living.

by CL on Jun 29, 2009 7:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nog is def. ready to go. Couture will prove that after 102. Is Randy to old for the game?…..probably but he is still effective in the cage. Liddell had no offense against Evans or Rua. Randy was comfortable exchanging with Brock Lesner of all guys, up until he got caught. Randy has to comeback down to LHW and become the new gatekeeper. As crappy as that sounds “gatekeeper”. He will never break the top 5. Heavyweight is just too much for him at this point. 2-3 fights left. Wandy in the same position. Should go and stay at 185. I would love to see the Silva V. Silva fight, although Spider would win. Wandy always comes to fight

by Christafo on Jun 29, 2009 5:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nog had 1 lackuster fight after winning the interim HW title and you are ready to write him off? Gimme a break.

by noneed4name on Jun 29, 2009 7:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I like Nog, but all of his fights in the UFC have been lackluster.

by naturalshadow on Jun 30, 2009 2:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Franklin is a true warrior and can contend with anyone at 205. Just not anderson of course.

by mak on Jun 29, 2009 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

franklin should fight cane

by kickbox on Jun 30, 2009 8:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I honestly think Dana is concerned for Chucks health, and more importantly his image. He has nothing left to prove. The game has evolved past Chuck Liddell. As much as I will miss hearing Bruce Buffer announce his name. I don’t want to see him fighting in some retro grudge fight no one really cares about (Shamrock/Kimo UFC 48) or a fake grudge match just to keep him in the mix (Ortiz/Shamrock 2 & 3) He is an icon for the sport. Let’s keep him there

by Christafo on Jun 29, 2009 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Christafo says “The game has evolved past Chuck Liddell.”
No it didnt he just got old dude. He’s 40! and parties!

by mak on Jun 29, 2009 6:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well said!

by Yourmomma on Jun 29, 2009 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Do u really think Rich has a chance of winning a belt at 205lbs? I like these named fighter’s going at it. The paydays good for Rich and if he wins, what’s to stop White from giving him a shot at the title?

by DAVE A on Jun 29, 2009 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Franklin will eventually get a title shot, but won’t win. He can still fight but his time has come and gone. Won’t break the top 5

by Christafo on Jun 29, 2009 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

White was ‘way’ out of line by retiring Chuck for Chuck, and he contintued to say so all week long. It’s about time he backed off.

by DAVE A on Jun 29, 2009 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dana never should have started this garbage in the first place. Chuck can make his own decisions.
Dana White needs to learn that there is a time to STFU.
People don’t have to hear your opinions 24/7.
You can keep it to yourself every once in awhile.

by KS on Jun 29, 2009 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

D. White may have had Liddell’s best interest at heart, but his desire to control definitely took over after chuck got KO’d.

by DAVE A on Jun 30, 2009 2:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pretty sure it was Anderson Silva who ruined Rich’s career, not Dana or the UFC.

by just some dong on Jun 29, 2009 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Chuck shouldnt Retire. he might not be in the runings for any title shots but he could do some super fights.

i wanna see

CHUCK vs LEE MURRAY – UFC 110 in Morocco ;)
chuck vs randy 4
chuck vs rich franklin
chuck vs Babalu
Chuck vs Vetor belfort 2
Chuck vs Anderson Silva

by WutangSwordsman on Jun 29, 2009 6:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Chuck already headkicked Babalu into unconciousness.

Belfort is at 185 now and plans on staying there (per situation with Mousassi).

Anderson is too pin point for Chuck’s loops…

Franklin, Couture, and MURRAY are cool tho :)

by SoCalStunNa on Jun 29, 2009 7:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i heard that they put him back into custidy

by lukeinShanghai on Jun 30, 2009 1:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rich’s career is ruined? What is going on in here today? Are we smoking abit?

by mak on Jun 29, 2009 6:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

How is Rich’s career ruined? I guess I don’t understand. The guy is still a force in the Ufc.

by Yourmomma on Jun 29, 2009 6:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

During the interview with Dana White and Cofield….Probably where this info was taken, Cofields asks Dana about the “LEAKED” info about TUF 10 and Kimbo. Dana didnt really answer, except saying he was pissed and why wouild anyone want to do that????

