Coach discusses his conditions for potential Liddell return
John Hackleman: “It would all depend on the match. I’m not gonna name who I would let him fight.”
UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell is 47, and has not fought since 2007. He lost five of his final six fights, four of them by knockout. His close friend UFC president Dana White made up a no-show office job in return for retiring, and not getting hurt any more.
Then the UFC sold to WME-IMG and the new owners took a number of cost-cutting measures, including the release of Chuck Liddell. Images and text of Chuck Liddell working out hard recent appeared on the social network.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTVd6PsAfkv
Given the success Bellator MMA has had with name fighters no longer competitive in the UFC, they would sign Liddell in a moment. The advisability of him fighting is separate matter. Liddell’s longtime trainer John Hackleman appeared recently on the Anik and Florian podcast and discussed the possibility for a comeback.
Just like when they first wanted him to quit and he wanted to keep fighting, everybody was thinking I was trying to push him to keep fighting, which isn’t true,” said Hackleman, as transcribed by Jed Meshew for MMA Fighting. “But like I always said, it’s whatever is in his heart. 3 million bucks? Who is gonna tell someone, ‘No. I’m not gonna allow you to make $3 million, which is more than most people make in three lifetimes.’
It would all depend upon – this sounds so bad. Seriously, the people who know me know what a terrible mother hen I am when it comes to matching my fighters, but it would depend on the match. It would all depend on the match. I’m not gonna name who I would let him fight – well, it’s not up to me to let him fight or not – but who I would okay and who I wouldn’t.
But even $3 million, I don’t think that would be enough to put his life at risk and his legacy at risk. Because his legacy, not only for his own self-esteem but his legacy for his future earnings as well, could be worth a hell of a lot more than $3 million and tarnishing it to a certain degree, that might not be worth it. So it would all depend on the opponent.