Dana White says Chuck Liddell's UFC career over, hopes "Iceman" willing to retire
iceman
That's according to UFC president Dana White, who told a small group of reporters following today's UFC 116 pre-event press conference that he won't allow his friend to fight again in the octagon.
White is scheduled to have dinner with Liddell (21-8 MMA, 16-7 UFC) on Thursday evening, and he hopes the "Iceman" won't press for further cage time. But if he does, White said there will be no talking his way into another UFC contest.
"He'll never fight in the UFC again," White said. "Can Chuck Liddell still make money? Could I make money off of Chuck Liddell? Yes. I don't want that money. I don't want to make that kind of money. I'm not interested in that."
It's a speech similar to one White gave following Liddell's UFC 97 loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. But despite White's insistence that Liddell was done at that time, the former light heavyweight champion was able to convince White to give him one more shot.
This time, White said, he's not budging.
"He won't do it again," White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "He cannot do it again. It will not happen again.
"The last time when were sitting down, and this guy is somebody that I care about and respect and consider a friend of mine, and he's like, 'Listen, I didn't take it serious. I'm going to train for this one. I'm going to train like I've never trained before.' We had that conversation, and he did. He kept his word, and he did everything like he said he would do. He looked phenomenal.
"My problem isn't with Chuck Liddell's getting in shape or any of that stuff. The problem is Chuck's chin. Anybody who's been in this sport long enough knows you used to be able to hit him in the face with a crowbar, and you couldn't even wobble him. That's not the case any more. It's not worth it to me."
There have been a few rumblings that Liddell wants one more chance, but White said the UFC Hall of Famer hasn't made any type of official request. But when the two meet on Thursday evening, White said he won't be afraid to shoot straight with Liddell.
"Chuck's a smart guy and a reasonable guy," White said. "I'm going to have the talk with him tonight that all the guys that have their heads shoved up his ass won't."
If Liddell's itch to fight is indeed still there, his only option would be to take a bout outside of the UFC. White said he won't stand in the way of Liddell fighting outside of the octagon for the first time since 2003, but he hopes cooler heads will prevail.
"We'll have that conversation," White said. "I guess if he asked me to release him, I'd release him. That's not what I want."
Instead, White hopes Liddell will simply ride off into the sunset and officially close the cage door behind him.
"Everybody knows how I feel about Chuck Liddell," White said. "Not only has he been a great friend, he's been a great business partner, a great champion and a great representative of the UFC.
"Being one of those guys that when we all came from nothing and then everything blew up – and this guy got more fame and money and all this stuff – he really kept it together. We've had a couple of speed bumps, but that can happen to anybody. He's really kept it together and been a great guy."
White is scheduled to have dinner with Liddell (21-8 MMA, 16-7 UFC) on Thursday evening, and he hopes the "Iceman" won't press for further cage time. But if he does, White said there will be no talking his way into another UFC contest.
"He'll never fight in the UFC again," White said. "Can Chuck Liddell still make money? Could I make money off of Chuck Liddell? Yes. I don't want that money. I don't want to make that kind of money. I'm not interested in that."
It's a speech similar to one White gave following Liddell's UFC 97 loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. But despite White's insistence that Liddell was done at that time, the former light heavyweight champion was able to convince White to give him one more shot.
This time, White said, he's not budging.
"He won't do it again," White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "He cannot do it again. It will not happen again.
"The last time when were sitting down, and this guy is somebody that I care about and respect and consider a friend of mine, and he's like, 'Listen, I didn't take it serious. I'm going to train for this one. I'm going to train like I've never trained before.' We had that conversation, and he did. He kept his word, and he did everything like he said he would do. He looked phenomenal.
"My problem isn't with Chuck Liddell's getting in shape or any of that stuff. The problem is Chuck's chin. Anybody who's been in this sport long enough knows you used to be able to hit him in the face with a crowbar, and you couldn't even wobble him. That's not the case any more. It's not worth it to me."
There have been a few rumblings that Liddell wants one more chance, but White said the UFC Hall of Famer hasn't made any type of official request. But when the two meet on Thursday evening, White said he won't be afraid to shoot straight with Liddell.
"Chuck's a smart guy and a reasonable guy," White said. "I'm going to have the talk with him tonight that all the guys that have their heads shoved up his ass won't."
If Liddell's itch to fight is indeed still there, his only option would be to take a bout outside of the UFC. White said he won't stand in the way of Liddell fighting outside of the octagon for the first time since 2003, but he hopes cooler heads will prevail.
"We'll have that conversation," White said. "I guess if he asked me to release him, I'd release him. That's not what I want."
Instead, White hopes Liddell will simply ride off into the sunset and officially close the cage door behind him.
"Everybody knows how I feel about Chuck Liddell," White said. "Not only has he been a great friend, he's been a great business partner, a great champion and a great representative of the UFC.
"Being one of those guys that when we all came from nothing and then everything blew up – and this guy got more fame and money and all this stuff – he really kept it together. We've had a couple of speed bumps, but that can happen to anybody. He's really kept it together and been a great guy."
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