Going into his UFC 97 fight against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, the speculation–fueled by UFC President Dana White himself–had been that if Chuck Liddell did not decisively win the match, he would be done as an active UFC fighter.
He lost via devastating TKO in the first round, and UFC President Dana White did not back off his stance. At a press conference following the event, White, Liddell’s longtime friend and former manager, said Liddell’s fighting career had come to a close.
“He’s a huge superstar, and [he] could still sell lots of tickets,” White said. “But I don’t care about that. I care about him. I care about his health, and it’s over, man. It’s over.”
Liddell was less definitive in his statement but did acknowledge that a retirement was probably a “safe” bet.
White added that while he does not anticipate booking Liddell in future fights, “The Iceman” will retain some sort of backstage role with UFC.