Will Chuck Liddell retire from MMA

CHUCK LIDDELL faces the hardest decision of his career following a devastating knockout loss to Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua at UFC 97. The Iceman was floored by a thunderous left hand from the Brazilian with just 32 seconds of the first round remaining. And he could now decide to hang up his gloves for good following his brutal demolition at the hands of the former Pride middleweight GP champion. The defeat saw Liddell move to 1-4 in his last five fights, leading UFC president Dana White to claim the former light heavyweight champion had made his final appearance inside the Octagon. White said: "Tonight was the end of an era. One of the greatest guys in the sport fought his last fight tonight. "It's probably safe to say that was Chuck's last appearance, but I'm not going to make any decisions until I've spoken to him and the rest of my people. "I care about these guys. I don't want to see anybody stick around too long. You're never going to see Chuck Liddell on the canvas again." Liddell’s bout with 27-year-old Rua was make-or-break for both fighters’ careers. The American had been urged to hang up his gloves after his UFC 88 KO defeat to Rashad Evans last year. And Shogun had been derided by fans for two below-par performances in his time since joining the promotion – first in his loss to Forrest Griffin and then for an unconvincing win over the veteran Mark Coleman earlier this year. Yet while Rua looked to have regained some of the form which saw him ranked as the world's No1 light-heavyweight fighter three years ago, it appears Liddell, 39, has reached the end of his glittering mixed martial arts career. But White insisted The Iceman would always have a future in the UFC - albeit away from competing inside the cage. The UFC boss added: "Chuck's one of my best friends. He helped us build this business. He helped build this sport. "He'll always be with us and he'll always be a part of the UFC."

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