John Hackleman on the Chuck Liddell Retirement Talk

[SinCitysmallGUY]

He spoke to aroundtheoctagon about it:

It’s disappointing. He lost to a great champion and that’s no reason to retire. His record is no indicator to retire. He’ll retire when he’s lost the desire to fight or he’s getting hurt. He’s fought 100 times and only been knocked out twice. We’ll talk about it in the next week or so but no one is going to tell him when he’s going to stop fighting.

Everyone he’s lost to is a champion or a former champion,

Even the Jardine fight. It was a one point fight and some people think he won that one.
He also went on about Dana White not allowing Chuck to fight again:

I don’t care what his contract says, If it went to court you can’t stop someone from their livelihood. If he’s under contract with the UFC they have to give him a fight or if they don’t they have to let him go. They just can’t say you aren’t going to fight.

Dana can do what he wants because he has two multi-millionaires as his partners. It’s his ballgame. He can play it anyway he wants.

He thinks he’s looking out for him. It’s irritating. He spouts off sometimes and he has the big boys backing him with the money but he does care for Chuck. That’s his first concern.

Dana White has been saying that Chuck Liddell has fought his last fight ever on UFC 97, but there has been no official statement from Chuck Liddell's camp. If these words of John Hackleman were to be considered, we might have an idea of what they want to do next.

[Migs]

true.

regardless of record, it's his time to retire.  Nothing is harder to see than a fighter than just doesn't have it any more.  He is getting hurt and will continue to get hurt.  Listen to his interviews 5 years ago and now.  He is losing the fight quick.  I love watching chuck, he has done great things fro the sport, but it's time to hand it over.

[SinCitysmallGUY]

I think there are two scenarios here that could play out....

1) If chuck keeps with the pit, he is finished. You can't train differant at the same place you have been training for 7 years! The same problem that has plauged chuck is still plauging him. He drops his hands when he punchses. This problem is not being addressed at the Pit, nor do I think it ever will.

2) Chuck leaves the Pit and heads elsewhere, top team, Xtremem Coutoure. etc... I think it would do Chuck a ton of good to go train with Randy or someone else and see if he still has it. Nothing like training with the guy who beat you....

Just my two cents on what will happen with chuck!

[LatsMcGee]

I would like to see Chuck walk away now with his head up high.  He really has nothing left to prove.

[George Whorewell]

Chuck is finished. He should retire knowing he fought the best for a long time and dominated. Hes old, he looks beat up and he has nothing left to prove. If it was just the fact that he's a one trick pony and the rest of the division has caught up to him, id say fine- train somewhere else and give it a go one last time. But the man looks old- He moves slowly-- his reflexes look shot. He's taken such a beating over the years and its caught up with him. He should just retire and enjoy the rest of his life. I would hate to see him stay around just for the hell of it and diminish his legacy.

[SinCitysmallGUY]

Chuck is finished. He should retire knowing he fought the best for a long time and dominated. Hes old, he looks beat up and he has nothing left to prove. If it was just the fact that he's a one trick pony and the rest of the division has caught up to him, id say fine- train somewhere else and give it a go one last time. But the man looks old- He moves slowly-- his reflexes look shot. He's taken such a beating over the years and its caught up with him. He should just retire and enjoy the rest of his life. I would hate to see him stay around just for the hell of it and diminish his legacy.

One thing that has made Chuck this way is his party life style. Dude is in clubs till 4 A.M. and saying how before fights he fucks 3 chicks and shit.. Cmon dude since Chuck got the belt from Randy and made $250K his head has not been in the game like it was when he fought Randy the first time..... That's all I am saying. I wanna see Chuck give 110% one last time, I think we have been getting 70% Chack and that's why he is getting his ass handed to him.

Dude has been qouted saying how much he loves women. I think there is a part about it in his book.

[George Whorewell]

That may be so, but when you throw all of that partying into the equation with the fact he is 40 years old and also consider that he has taken some vicious shots and knock outs over the course of his career-- Realistically, how much do you think he has left even if he does commit 100%?

IMO his 100% is still only 80% of the top contenders in the 205 weight class. While he might be able to dominate some duds in the division, do you really think he can hang with Rashad, Machida, Rampage, Shogun, or even Forest? He couldn't even put Jardines away for god sakes. And while I would normally chalk it up to lack of focus, or whatever, the fact of the matter is that he has never been the same since that fight.

Chucks whole legend and mystique is based on banging with the best. It would be sad and a total waste of his legacy to fight anybody except the top echelon guys. He has nothing left to prove- he has plenty of money-he should retire with dignity. We dont need to see another MJ in a Washington Bullets uniform or a Brett Favre in a Jets uniform.

[SinCitysmallGUY]

That may be so, but when you throw all of that partying into the equation with the fact he is 40 years old and also consider that he has taken some vicious shots and knock outs over the course of his career-- Realistically, how much do you think he has left even if he does commit 100%?

