The Status of Chuck Liddell
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On April 18th, the
mixed martial arts world said goodbye to the career of Chuck Liddell…well kind
of.
When Liddell exited the ring
at UFC 97 in front of a raucous Bell Centre crowd it was the type of applause
that was reserved for a fighter that fans knew would never be returning and a ‘thank
you’ more than anything was given to ‘The Iceman’.
The immediate reaction from
Liddell was his popular stock answer that he would go home and discuss his
options and if he retired it would be in the gym when he couldn’t put out the same work ethic he had demanded of himself
throughout his career. However, after the post show press conference there was
little doubt as to the future of Chuck Liddell with UFC president Dana White
emphatically telling the press that Liddell had entered the octagon for the
final time and would remain with the company in a non fighting capacity for
life.
When the 4:28 mark of the
first round signaled the end of the fight the emotion I felt during that
knockout of Liddell was one of sadness, seeing this once dominant champion succumb
to a punch that a younger Liddell would have eaten without flinching and would
drown him into a forced retirement. My immediate thought was that it is time
for Liddell to call it a career and not stay on the stage after the audience has
stopped clapping (and you could easily make the argument that that he did stick
around for one fight too many). In this fight he looked tentative, he looked
slower and his chin was no longer an attribute to his style but a hindrance.
So was that the last night in
Chuck Liddell’s career? People are on the fence as they look at the on paper
value of a Liddell headlined Pay Per View and cannot fathom UFC president Dana
White not wanting to cash in that gigantic lottery ticket that can still earn
millions.
The fact is, Chuck Liddell
does not want to retire, nor does he want to bite the hand of the UFC, which
has fed him since 1998 and take a fight with a rival promotion (who would pony
up millions for the services of Liddell and offer a fraction of the tough
fights the UFC could offer).
If there is one thing fans
have a soft spot for, it is nostalgia and with the UFC running so many Pay Per
Views and only having a finite amount of available main event level draws, it
begs the questions if Dana White would be able to continually turn down
requests from Liddell to fight ‘one more time’. There is no reason for Liddell
to fight other than his own personal desire – the man is a millionaire many
times over and won’t have to work another day in his life, his legacy is
cemented amongst fight fans as one of the key stars of the first generation
mainstream UFC talent and he has the respect of his peers.
Where I think you could
appease both parties is contingent on the outcome of a heavyweight bout in
August between Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. With a Couture win,
it would be smart business to milk one more title fight out of Couture before
he himself calls it a career. However, with a Couture loss you find both ‘The
Natural’ and ‘The Iceman’ in the same
position where they will be shoved towards the side and into retirement and
that is where a farewell fight could do tremendous business for the UFC.
When the UFC exploded in
2005, it was largely done on the backs of Liddell and Couture as the coaches of
the inaugural season of ‘Ultimate Fighter’ and their bouts in 2005 and 2006 did
record business at the time as the two faces of the UFC.
The company is poised to
generate a ton of money and do a proper ‘farewell fight’ where both men go into
a December New Year’s bout with the clear indication that this is the last
fight for both men in their careers – win or lose. Liddell has always stated he
is willing to fight at heavyweight and conversely Couture would be amicable to
move down to light heavyweight.
The two were rumored to fight
this year but both men seemed luke warm on the idea of a fourth fight between
seem citing hesitation in fight fans wanting to see them fight again. Under the
right context – and a retirement fight is that context – this would do monster
business for the UFC, would not be a case of feeding one of these legends to a
young lion and allow both men to go out on their sword on their terms and ease
into retirement.
I’m not crazy about another
Chuck Liddell fight but for a man that played such a huge part in building the
foundation that the current talent rests upon, I feel if the man wants one more
fight that it is within reason that his wish is granted.
In an industry that is
constantly evolving and seeing new talent usurping older talent, it would be
nice to see a proper retirement and allow fans to do something they rarely get
to do and that is say ‘goodbye’ to two legends at once.
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