For some reason, rumors regarding a potential return to action for retired former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell have begun to swirl in recent memory. In the light of these rumors, ”The Iceman” has confirmed that he is indeed retired, although he didn’t exactly close the door on a potential return either.
Last night (June 3, 2017), the 47-year-old added more fuel to the fire by posting a picture to his official Instagram account of him staring down longtime rival and fellow former UFC champion Tito Ortiz with the caption ‘Why not?’:
Liddell hasn’t competed since June 2010 when he suffered a stoppage loss to Rich Franklin at UFC 115. Prior to that, he had lost back-to-back fights by KO to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Rashad Evans. After his retirement, “The Iceman” accepted an office position with the UFC, but he was let go when the promotion was purchased by WME-IMG last year.
Ortiz, on the other hand, is coming off of a first round submission victory over Chael Sonnen in the main event of Bellator 170 last January. After the victory, the 42-year-old announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.
Liddell and Ortiz possess a rich a history, as the pair took part in one of the sport’s most iconic rivalries. The two would fight twice, with Liddell scoring a second round knockout victory over “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” at UFC 47 in April 2004 and a third round TKO victory at UFC 66 in Dec. 2006. They were supposed to meet for a third time after coaching opposite each other on season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), but Ortiz was forced to withdraw with an injury.
As of now, there appear to be no plans in place for Liddell’s return or for a trilogy bout between him and Ortiz, although Liddell did reportedly have lunch with Bellator President Scott Coker last week. Bellator would certainly be the most likely landing spot for a bout like this.
Would you like to see these two legends run it back for a third time?
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