Clearly, last night was the end of the Chuck Liddell-era in the UFC. The guy that once had an iron chin has now been dropped in his last 5 fights - 4 of them he lost.
The only way Liddell could return to the Octagon is if he followed Randy Couture's path. That is, retire for a year or so, and then come back, but this time as a HW. Liddell's going to be 40 this year so he doesn't need to be messing with trying to cut 25-plus pounds for fights anymore, when it's clear he's no longer a top-5 LHW. A move to HW could be good and would give him a way to get a few more fights in as his losses as a LHW wouldn't really count against him if he moved up to HW.
Unfortunately, I don't think Liddell is willing to adapt his game enough to ever be successful in the cage again. He became too dependent on the right hand and was unwilling to utilize kicks (he started as a kickboxer) or work any kind of defensive game. He supposedly worked with American Top Team prior to the Shogun fight on keeping his hands up, but what did we see against Shogun? Hands down low and he got clipped. His unwillingness to check leg kicks or to really utilize his wrestling also hurt his game in the ever-changing world of MMA.
So, what will Liddell's legacy be? From 2003-07, the dude was probably the scariest guy in the cage to fight. He could KO anyone and couldn't be taken down or knocked out. That's what I remember most about Liddell. That, and the fact that once he lost his title, he refused to incorporate anything new into his gameplan, and that led to his demise.
I always enjoyed Liddell's fights because the crowd was always super into them, so in that aspect I'll miss seeing him in the cage. But, it's time for him to step aside before he gets seriously hurt and allow the younger guys to rule the division.
Bye, Chuck. Thanks for the memories.
The only way Liddell could return to the Octagon is if he followed Randy Couture's path. That is, retire for a year or so, and then come back, but this time as a HW. Liddell's going to be 40 this year so he doesn't need to be messing with trying to cut 25-plus pounds for fights anymore, when it's clear he's no longer a top-5 LHW. A move to HW could be good and would give him a way to get a few more fights in as his losses as a LHW wouldn't really count against him if he moved up to HW.
Unfortunately, I don't think Liddell is willing to adapt his game enough to ever be successful in the cage again. He became too dependent on the right hand and was unwilling to utilize kicks (he started as a kickboxer) or work any kind of defensive game. He supposedly worked with American Top Team prior to the Shogun fight on keeping his hands up, but what did we see against Shogun? Hands down low and he got clipped. His unwillingness to check leg kicks or to really utilize his wrestling also hurt his game in the ever-changing world of MMA.
So, what will Liddell's legacy be? From 2003-07, the dude was probably the scariest guy in the cage to fight. He could KO anyone and couldn't be taken down or knocked out. That's what I remember most about Liddell. That, and the fact that once he lost his title, he refused to incorporate anything new into his gameplan, and that led to his demise.
I always enjoyed Liddell's fights because the crowd was always super into them, so in that aspect I'll miss seeing him in the cage. But, it's time for him to step aside before he gets seriously hurt and allow the younger guys to rule the division.
Bye, Chuck. Thanks for the memories.
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