Liddell's Fighting Career is Over
Chuck Liddell was KO'd by Rich Franklin in the 1st round at UFC 115, it was the Iceman's 5th loss in his last 6 fights, 4 of them by devastating knockout. It was believed his career may have been over following his TKO loss to Shogun Rua at UFC 97 in April of 2009, but he came back for a some what anticipated fight against Tito Ortiz.
It would have been the 3rd fight vs. Ortiz (who he was 2-0 against), but following an injury to Tito, Franklin stepped up and knocked out Liddell. The day after, UFC President Dana White is saying that Liddell is done inside the octagon.
Liddell has not a had a victory by KO or TKO since 2006 against the aforementioned Tito Ortiz. His 1 win since 2007 was a decision victory over Wanderlei Silva (who is also past his prime). The once unbeatable Liddell has fallen hard, but that's going to happen when you only fight the best the sport has to offer.
Liddell is a UFC Hall of Famer and is one of the best Light Heavyweights the sport has ever seen. The past three years have been a struggle for him, I just hope he doesn't try to get back in there. He looked good for 3-4 minutes vs. Franklin, and could try to convince himself he has something left in the tank, but it's fool's gold. Time will tell if he'll make the right decision.
