Chuck Liddell says he is coming out of retirement.
The former longtime UFC light-heavyweight champion made the announcement Monday during an appearance on The MMA Hour that he plans on returning to mixed martial arts.
“I miss it,” Liddell told Ariel Helwani. “I never stopped missing it.”
Liddell, now 48 years old, hasn’t fought since 2010.
“I want to fight. I miss everything,” Liddell explained. “Everyone always asks me, ‘Hey man, this must be a lot better than fighting?’ No, no, I still—that was my favorite thing. My wife asks me, ‘How do you like doing that?’ My wife asks me that all the time. I still miss it. I miss everything. I miss cutting weight. I miss everything that goes with it, everything, the good, the bad. It’s all of it. I mean, I miss hanging out at the gym, going and working out every day. It’s fun to me.”
Liddell’s return to competition wouldn’t take place in the UFC though. ‘The Iceman’ has been discussing a potential deal with Golden Boy Promotions, which is headed by Oscar De La Hoya, who recently said he is thinking about venturing into the MMA business. Liddell mentioned a trilogy bout with his former UFC rival Tito Ortiz is something that interests him.
Liddell was the face of the UFC in the early part of the 21st century, defeating the likes of Vitor Belfort, Alistair Overeem, Ortiz and Randy Couture en route to superstardom. Liddell won the UFC’s 205-pound title in 2005 and defended it four consecutive times before being knocked out by Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson in 2006.
Following his loss to Jackson, Liddell dropped four out of five bouts, including consecutive knockout losses to Rashad Evans, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua and Rich Franklin, before retiring.
Despite his age and recent inactivity, Liddell would be able to get his licence to compete—at least in his home state of California.
“If Chuck passes his medicals—his advanced medicals … I will administratively grant him a license,” California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster told MMAjunkie.
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