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MMA Rumors: UFC Hall Of Famer Chuck Liddell Coming Out Of Retirement If Offered ‘Something Crazy’

By JB Baruelo
Published on: 18:38 PST, Nov 24, 2017

UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell is undeniably one of the best fighters whoever stepped inside the Octagon. After suffering three consecutive knockouts, Liddell was forced to retire and leave the world of mixed martial arts. However, he has not ruled out coming out of retirement to fight in the Octagon again.

In June, in an Instagram post, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell hinted about his potential return in the Octagon to fight Tito Ortiz for the third time. After learning about the controversial announcement, Bellator fighter Chael Sonnen proclaimed himself as one of the potential opponents of Liddell in his comeback fight, per MMA Fighting. Sonnen added that he challenged Liddell multiple times, but the latter turned down the fight offers.

In an appearance on MMA Tonight (h/t bjpenn.com), Chuck Liddell finally broke his silence and answered every rumor involving him. Liddell said that he has never been offered to fight Chael Sonnen or other MMA fighters. However, the 47-year-old former UFC champ revealed that he’s healthy and already thought about returning to MMA. But, it depends on how much the UFC or other promotions are willing to pay to see him fight again.

“I’ve thought about [returning to MMA] but everyone’s gonna have to keep wondering. I don’t know. I’m not sure yet, so we’ll see. That’s not true [that I’ve been offered a fight]. I’ve never been offered a fight and I definitely never been offered to fight [Chael Sonnen]. He doesn’t worry about the truth too much with his trash-talking. He’s not afraid to be liberal with his facts. I’m healthy. It would probably take more than [a month] to set [a potential fight up], but I’m not sure yet. We’ll see. I mean, it depends on what gets offered. If someone offers me something crazy, I could fight tomorrow, but it just depends. For $15 million I’ll get in there and fight [both Nate Diaz and Tyron Woodley],” Liddell said.

Chuck Liddell must be aware of the big changes happening in the world of mixed martial arts. Most fighters are interested in money fights than fights that will help improve the credibility of the sport. Liddell specifically mentioned the potential match between UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and Nate Diaz. Diaz was already given the opportunity to fight for the title but said that he’ll only face Woodley if the UFC will pay him $15 million, according to MMA Fighting.

So far, there is still no confirmation from the UFC whether Chuck Liddell will really fight again or stay retired. After his last fight, UFC president Dana White said that Liddell would never step inside the Octagon again. If White changes his mind, there is only a minimal chance that he will let him fight young fighters like Woodley or Diaz. Sonnen is also unlikely to be Liddell’s next opponent since he will participate in the Bellator heavyweight grand prix in 2018 where he will be fighting Quinton Jackson.

If Chuck Liddell is serious about a UFC return, the UFC can schedule the trilogy bout between him and Tito Ortiz. The one-sided rivalry between the two veteran MMA fighters started at UFC 47 where Liddell won via TKO.

[Featured Image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images]

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