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"I feel good about tonight. Chuck and I sat down and talked about this and my big concern with Chuck was taking this seriously. And he did. He went above and beyond. He looked better than I've ever seen him, was in great shape, and in my opinion he went out the way Chuck Liddell would want to go out. He went out there and fought the way that made him a world champion and made him famous. He went out guns a blazing, was trying to knock Rich Franklin out.
"And just a testament to what kind of shape he was in tonight, when's the last time you saw Chuck Liddell throwing head kicks and leg kicks. There was awhile there where he wasn't lifting his feet off the ground… Without sounding condescending I'm proud of him... I thought Chuck looked great right up until it ended.
"Chuck Liddell was one of those guys that had a chin [where] you could hit him with a steel bar and not knock him out. His chin was legendary back in the day. He fought all the best guys in the world, and he would get hit with big shots and just keep right on coming.
"I guarantee that tonight was the last night [Chuck fights in the UFC]."
Keller's Analysis: From watching the video, I have no doubt that Dana White is not going to even consider booking Chuck Liddell for another fight in UFC. It was very clear, when pressed by the interviewer Ariel Helwani, that it's over for Liddell. You could also tell Dana was proud of how Chuck went out. He looked really good in every way he had control over - conditioning, technique, aggression - and lost because of something he didn't have control over - a soft chin due to years of taking punches. The flexibility and speed of Liddell's head kicks was damn impressive and surprising. Chuck can be proud that his last Octagon appearance against a world class fighter still in his prime was competitive like that.... On another note, check back every day this week as MMATorch editor-in-chief Jamie Penick will be writing a five-part series of Career Retrospect articles on Chuck Liddell. Relive his career if you've watched it from the start or learn more about what he accomplished in his career if you've joined in the middle or near the end.
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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