Chuck Liddell may have been out of action for the past seven years, but when asked what he thought about a recent rumor that he might be fighting Chael Sonnen, ‘The Iceman’ made it clear that if it did go down, he’d be confident of emerging victorious.
Sonnen himself was the man who started the rumor, telling FloCombat that, “I think the most likely opponent is going to end up being Chuck Liddell. We’ll see what happens there, but that’s what I think is going to happen.”
Sonnen is coming off a decision victory over another legendary fighter, Wanderlei Silva, but it seems that the 47-year-old Liddell doesn’t see him as much of a threat.
“I’ve never been very interested in fighting him. He’s kind of a boring fighter,” Liddell told TMZ Sports. “It’s a great match-up for me if I’m going to fight, but I haven’t talked to anybody about anything.”
Liddell had appeared to be toying with the idea of coming out of retirement recently, and it sounds like if Bellator were willing to pay him what he thinks he’s worth, then he could be enticed to strap his gloves back on.
“He wants a big money fight. It’s going to be big money if I’m fighting him. He’s an easy match-up.”
In reality, Sonnen isn’t necessarily an easy out for Liddell, but given how fragile the former UFC light-heavyweight champion’s chin had become before his retirement, the fact that Sonnen is not renowned as a knockout artist would be a definite plus point.
Liddell also had some of the best takedown defense in the game in his heyday, and that could also be a major factor as Sonnen would surely be looking to use his wrestling to control him on the mat.
It’s still not a great idea for Liddell to get back into the fight game at this stage in his life, but everyone knows that his urge to fight has never really subsided and so there’s a real chance this match-up could become a reality.
