Liddell hopes for four more fights, at least
There is no shortage of pro athletes who have tried to compete at the highest levels long after their bodies…
There is no shortage of pro athletes who have tried to compete at the highest levels long after their bodies were able. Chuck Liddell never wants to be listed as one of them.
Liddell is still one of MMA’s biggest stars, but he has lost four of his last five fights and hasn’t been in the Octagon since a knockout loss to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in April.
Liddell is fighting against the publicly stated wishes of Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White, who has repeatedly said he wants Liddell to retire from MMA.
“I miss fighting and I want to fight, so that’s what I’m doing,” Liddell said Monday, expressing a desire to prove he is still a viable fighter. “I’ll keep arguing and (White) will keep arguing with me. I just have to show him that I can perform.”
“I would like another fight and then I want another fight after,” he said. “Hopefully, Dana’s happy with my two wins and I get a shot at a contender and then a shot at a title. That’s four fights and that’s about as far forward as I’ve thought.”
“I have to go out on my own, the way I want to go out. It has to be my decision,” he said. “I’m not going to let fans or people that aren’t that close to me and don’t watch me train, don’t see what I can still do, make that decision for me.”