A Quick Word On Chuck Liddell
I certainly could not call myself an MMA blogger if I neglected to touch on Chuck Liddell’s more than likely retirement. Simply put, its sad. While Liddell is fortunate enough to get out of the game before his legacy suffers any serious tarnishing (cough Ken Shamrock cough), his absence from the octagon will be missed by the casual and die hard fan alike.
“The Iceman” as so many have come to know, will surely never go down as the most well rounded or physically impressive mixed martial artist, but perhaps he will be remembered as the most quintessential fighter, the face which brought popularity and recognition to a sport when it needed it most. How many of us have that friend who only knows the name Chuck Liddell when asked about the UFC? You get the point.
Liddell ’s fights inside the cage helped propel the UFC’s fight for a consistent fan base when it was a poorly ran low-budget operation, still generally known to the world as “ultimate fighting”. Liddell also gave drooling combat fanatics the most glorious gift time and time again- the knock out.
Whether you remember Chuck for his patented mohawk, oddly muscular beer gut and uber-stylish goatee, or for his unmatched mystical ambidextrous power, the man has more than earned his place in the UFC Hall Of Fame as well as MMA history.
Given, it is somewhat depressing to see Liddell fail to evolve with a sport that he once dominated, but knowing when to quit is also a prized commodity, one countless other fighters continue to overlook. Though I will admittedly miss the unorthodox knockouts, I’d much rather see Liddell working in some other capacity of MMA than continue an ill-advised competitive career. That much I am sure.
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Very nice story. Personally, Chuck is what brought me back into MMA(as a fan). A few years back being a new parent stuck at home, it was seeing Chuck’s knockouts on Spike that made me return to watching the sport. I hope he continues to represent the sport on some level.
“Though I will admittedly miss the unorthodox knockouts, I’d much rather see Liddell working in some other capacity of MMA than continue an ill-advised competitive career. That much I am sure.”
Likewise. I’m sure Chuck can probably still beat quite a few 205ers, but not really anyone that’s legitimate, and there’s not point in seeing a legend like Chuck follow in Ken Shammy Shamms footsteps.
Nice write~up Eric, Chuck Liddell is one of the all time greats of this sport.. I think he will be remembered for his great battles awkward striking and Ko’s, the war with Wanderlei and so much more… I think he will still be working with ZUFFA in some manner but his great career stands up for itself, and at 39 I do believe that he may need to hang em up….
he definitely is past his prime man, there’s no denying it. We can still enjoy watching his past fights where he shows his amazing takedown defense and the total destruction of tito ortiz (one of my favorite fights of all time), but after he lost to Keith Jardine he should’ve already considered retiring. Personally, I think his fight with Wanderlei should’ve been his last… Last night’s knockout truly disappointed me and I thought he was gonna win until he got caught by that left which I saw coming a mile away before it connected… that one punch right there proves he needs to retire b/c he couldn’t dodge or block it.
I sure hope he doesn’t do something dumb like going to affliction to get hurt. Its too bad he couldn’t get out while he was on top. Its also sad to see the guys that we once thought invincible getting knocked around to the point of embaressment, Hughes, Shamrock, Liddell, Tanner, Gracie, Coleman, Abott. If it doesn’t end badly it seems like it doesn’t end at all
I hope he becomes a match maker or vice pres., something important, the mans earned it
as a fan, chuck is the man who got me into mma. his fights were entertaining and it grabbed my attention, if it wasn’t for him i know i would not be as big of a fan as i am now.
he will truly be missed!
i wonder what kind of commentator he would be? It worked for Randy. Chuck saved the UFC and i would hate to see him anywhere else
Chuck = Most exciting striker the UFC has had period and one of the greatest champions. Now i no that some people m,ay think anderson silva is the best striker in the UFC ever or definately at this time but chuck has fought against elite top of the hill opponenets and has consistantly knockedout and beat them without dull or bad performances or dancing round the ring throwing fake jabs and shots for five rounds. I would love to see him in one more super fight or inducted into the hall of fame at UFC 100 so the fans can say goodbye properly not just whens hes walking out of an arena after another ko/tko loss
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It will be sad to see him retire,but i know it’s what he has to do.Like so many others he’s what really got me into the sport.And i only liked him more after reading about what a great guy out of the the ring he is.He just looks so mean.The lidell/jardine fight was one of my favorite 205 fights.And he always whent in there to battle.like i read above i just hope he doesn’t continue fighting else were and become a novelty fighter.
