| In a recent interview with the website | | | | accomplished quite a bit as a fighter during his lifetime. |
| thefightnetwork.com, athletic trainer John Hackleman | | | | Added to this was the MMA fighter's history of earning |
| emphatically replied to certain rumors that his client | | | | respectable amounts of profit, yet in White's opinion, |
| Chuck Liddell was not planning to bow out from the | | | | Liddell wasn't quite the same as the old champion he |
| Ultimate Fighting Championship. This strongly worded | | | | used to be. The rumors were further augmented |
| rebuttal came in the wake of Liddell's loss against Keith | | | | when Liddell turned down questions at what his future |
| Jardine during UFC 76. During the aftermath of the | | | | career plans were after UFC 76, and the fighter said |
| bout, many rumors sprung up in different news outlets | | | | he would have to give things some careful thought. |
| that Liddell, also known as the Iceman, had lost his | | | | In his counter-argument, Hackleman defended his client |
| touch and was going to retire from mixed martial arts. | | | | and stated that they were speaking to someone who |
| They stemmed mainly from comments made by UFC | | | | had just lost a battle, who was suffering from |
| President Dana White during an interview with Yahoo! | | | | depression immediately after a major defeat. The |
| Sports, which allegedly implied that Liddell's retirement | | | | trainer conceded that Liddell was disappointed, but also |
| was imminent. | | | | that it wasn't the right time or place to discuss a fight |
| During the discussion with White, the UFC official | | | | immediately after it ended, and that they usually |
| remarked that he no longer could see or feel the | | | | reviewed his performance by the time they got back |
| certain hunger for victory from Chuck Liddell, the drive | | | | to the gym. Furthermore, Hackleman added that Liddell |
| to conquer and win which supposedly marked the elite | | | | was not planning to retire, and was considering going |
| of the competitive circuit's top fighters. After UFC 76, | | | | up against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. |
| White acknowledged that at 37 years old, Liddell had | | | | |