Is there any circumstance in which you could justify Chuck Liddell fighting again?
Frank Hyden, Columnist – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Absolutely not. There’s no scenario, no situation, and no circumstance that Chuck Liddell should ever be in the cage again. I mean, it’s a free country, he can do what he wants, but no governing body worth a damn should want a thing to do with allowing him to fight again. He’s too old, has been knocked out too many times, and probably couldn’t beat someone who’s only been training for a short time. There’s no reason for him to fight again. If he needs money, get a job. I’d much rather see him bagging groceries or flipping burgers or something. I would respect that because that’s honest work. I respect anyone and everyone who does whatever they have to in order to get by. There’s a better way for Chuck to get by, one that doesn’t involve endangering his health.
Christian Moore, MMATorch Contributor
Absolutely not. How he got through the athletic commission is beyond me. After seeing the fight, I felt a little disgusted with the promotion and promoters, for throwing a guy out there who clearly shouldn’t be near the cage. I watched him, and his movement was gone, his accuracy was gone, his speed was gone, his power was gone. To me, I just look at Chuck in that fight and he can’t ever win again. He has back peddled so far, that he honestly looked like an amateur fighter. Commission wise, he’s been knocked out cold 4 or 5 times in a row, and had serious brain damage before that fight, but now it’s worse, so they can’t possibly let him fight again.
Cole Henry, Live Events Reporter
If I was Chuck Liddell’s friend, coach, or family member the answer to this question would probably be no. He looked about how you would expect a nearly 50-year-old man to look in his first fight in 8 years. It was a bit disheartening to see Liddell, once so wild eyed and fearless, nervous to engage, and clearly unsure of himself. Ortiz seemed to hold back before finally unleashing the fight ending shot towards the end of the first round, and just like that it was over. The often talked about come back of the Ice Man was over and nobody was surprised by the outcome. But with all of that being said it isn’t my place to justify Chuck Liddell fighting again. If he wants to step into the cage and fight a guy like Ken Shamrock, or Royce Gracie he should be able to do that. Liddell fighting will never be what it was in 2006, but if he chooses to step into the cage again, I will certainly be watching. I think it’s the least that I can do.
Dylan Bowker, Canadian Events Correspondent
Maybe if he’s in there with someone like Ken Shamrock or Tank Abbott. Chuck needs to be in those sort of novelty fights against similarly tenured opponents if he wants to keep pursuing this. Tito’s success rate in competition in the last few years and his recent activity compared to Chuck’s near decade long departure were undeniable factors heading into this. The outcome, while sad, was not altogether unexpected. Perhaps Chuck vs Wanderlei under the Rizin banner will take place. Actually, Liddell could create his own travelling legends league depending which promotion(s) want him on board. Maybe that means some Rizin bouts, perhaps a Golden Boy MMA bout with Vitor Belfort, etc. I feel like gaining a license to fight will become problematic for Liddell though. There was extensive testing done heading into this trilogy bout with Ortiz. I could only imagine the level of testing at play for a regulatory body to give Chuck the a-ok for future combat. I could live without seeing another fight but the demand by promoters may be there and the itch to compete may still remain unscratched for Liddell.
Sean Covington, Columnist, Covington’s Corner
Nope; I couldn’t even do that 8 years ago. Fighters need to start looking for alternative careers. Chuck Lidell reminds me of Tank Abbott. Abbott had a brief but semi decent run in pro wrestling. The Iceman has an easy gimmick and could make much better money working a few dates for WWE or some indie promotion. The Iceman, one punch knockout artist, it sells itself.
NEXT: MMA TALK FOR PRO-WRESTLING FANS – VALLEJOS AND MONSEY DISCUSS LIDDELL VS. ORTIZ 3, UFC BEIJING AND MORE
Michael Hiscoe, MMATorch Managing Editor
There is no reason for Chuck Liddell to ever fight again and there shouldn’t be any reason fans should want to see it. He was not exciting, or interesting to watch in the cage. Much of the narrative leading up to the fight was how poor Liddell looked. Very few had any faith that he would be able to capture even a glimmer of his former self. Expectations for Liddell were low going in and he still managed to under deliver. It’s a shame he lost his “job for life” with UFC. Liddell claims that he is in a comfortable financial position, so he should feel no urge to put his health at risk any further. Let’s hope that he doesn’t need to fight anymore to get by and that he chooses not to.
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