Chuck Liddell: ‘I Wasn’t Really Ready to Leave When I Left’

Chuck Liddell says he wasn’t truly ready to call it quits when he did.

Liddell is set to come out of retirement on Nov. 24 to take on his heated rival Tito Ortiz. The bout will take place inside The Forum in Inglewood, California. The event will be aired live on pay-per-view under Golden Boy Promotions.

After being knocked out by Rich Franklin back in June 2010, Liddell announced his retirement. He was given an office job in the UFC until WME-IMG, now known as Endeavor, took over and released “The Iceman.” During a recent appearance on the Ariel Helwani MMA Show by ESPN, Liddell admitted he wasn’t ready to walk away from the sport of mixed martial arts:

“I wasn’t really ready to leave when I left. I love this sport. I love fighting. I love training and I feel that I’ve still got some fight in me. Part of it is people told me I couldn’t. If you tell me I can’t do something, I like to prove to you that I can.”

Liddell’s initial retirement came off the heels of three straight knockout losses at the hands of Rashad Evans, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and Rich Franklin. Two of those fighters ended up becoming UFC light heavyweight champions. Still, at the age of 48 and with over eight years of inactivity many are concerned for the health of “The Iceman.”