IMO his 100% is still only 80% of the top contenders in the 205 weight class. While he might be able to dominate some duds in the division, do you really think he can hang with Rashad, Machida, Rampage, Shogun, or even Forest? He couldn't even put Jardines away for god sakes. And while I would normally chalk it up to lack of focus, or whatever, the fact of the matter is that he has never been the same since that fight.

Chucks whole legend and mystique is based on banging with the best. It would be sad and a total waste of his legacy to fight anybody except the top echelon guys. He has nothing left to prove- he has plenty of money-he should retire with dignity. We dont need to see another MJ in a Washington Bullets uniform or a Brett Favre in a Jets uniform.

Oh I agree that Chuck is done. I mean there is not a question that he can bang with the top guys. He couldn't... But I think that Chuck could come back and revenge the Jardine loss or take on a couple other guys for at least a fight more or two. I am a chuck fan and it just sucks to know that he is done. The funny thing is I just finished reading his book and his loss against Page and Jardine he does a good job justifying the loss and how it happened. He said he was to Gun Shy with Jardine (which he was, he never did pull the trigger) and he said that they told him not to go to the body with page and when he did he got KO'D cause he didnt lead with any combo..

Okay your RIGHT CHUCK IS DONE!

[gracie bjj]

i hate to say this cause i like chuck as a person and found him to be a really down to earth guy, but i think chucks striking was overated. if you look back on his career he mainly fought wrestlers and bjj guys with average to below average striking, and the couple strikers who where decent he barely edged out, like belfort. chucks fight with allistar in pride was horrible till chuck threw that overhand windmill shot that rocked allistar, allistar was tooling chuck on the feet before the ko, but props to chuck for catching him all the same.

i think chuck was kinda a one trick pony and i believe quinton layed out the blue print on how to beat chuck and avoid his big right hand, combine that with his nightlife and his age and this is usually the end result. also chucks awesome ability to sprawl and brawl kept the bjj guys and wrestlers on thier feet to eat chucks right hand, that combined with fighting mostly wrestlers and bjj guys who didnt have the best punch defense in the world and the end result is usually a ko if you got a big power punch like chuck. lets put it this way, as soon as he fought elite strikers starting with quinton, chuck got tooled twice by quinton. then jardine exposed him, then rashad and shogun who are all pretty good strikers exposed him also.

 i like chuck like i said above but i like to keep it real on these boards on how i see it, im sure alot of people might disagree with me and thats cool cause thats what makes these boards go round, thanks for reading

[mame09]

I would like to see Chuck walk away now with his head up high.  He really has nothing left to prove.

1.how is he going to walk away with his head high when he went to pride thinking hes the shit and then he got embarrassed by rampage.

2. he still got alot to prove. just because most of his career was against bjj or wrestlers doesnt make him a legend or an icon. he is the definition of the ufc marketing machine.

 its his fault he didnt fight the top competition when he was in his prime. just because you are hyped as being the best doesnt make you the best 

 

[George Whorewell]

Mame have you ever watched an MMA fight before? Just asking.

Beating Randy Coture twice, Tito Ortiz twice, Wanderlei, Vitor Belfor, Alstair, Kevin Randleman + many more+ fighting the best guys in his weight class time and time again when he didn't have to makes him a legend. He doesn't have anything to prove- hes been fighting in the UFC for like 10 years already, he is a multiple world champ at the most competitive weight class the UFC has to offer and hes 40 years old.

I guess he is a chump in your eyes. You should get Dana White on the phone and insist he dedicate his next fight to mame09, who thinks Chuck has a lot to prove.

[mame09]

Mame have you ever watched an MMA fight before? Just asking.

Beating Randy Coture twice, Tito Ortiz twice, Wanderlei, Vitor Belfor, Alstair, Kevin Randleman + many more+ fighting the best guys in his weight class time and time again when he didn't have to makes him a legend. He doesn't have anything to prove- hes been fighting in the UFC for like 10 years already, he is a multiple world champ at the most competitive weight class the UFC has to offer and hes 40 years old.

I guess he is a chump in your eyes. You should get Dana White on the phone and insist he dedicate his next fight to mame09, who thinks Chuck has a lot to prove.

1. randy is shit, always has been always is.
2. tito ortiz is no scrub but he has no stand up
3.wandy fight i will give him that
4.vitor belfort fight i will give him thay
5.alistair is not a good fighter. he is only winning because of 2 reason 1. that he is on massive amount of steroids and 2. everyone he is fighting is getting old and aint what they use to be
6.even though i like randleman come on just about everyone beat him

ufc never had the best lhw or hwt division it was pride. no one from the ufc can be called good during the era pride was around because the best of the best were at pride

[Big_Tymer]

1. randy is shit, always has been always is.
2. tito ortiz is no scrub but he has no stand up
3.wandy fight i will give him that
4.vitor belfort fight i will give him thay
5.alistair is not a good fighter. he is only winning because of 2 reason 1. that he is on massive amount of steroids and 2. everyone he is fighting is getting old and aint what they use to be
6.even though i like randleman come on just about everyone beat him

ufc never had the best lhw or hwt division it was pride. no one from the ufc can be called good during the era pride was around because the best of the best were at pride

QFT.  not to mention when he faught wanderlei, he was even more washed up than chuck.