Chuck Liddells fall from grace just shows if you dont evolve in MMA guys are going to eat you up
What are you talking about? Chuck was one of the initiators of forcing MMA fighters to evolve! Think back a few years to where almost every fight ended in a submission. Chuck is one of the guys that brought knockouts into the game. And although we didn’t see it a lot because he prefers to punch, he is a very game wrestler!
Chuck is simply past his prime and can’t compete at with top level guys anymore, it has nothing to do with him being a well rounded fighter and evolving with the sport.
Thanks for all the great fights and excitement you brought to MMA Chuck! All fans owe you a huge debt of gratitude!
I disagree with you my friend. The day fighting turning into MMA and fighters turned into athletes the sport left Chuck and others behind unfortunately, im not a Chuck hater and wouldnt want to see him fight anywhere apart from the octagon, quintesential fall from grace
i think at the very least he should take over the blogs for Dana? That would be bad asss!
I believe, as is the case with most sports, that when the pool of talent increases, the ammount of high level talent increases. There are more people fighting MMA than ever before. I believe he’s still the Chuck of 3-4 years ago, it’s just that the talent caught up to him.
Why are there more fighters? Is it the rise in popularity of MMA?…yes.
Is it the fact that there is more accesability to MMA? (i.e. more gyms, more events)…yes.
A whole new generation fights today and in 5 more years, there will be twice as many.
Is it possible that guys like Rashaad, GSP, Forrest, Andersen, Brock, and Jardine, are just better than Wanderlei, Chuck, Tito, Hughes, or Randy ever were??? I think it’s an interesting question.
It boils down to this. Would Babe Ruth hit 60 HR in 2009? I don’t think so. In his day, he was only competing against white Americans. Today, baseball is multi-cultural AND multi-national.
My belief is that the best in MMA is yet to come. I believe Dana when he says that in the next 10 years (maybe 20) MMA will be the biggest sport in the world. I can’t wait! There are a small handful of people you can thank for it, too. One of them is Chuck Liddel. Thanks, dude. I loved watching you fight.
Chuck is not the Chuck of 3-4 years ago, even if the difference is only in one area. That area though is very important, and that’s his chin. He simply cannot take the shots he used to be able to take.
Great point. Getting knocked out is a crazy thing. Once it happens there becomes a tendency for it to happen again. (Wanderlei Silva, Troy Aikman, Wayne Crebet) Unfortunatly, this is something an athlete can’t prevent. I don’t think a weak chin, most likely due to multiple concussions, should represent someones diminished skill-set. It’s just something you have to make a game-plan for, I guess.
Very well stated.
Chuck Liddell is for sure top 10,top 5 guys afo all time. I sucks to see him go out like that, but i understand that’s the way it is. I’ve always had lots of respect and admiration for Liddell for a number of reasons. He’s fought every fighter the UFC has put in front of him his highlight reel includes the top fighters of his era. Personaly i’ve always liked that he’s either knocked guys out or they’ve knocked him out, he wasn’t one of those guys afraid to fight,i know he’s had his decision fights but who hasn’t. He was one of the guys who forced other fighters to really better their stand-up because most of his opponents knew they would have trouble taking him down. I, as an MMA fan will always appreciate his ko’s and his fighter spirit, great carrer, UFC should iduct him into the Hall of Fame at UFC 100(just to make that event bigger).
Good thing he’s going out now, it’s the right time. I just hope he doesn’t try to come back. His legacy is fine the way it is. It would be sad to see him come back and make an a$$ out of himself, although he can still beat some guys, but his chin is a lot weaker than it was before. Chuck, don’t turn into shamrock.
Couture needs to give it up as well, he’s fighting big Nog. who’s also old and needs to give it up. If Couture gets passed Nog., he’ll problably get someone like Shane Carwin who would really fu*k him up, so give it up Couture.
well said marvelknight,
anyone who knows me on here knows i’m not chuck’s biggest fan, but i can still and have appreciated what he has done for the ufc and for this sport. It’s way better he hang them up now before he does ruin his legacy.
On another note, i think he should have his own ufc show, or try being a comentator. Or maybe he’ll just continue to mentor up and coming fighters. Either way, the UFC LHW division is too much for him and all i have to finish with is dude, it’s about time he retires.