Anyone know what the LEAK was???? I have been looking EVERYWHERE and can not find anything!!!! Just curious if it was the obvious or something else. It was enough to piss Dana off.

by fightfan on Jun 29, 2009 6:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

the rumor that wes sims smuggled an iphone into the house and published that kimbo had been ko’d / subd in his first fight

by Mascarita on Jun 29, 2009 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

wes should get kicked off the show for leaking info IF its true

by WutangSwordsman on Jun 29, 2009 6:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If so… what a shock. I mean why do you think the guys don’t have to fight to get on the show for season 10? Cuz Kimbo wouldn’t have made the cut if that were the case.

by just some dong on Jun 29, 2009 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wes is a dumbass lol, he would say/do something like that….bring an iphone into the house HAHAHAHAHA

by Drew C on Jun 30, 2009 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That was my guess. The loss part anyhow. I would of still liked NOT to know and watched the season without knowing anything.

But , just knowing that it is out there was to much. I wouldnt of been able to wait a couple months. It has been bothering me, and I only just found out about it earlier today. Knowing that the answer has ALREADY been leaked is too much for me to try and avoid hearing it till the show aired.

Sucks. Wes Sims really is a douchebag. The only thing I ever liekd about the guy was him stomping Mir’s head into the Octagon(Sorry to all Mir fans-he is just to arrogant for me)

by fightfan on Jun 29, 2009 6:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i bet you that if the rumor is true, dana white will give kimbo a second chance in the show to make it more interesting / give it a twist and send sims back to the lion’s den, or wherever it is he trains at these days

by Mascarita on Jun 29, 2009 6:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I am kind of hoping that it is NOT true. But after listening to that interview, Dana sounded PISSED and really disappointed. SO, I am leaning to that it might be true.

IF SO, I hope the UFC sues the piss out of Sims. I just cant beleive that AFTER someone smuggled in an internet ready device last season….that THEUY didnt check into that NEVER happening again. Especially with this season, possiobly being the best.

Here’s to hoping that the rumor is BS!!!

by fightfan on Jun 29, 2009 6:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yeah i hope the rumor is not rue and if it is true Sims needs to be Banned from every MMA event and Beatin badily cause he is ruining it for everyone.

by WutangSwordsman on Jun 29, 2009 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’d like to see him matchup with Franklin, but if you want him to go out with a win give him Luis Cane or Stephan Bonnar.

by xxBAxx816 on Jun 29, 2009 7:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I for one have no interest in seeing chuck fight again.the things he needs to work on he has no control over {taking shots to the face}.He’s the second best run of any mma fighter Fedor being the first {GOD}.Going from 1998 to the middle of 2007 only losing to three fighters two of which he redeemed big time.Be happy in being the {jesus of mma}.Hopefully

by TH on Jun 29, 2009 7:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed. HAs anyone heard Ken Norton or Joe Frazier the last 10 years these guys can barely talk, their speech is so bad. And of course Ali took way too much punishment. Sometimes fighters don’t know when to walk away. I think Dana coming from a boxing background has seen what taking too many shots to the head can do to you. Chuck’s definitley hit his max. He dosen’t take a punch well anymore. He needs to walk away while he is still able.

by Cal on Jun 29, 2009 9:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

http://www.mma-core.com/videos/_Dana_White_Loves_Chuck_Liddell?vid=10000362&tid=102

dunno if theres a better way to link but its fun times

by rebel1916 on Jun 29, 2009 7:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Does chuck need to retire now? Yes. Would i like to see him fight again? Yes. I think franklin is a really bad fight for chuck. The fight really doesnt make sense for franklin either. Personally i would like to see chuck vs forrest if forrest loses to anderson or maybe put him up against brandon vera in the phillipines. Chuck vs a 205 hendo would also be a solid match up but a fighter of his status certainly needs to go out with a win against another big name. As for franklin i think there are plenty of great fights for him at 205, give him go against the winner of jardine and silva or maybe bonnar then a match against the loser of rampage v rashad

by Riley on Jun 29, 2009 8:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Chuck is my favorite fighter and I hope he never fights again. I’m ready to see him get involved in the UFC doing something else.

by natedog77 on Jun 29, 2009 10:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I am a huge liddell fan and have really mixed views on this, on one hand I’d love to see him fight again as there really is no other fighter on the planet that has his aura in the fight game!!

