Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

UFC’s White backs off a bit, but still sticks to Liddell retirement

UFC President Dana White announced in April that the promotion's biggest star Chuck Liddell would retire after suffering his fourth loss in his last five fights at the hands of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 97 in Montreal.

But on Thursday in Las Vegas, White back off a bit on Liddell fighting again, albeit only slightly.

“Trust me when I tell you, he’s ready to retire,” White said. “He’s ready to retire. It’s the reason we love Chuck Liddell. He has nothing left to prove. He’s got a [expletive] load of money. He’s been a world champion. He’s beaten a who’s who of mixed martial arts fighters. He’s the most famous guy in the sport. There’s no reason to fight. He’s 40 years old, man. He and I had an agreement. We had a deal.

“Am I his father? Can I tell him not to fight? Absolutely not. If he still wants to fight, he can fight. I’m not saying, ‘It will never happen. It will never happen.’ But he made a deal with me. He’s never not listened to me. We’ll see what happens.”

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