Exclusive: White confirms Liddell retirement

Subject: Exclusive: White confirms Liddell retirement Fri 01 May 2009, 12:48 pm

Quote :: Dana White exclusively confirmed on Setanta Sports that the legendary Chuck Liddell will never fight in The UFC again.

White was talking to Setanta Sports’ Ultimate Talk show, where he confirmed the former light-heavyweight champion had taken the decision to bring the curtain down on quite explosive career.

Liddell, who retires with a 21-7-0 record, has lost four of his last five fights, including two consecutive knock-out defeats at the hands of Rashad Evans and Shogun Rua.

Arguably the most iconic face in MMA, Liddell will leave a huge void on the 205lb scene, but White confirmed he has seen enough.

“We have definitely seen the last of Chuck Liddell,” the UFC president confirmed exclusively on Setanta Sports. “That was his last fight.

“Obviously Chuck Liddell is a great competitor, he loves the sport, he loves to fight so this has been a very tough decision for him.

“He was very confident he was going to win that Shogun fight.

“But Chuck is one of my best friends, I consider him a member of my family, I love him and I don’t want to see him fight anymore.

“He has nothing else to prove. He is the most famous Mixed Martial Artist on the planet, he’s made more money than God, he’s a champion and he’s got nothing else to fight for.”

Liddell leaves an almost-unrivalled legacy inside The Octagon after a career that produced enough classics to fill a DVD.

Epic wars with Vernon White, Randy Couture, Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva defined “The Iceman’s” 11-year career, while devastating destructions of Tito Ortiz and “Babalu” were the reason behind his three-year domination of the light-heavyweight scene.

“He went out with a bang,” stated Dana. “I wanted him to retire after the Rashad Evans fight, but he flew out to see me and he told me he was going deep into training – he said ‘give me this shot’.

“He lived up to every word, he trained with the American Top Team and he came out gun-slinging.

“That may only have been one round, but it was a round that showed why he is the most famous Mixed Martial Artist in the world.

“He went out the way he wanted to go out.”

hackleman's side of the story....

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