However it seems that time has simply caught up with the LEGEND and i think it would be sad for chuck and the sport if he lost again, I honestly feel that nerves played a part in his last fight and thats something he has never dealt with. I for one think Franklin is a good match up for chuck, although he would really need to work his defence, leg kicks and feet movement as he seemed really flat footed and slow in his last outing!!

Is it confirmed about Kimbo or just a rumour???

by mo on Jun 29, 2009 11:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

chuck should retire when he is ready
dana needs to lay off the guy already

by bryant on Jun 30, 2009 12:18 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think Chuck’s still got some fight left in him. If Wandy is still fighting, why not Chuck!! The ’Shad KO was brutal but the Shogun one was not…..I think Dana and all the haters have overblown the damage he has taken.

Chuck, keep riding that money train, baby!

by sudnvictory on Jun 30, 2009 12:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Wandy is only going to be 33 this year and has 43 fights and has been knocked out 4-6 times, hard to tell with the earlier fights in his career.

Chuck is going to be 40 in december, and has 28 fights and has been knocked out 4 times.

It may look like Wandy has had it worse.

But Chuck has been KO’ed in 3 out of his last 5 fights. And to be a 38-39 year old man and get KO’ed 3 times in a short span, it probably has a lot larger affect on your brain, as well as making you more susceptible to an increased level of brain damage in the future.

by DirtyML on Jun 30, 2009 2:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It’s not a question of the severity of the knockout, its the repetition.

You are seriously jeopardizing your health if you are getting concussions every 3-6 months without lay off, in the NHL some hockey players (notably Eric Lindros) have a history of concussions and they become more easily concussed with each one, and eventually can’t even play.

If Chuck fights Rich, he probably won’t get KO’ed, but if even Rich KOs him, then what?

What was the point?

Chuck could seriously be jeopardizing his long term health, he has kids, he has made his legacy, he is a legend, hall of famer.

If he beats Rich and gets a shot at another opponent, it will likely be Luis Cane or Jon Jones or Stephan Bonnar, and that is not going to make his life any easier.

I am not even a Chuck fan, but I really don’t want to see him get KO’ed again, so I can understand where Dana is coming from.

I just hope Chuck seriously thinks about the rewards vs the risk in continuing his career in its twilight stages.

by DirtyML on Jun 30, 2009 2:38 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Chuck should fight machida after machida runs through shogun…that would make an interesting match up because this is the only way chuck will go out as a legend in the sport.. .if machida pushes the fight and allows chuck to counter…machida will lose because even though machida is considered the fastest LHW chuck’s counters are the best in the game and machida will eat a couple of those until his lights go out. If not chuck vs lyoto…chuck vs fedor in a different organization, chuck vs gsp, chuck vs ken shamrock. What u guys thank?

by k3vinTRAN on Jun 30, 2009 8:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Chuck vs mike swick, chuck vs ken shamrock, chuck vs gsp, chuck vs machida, chuck vs fedor…would make huge ppv cards…what u guys thank?

by k3vinTRAN on Jun 30, 2009 8:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Swick isn’t even in the same weight class, Shamrock isn’t in the UFC anymore, GSP is a different weight class, Fedor is a heavyweight and not even with the UFC and Machida is the champ and why would anyone consider Liddell to be next in line for the belt ?

by Riley on Jun 30, 2009 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Valid to argue both sides. I lookd at him losing to rampage like watching Superman die. It gets harder each time, I like him and want to respect his wishes, if he wants to fight, but then I regret that everytime I see him ko’d on the floor. Don’t like seeing that w/the guys that are my dads age ya kno? Just saying.

by Daniel worby on Jun 30, 2009 8:13 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The uk has the most bad ass mma fighter of all times its a shame he only had one fight in the ufc i wish he could have beat the shit outa tito inside the cage aswell i would have turned down 93 million pounds for that god knows how many US dollars that is silva also said he was the toughest guy he fought. Does anyone know how old he was when he fought silva?

by road beers on Jun 30, 2009 8:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs