Chuck Liddell Admits That Retirement Was The Right Choice For Him


(Liddell’s decision to retire involved sober discussions with those closest to him)

Our favorite corporate Zuffa desk jockey, Chuck Liddell, recently fielded questions in Brazil from fans and discussed his decision to retire in 2010. At that time, the former light heavyweight champion had lost three straight, all by TKO or KO, and five out of his last six fights.

UFC President, and Liddell’s one-time manager, Dana White publicly said that the legend should retire and since that time, it has been widely assumed and reported that White coerced or talked The Iceman into hanging up his gloves. However, Liddell told fans that when he met with White in the fall of 2010, he’d already decided on his own to quit.

“I talked to my family, my coaches, and then I went to Dana,” Liddell recounted for fans. “I talked to Dana. Dana and I actually went to dinner, and he thought I was going to ask him to fight again. I came to dinner, and I said, ‘You know what? I’m done.’ He was relieved.”

“I asked him to just hold off for about three months and give me some time to get adjusted to it before I have to talk to people about it because it was a hard decision for me,” Liddell went on.

While the decision to stop competing professionally was a tough one for the fighter, he says that he realizes that leaving when he did and not sustaining more damage was the right thing to do. “I love fighting, and I didn’t want to stop, but it was the right decision at the time between my coaches and my family,” Chuck said.


(Liddell’s decision to retire involved sober discussions with those closest to him)

Our favorite corporate Zuffa desk jockey, Chuck Liddell, recently fielded questions in Brazil from fans and discussed his decision to retire in 2010. At that time, the former light heavyweight champion had lost three straight, all by TKO or KO, and five out of his last six fights.

UFC President, and Liddell’s one-time manager, Dana White publicly said that the legend should retire and since that time, it has been widely assumed and reported that White coerced or talked The Iceman into hanging up his gloves. However, Liddell told fans that when he met with White in the fall of 2010, he’d already decided on his own to quit.

“I talked to my family, my coaches, and then I went to Dana,” Liddell recounted for fans. “I talked to Dana. Dana and I actually went to dinner, and he thought I was going to ask him to fight again. I came to dinner, and I said, ‘You know what? I’m done.’ He was relieved.”

“I asked him to just hold off for about three months and give me some time to get adjusted to it before I have to talk to people about it because it was a hard decision for me,” Liddell went on.

While the decision to stop competing professionally was a tough one for the fighter, he says that he realizes that leaving when he did and not sustaining more damage was the right thing to do. ”I love fighting, and I didn’t want to stop, but it was the right decision at the time between my coaches and my family,” Chuck said.

“I think I made the right decision in retiring. Unless something changes, I’ll stay retired.”

Liddell maintained that he’d come back to hit Tito Ortiz some more but otherwise, you know, he’ll just chill. It’s too bad that not all fighters, not even all famous former champions, have the means to retire when they should – or even some time after they should – as Liddell did.

We sure are glad that Chuck realized he didn’t have anything more to prove and is now making bank shooting beer commercials and doing whatever it is he does in his executive job for the UFC. ‘Taters, who are some of your favorite fighters that should hang it up for the sake of their health?

– Elias Cepeda