There’s evidence Chuck Liddell still believes his exit from the sport that made him a very wealthy and happy man is a decision he has the luxury of making. As most observers are aware, though, you don’t retire from fighting: Fighting retires you.
“It's about how I feel and if I want to go back and make a run at a title and how far away that would be,” he told the Star-Tribune over the weekend. “And whatever I think is left in the tank.”
Liddell was last knocked out by an awkward right hand delivered by Rich Franklin, a man who spent the majority of his career as a middleweight and is not known for his one-shot power. As mentioned at the time of the fight, the worst thing for Liddell was to go out there and look good for a few minutes -- which is exactly what happened. The temporary success was going to lead him into a protracted struggle with the issue of walking away. Three months later, that’s the story.
Like all adults, Liddell is entitled to make bad decisions. I would hope and expect that White, trainer John Hackleman and anyone else who has any kind of concern at all for his well-being -- including athletic commissions -- would refuse to enable those decisions. As for Liddell himself: If he has as much respect for MMA as he believes, he should consider honoring the sport’s insistence that it’s his time to go.