Former UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell Has Announced His Return to Professional MMA…
‘The Iceman’ is back. The news broke last week that he was going to become the face of Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy MMA and complete his trilogy against Tito Ortiz. Ortiz has already announced his intention to return, but now Chuck Liddell has also confirmed that he will be back in competitive action.
The 48-year-old hasn’t fought since 2010, when he lost to Rich Franklin in Vancouver, Canada. Liddell had lost five of his last six fights before retiring. ‘The Iceman’ was a fan favorite for being an action fighter and for his distinctive mohawk, which he dyed many different colors throughout his career.
Liddell had worked for WME-IMG in an official capacity after retiring. However, much to the dismay of UFC President Dana White – a close friend – the lure of the cage has proven to be too strong.
Official
The news officially broke when Liddell discussed his position in an interview on the MMA Hour Youtube podcast. He made it clear how much he missed the excitement of the cage. He said:
“I hadn’t really thought about it much and then when he brought it up we really got going and I started training and doing stuff again I thought to myself, ‘what if he pulls out? Am I gonna do all of this and not fight?’ If it doesn’t work out with him, I’m gonna give it a shot.”
Sometimes, you have to know when to give up though. It remains to be seen how well Liddell copes with fighting professionally again after such a long hiatus. Especially since Father Time doesn’t wait for anybody.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg1_0VXlwDB/?hl=en&taken-by=chuckliddell
Open to Offers
Liddell also made it clear that although his first fight will be under the new Goldenboy MMA promotion, it doesn’t necessarily have to be against Tito Ortiz. Although that’s the ideal scenario, he’ll take any interesting offer. He just wants to fight.
“I will fight again,” Liddell said. “If we can get a deal together with somebody that makes sense, yeah. It does not hinge on Tito’s participation. I miss it, I never stopped missing it.”
There’s something both inspiring and sad about this. Fans are divided about how they feel about his potential return. Many are worried about his health and reputation getting damaged, while others are very excited about the comeback. Which side are you on?
Trilogy
If he does fight Ortiz, it will be the culmination of a trilogy that has already seen Liddell win twice. What exactly Ortiz gains by beating a 48-year-old man, I really don’t know – except for a bucket load of cash. The last time they fought was way back in 2006. This rivalry may have gone slightly off the boil.
That’s always the danger when you’re a retired professional fighter that you just can’t resist coming back. When it works out it’s glamorous and inspiring. When it doesn’t, it’s just a little bit pathetic and sad. We’ll see. Oscar de la Hoya will be laughing all the way to the bank.
