rick@garage16.ca
04-19-2009, 05:50 PM
Dana White says that's a wrap for the Iceman after UFC 97 loss
The show will be remembered for Liddell's fourth loss in five fights and his apparent departure from the sport of mixed martial arts he helped build from the ground up. The 39-year-old Liddell said it was "probably safe to say" his career was over. "It's not working for me lately," he said simply. And then he left the news conference to go drinking.
It was up to UFC president White to handle the requiem.
"You're never going to see Chuck Liddell on the canvas again," White said. "It's never going to happen. It's done.
"Tonight was the end of an era. One of the greatest guys in the sport fought his last fight tonight."
White revealed he had tried to get the former light-heavyweight champion to retire after his last loss - a devastating knockout at the hands of Rashad Evans at UFC 88. But Liddell convinced his friend and former manager that he would do the things in training to tighten his game for one last go-round.
White says the aging gunslinger lived up to his part of the bargain.
"He came out firing and put on the most exciting fight of the night, in my opinion," said White, on his best behaviour after a messy video blog brouhaha in advance of the card.
Liddell (21-7) showed more movement that he had in recent fights and changed up his game, taking Rua down at one point. But Rua, 12 years younger, matched Liddell's striking and, like others before him recently, found his defence and chin wanting. He beat Liddell to the punch and floored him with a lunging left 4:28 into the first round.
Rua (18-3) finally showed glimpses of the talent that made him a star in Pride as he improved to 2-1 in the UFC. He picked up an extra US$70,000 for knockout of the night.
Liddell won 15 of his first 17 UFC fights but only one since beating Tito Ortiz in December 2006. It is clearly time to move on. White said he will have a job for life in the organization, just not in the cage.
The show will be remembered for Liddell's fourth loss in five fights and his apparent departure from the sport of mixed martial arts he helped build from the ground up. The 39-year-old Liddell said it was "probably safe to say" his career was over. "It's not working for me lately," he said simply. And then he left the news conference to go drinking.
It was up to UFC president White to handle the requiem.
"You're never going to see Chuck Liddell on the canvas again," White said. "It's never going to happen. It's done.
"Tonight was the end of an era. One of the greatest guys in the sport fought his last fight tonight."
White revealed he had tried to get the former light-heavyweight champion to retire after his last loss - a devastating knockout at the hands of Rashad Evans at UFC 88. But Liddell convinced his friend and former manager that he would do the things in training to tighten his game for one last go-round.
White says the aging gunslinger lived up to his part of the bargain.
"He came out firing and put on the most exciting fight of the night, in my opinion," said White, on his best behaviour after a messy video blog brouhaha in advance of the card.
Liddell (21-7) showed more movement that he had in recent fights and changed up his game, taking Rua down at one point. But Rua, 12 years younger, matched Liddell's striking and, like others before him recently, found his defence and chin wanting. He beat Liddell to the punch and floored him with a lunging left 4:28 into the first round.
Rua (18-3) finally showed glimpses of the talent that made him a star in Pride as he improved to 2-1 in the UFC. He picked up an extra US$70,000 for knockout of the night.
Liddell won 15 of his first 17 UFC fights but only one since beating Tito Ortiz in December 2006. It is clearly time to move on. White said he will have a job for life in the organization, just not in the cage.