Chuck Liddell, Please Go Away

Before I start into my rant, watch this video so you know what I am ranting about:

So Chuck Liddell doesn’t know if he should retire or not.  He wonders if he still has another title run in him.  As if his inability to put together a sentence wasn’t proof enough already, this settles it – “The Iceman” has taken too many shots to the head in the Octagon.  To refresh his foggy memory, Chuck should Wikipedia himself and check out his fight record.  He’ll find that the only opponent he has beaten in the past three years in Wanderlei Silva via a split decision.  Meanwhile, during that three-year span he has lost five times, four via knockout.  He’s been fighting for over 12 years, had 29 MMA matches and is 40-years-old.  Dana White says if he doesn’t retire he will cut him.  And Liddell is questioning whether or not he’s got another title run in him?!

It is always hard for an athlete to decide to walk away from the game, but sticking around too long is extremely dangerous physically in the combat sports.  So we’ll make it easy for Liddell.  You’re done.  Career over.  No mas.  Please.  This isn’t to dismiss Liddell’s amazing career – he is quite possibly the best light heavyweight of all-time, and his popularity helped make the sport as big as it is today.  But his time has passed ages ago.  And it’s not like he is going to get better overnight.  The succession of knockouts he has endured of late have made his chin quite fragile, where any hard blow to his head causes his brain to short-circuit and makes him got nightie-night.  Additionally, with his “in your face”, aggressive fighting style, he sets himself up to taking shots to his head, which he can’t handle anymore.  Unless he plans on switching to a more boring, less risky fighting technique (which I doubt will ever happen), then there is no way he can keep stepping into the cage.  Sure, he looked in great shape and pushed the pace in his last fight versus Rich Franklin, but he still ended up getting his lights turned out.

There is nothing worse than someone overstaying their welcome.  Chuck, the house lights have come on and the band has played Stairway to Heaven already.  Time to go home.  But if you insist on having one last dance, please make it with Tito Ortiz and take him into retirement with you.