Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White has responded to Chuck Liddell announcing his comeback.
Two weeks ago, Liddell revealed that he’ll be returning to active competition. “The Iceman” said he was in talks with Oscar De La Hoya for a potential November showdown against Tito Ortiz under Golden Boy MMA. Liddell made it clear that even if Ortiz isn’t available, he’s going to give it another go.
Back in June 2010, White urged Liddell to retire following “The Iceman’s” first-round knockout loss to Rich Franklin. It was Liddell’s third straight knockout loss. Liddell was given an office job with the promotion, but was released once WME-IMG took over.
During the UFC Liverpool post-fight press conference, White didn’t sound confident on De La Hoya’s plan to utilize Liddell (via MMAFighting.com):
“I don’t know if De La Hoya’s that smart. He isn’t the brightest bulb on the porch. Oscar De La Arum is not that bright, but I don’t know what he’s thinking. Hopefully Chuck’s going to be his business partner and not fight. The last thing I want to do is sh*t on Chuck Liddell, because I love him, but I asked him to retire 10 years ago for a reason.”
Liddell’s longtime coach and friend John Hackleman admitted that he wasn’t keen on his fighter’s comeback plans. The issue isn’t age or how things ended last time for “The Iceman.” Hackleman said he just doesn’t want to see his friends inside the cage.
The last time Liddell emerged victorious was back in Dec. 2007. The former UFC light heavyweight champion did battle with Wanderlei Silva in a “Fight of the Year” worthy match-up. Liddell ended up nabbing the unanimous decision win. Many believed Liddell was back on track and would be in title contention again, but a knockout loss to Rashad Evans started his downward spiral.
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