[CARTEL]

ufc never had the best lhw or hwt division it was pride. no one from the ufc can be called good during the era pride was around because the best of the best were at pride

Damn straight.

[SinCitysmallGUY]

1. randy is shit, always has been always is.
2. Tito Ortiz is no scrub but he has no stand up
3.wandy fight i will give him that
4.vitor belfort fight i will give him thay
5.Alistair is not a good fighter. he is only winning because of 2 reason 1. that he is on massive amount of steroids and 2. everyone he is fighting is getting old and aint what they use to be
6.even though i like randleman come on just about everyone beat him

ufc never had the best lhw or hwt division it was pride. no one from the ufc can be called good during the era pride was around because the best of the best were at pride

1) I don't see how anyone can knock Randy. The dude was on the US Wrestling team in the Olympics. (yeah I know as a sub, but that's still huge.) He has held belts in 2 differant weight classes and is the oldest guy to hold the HW belt. (the guy is a beast) Anyone who says Randy isn't a great MMA fighter I think has lost their Fucking mind! (just my opinion)

2) Tito is no scrub and his stand up is pretty shitty compared to others, but he was one of the longest standing champs in that division and was the face of mma for a while and Chuck whooped his ass twice. Tito even said after the 2nd Chuck fight that Chuck could be the best p4p fighter at that time...

I hear alot of people go back and argue Pride vs. UFC but to be honest I think it was pretty even... Look at some of the guys from Pride who came over and dominated and then some of them came over and got their asses whooped! Plus you said steroids are the only reason Alistair is winning and I hear a lot of debate on Page, Wandy, Crocop, etc....... Only being so dominate because of steroids. So hypothetically could they have been worse then the UFC LHW div. without the roids??? just a question to ponder.....

[CARTEL]

1) I don't see how anyone can knock Randy. The dude was on the US Wrestling team in the Olympics. (yeah I know as a sub, but that's still huge.) He has held belts in 2 differant weight classes and is the oldest guy to hold the HW belt. (the guy is a beast) Anyone who says Randy isn't a great MMA fighter I think has lost their Fucking mind! (just my opinion)

I agree with you about Randy.

Chuck beat Randy with Eye Pokes if you ask me.

[gracie bjj]

i agree about randy deserving respect, randy is a total stud in the octagon. out of the octagon the man is total class, if i had to pick a fighter to represent the sport of mma in a televised interview it would be randy. randy is a legend and hall of famer and even if your not a couture fan you still have to respect what the man accomplished. i also agree about chuck eye pokin randy, im not saying chuck does that on purpose but nontheless it happened. also tito was doing awesome in the second fight with chuck till tito got eye poked, to be honest i thought the fight was pretty even up till the 3rd rd or so when tito got that nasty thumb of chuck rammed in his eye, it was all down hill for tito from there

[coltrane]

1. randy is shit, always has been always is. 2. tito ortiz is no scrub but he has no stand up
3.wandy fight i will give him that
4.vitor belfort fight i will give him thay
5.alistair is not a good fighter. he is only winning because of 2 reason 1. that he is on massive amount of steroids and 2. everyone he is fighting is getting old and aint what they use to be
6.even though i like randleman come on just about everyone beat him

ufc never had the best lhw or hwt division it was pride. no one from the ufc can be called good during the era pride was around because the best of the best were at pride

i guess i think otherwise.

[Big_Tymer]

randy nearly has as many losses as he has wins.  guy is totally overrated.

[SinCitysmallGUY]

randy nearly has as many losses as he has wins.  guy is totally overrated.

Look at what he has done career wise and who his losses are from.. I don't think over-rated falls into Randy's name?? but if you think so, that's cool....

[Big_Tymer]

Look at what he has done career wise and who his losses are from.. I don't think over-rated falls into Randy's name?? but if you think so, that's cool....

sorry man but i think hes way overrated.  who has he beaten?  chuck, tito, belfort, sylvia gonzaga.  sure those guys arent scrubs but they arent world class either.  he has 9 losses from guys like rico rodrigues and other no name scrubs asside from chuck, belfort and barnett

[20inch calves]

first of all  i hope he fights again. i don;t against who but i would like to see him go out with a win.




on the randy comment..the guy has beat people when he wasn;t suppose to and his age is a factor that makes him even more impressive