Right im nt going to quote because we can all read but in that comment just above marvelknight4 you say Randy Couture is old and may aswell retire and so should Nogueira as he is old also . . . . . Im sure a few would agree with the Couture remark me not being one but do you realise that Big Nog is 32 years old thats the same age as Brock Lesnar and to be fair younger with the majority of the HW division
(be nice – Justin)
Yeah i know Big Nog:s age, i say that he’s old because like Wanderlei Silva, who’s about the same age as Nog, they have both taken beatings in their carreers and that has taken a toll on their bodies, which has affected their performances IMO, thats what i meant, i know 32 isn’t old, but like i said thats what i meant. If Nog makes another run at the belt..Tw@ i’ll eat all my words and say that i was wrong.
As far as Randy goes, i’m a fan and i’ve always been,but i’m just saying the truth as an MMA Fan, i would love to see all my fav. fighters keep fighting but there comes a point where it’s time to give it up and since i’m a fan i would really hate to see him end up like Shamrock, he can definitely beat Nog., and if he does he should go out on that. Chuck Liddell can still fight, but it doesn’t mean he should.
ya this is completely true, the fact that frank mir was able to take him down proves the fact that he can’t take the punishment he used to be able to.
i mean come on, the guy has taken the most vicious shots to tha dome i have ever seen someone take in my life, and then kept goin like nothin happened. watch him fight fedor and tim sylvia, he got freakin thrashed and just looked like he wasn’t even slightly hurt. then he fights mir and gets dropped….
Holy crap! Nog is 32?? I’m 34, and to me he looks 45! Getting old sucks!!! HAHA
Depending on whom wins the Couture and Minatouro fight I would consider that cat gets next shot at the 100% champ, I know Carwin, Kongo, Velasquez and dos Santos are contenders also but all four are atleast another good win away from a title fight. I hear what your saying when you say Nogueira has took an ass kicking or two but hey Big Nog always gets a beat down in a fight but the dude he fights usually ends up tapping at the end of the fight e.g his fights with CroCop, Timmy! and even Heath Herring. Top and bottom of this matter is that whichever HW either Randy or Big Nog fights in the world you would not rule them out
i dont know about anybody else but when chuck was down and rua was punching him when he was down it looked like strikes to the back of the head.IMO
will miss you chuck i hope that they have him face one more person before he retires someone that he could probaly knockout.
Man what a difference a couple of days make, after the fight we were posting about what’s next and now we are reflecting on what was the final event of his career. Wow…I guess the Dana haters are going to have to concede that he does care about the fighters after all. I wonder if he(Chuck) is going to be the new face of the company and Dana is going to back off to behind the curtain like he talked about. Whatever it is I just hope Liddell doesn’t end up like one of those old WWE wrestlers grinding it out like(Sgt Slaughter).
Excellent right up. It was heart breaking watching him drop from that punch. I’d love to see him keep going but this is the right time. He still looked sharp in that fight, so I believe he should leave before he loses it completely. One of the greatest light heavyweights of all time!
Whoops, write up, not right up…lol
It does appear that it’s time for Chuck to pack it in, but something tells me he will be back to fight just like Couture did. In fact right after Couture suffered two brutal KOs at the hand of Chuck Liddell, everyone was ready for Couture to retire – and he did. However, a little while later, he came back and moved up and defeated the then HW Champ Tim Sylvia in dominating fashion.
I see Chuck at some point coming back to fight again just like Randy did. I don’t know when it will be or who it will be, but I do believe that we will see him fight again. To be honest, there are still some potentially exciting fights out there that I loved to see him in and have always wanted to see him in. Please see the following:
Liddell-Griffin
Liddell-Hendersen
Liddell-Franklin
Liddell-Vera
Liddell-Bisping
Liddell-Machida
Liddell-A. Silva
You have to admit that these potential match ups would be mouth watering and I believe they are winnable for Chuck giving his punching power in both hands. The only thing is, it appears taht Chuck’s reflexes have gotten slower as he can see punches coming, but can’t get out of the way or block them. He’s hands are a bit slower as well thus the reason he sees openings, but can’t land them they way he use to. Lastly, his chin definitely isn’t as strong as it once was. He beard hasn’t been quite the same since the Rampage fight.
Chucks sprawl changed MMA forever. Fights started and ended exactly where he wanted them. I will love chuck forever for putting MMA back into the hands of strikers.