Penick's Take
PENICK: Looking back on the career of Chuck Liddell part three - "The Iceman" goes out swinging
Jun 16, 2010 - 6:45:12 PM PENICK: Looking back on the career of Chuck Liddell part three - "The Iceman" goes out swinging

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The career of Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, in all estimation, came to an end on Saturday night in Vancouver at UFC 115. In this five part series, we'll take a look back at one of the greatest light heavyweight fighters in the sport's young history.

Fresh off the record setting UFC 66 event, where Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz became the first MMA main event fight to draw over a million pay-per-view buys, Liddell turned his attention to avenging the only remaining loss on his record against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 71 in May of 2007.

The fight with "Rampage", in large part because of how well Chuck had drawn in 2006, became the first MMA fight to receive major coverage from ESPN, including live coverage of the events weigh-ins and post fight coverage on ESPN News.

But before the fight took place, Liddell infamously appeared on a Dallas morning show, appearing under the influence of something. It was explained off as sleep medication, but it simply highlighted the distractions that Liddell's superstar lifestyle had brought to his training.

He entered the Octagon on May 26 of that year the Champion, thoroughly on top of the heap in star power and with a firm hold on the UFC's light heavyweight division after four straight title defenses. But he exited the Octagon that night a beaten man, recovering from a right hand that put him out and sent him to the canvas. It was a flash knockout, but a KO nonetheless, and though he was expected to bounce back, Liddell was simply never the same.

His return came four months later at UFC 76, when he faced Keith Jardine. It appeared to be a fairly easy fight for Liddell, as Jardine was coming off a KO loss to Houston Alexander on the same UFC 71 card in which Liddell lost his title, but Jardine, much like he did against Forrest Griffin in December of 2006, shocked Liddell and fans everywhere by out pointing Liddell and earning a split decision victory.

Losing two straight for the first time in his career, and suffering only his fifth loss ever, Liddell was in desperate need of a victory. But it wasn't going to be easy, as next up was a dream match a long time in the making with former Pride superstar Wanderlei Silva. The fight happened two years later than when both were on top of Pride and the UFC, respectively, but the fight was still a highly anticipated event on the year end show of 2007, UFC 79.

The match up wasn't the main event of the night's card, that went to the rubber match between Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes for the Interim Welterweight Championship, but it may have been the biggest selling point for the card.

In an absolute battle through three rounds that was nothing short of spectacular, Liddell out struck Silva and earned a unanimous decision with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. Liddell seemed poised to get back on track after a great performance over his Pride contemporary, but his comeback train was delayed by a nasty hamstring injury that pulled him out of a June 2008 bout with Ultimate Fighter season two winner Rashad Evans at UFC 85 in London.

That bout would come to fruition in September, and would mark the beginning of the end for "The Iceman's" MMA career.

At UFC 88 in Atlanta, Georgia in September of 2008, Liddell and Evans faced off in the night's main event. After a back and forth first round of action, Evans stunned the Atlanta crowd and everyone watching on pay-per-view as he connected with a vicious right hand, blowing through Liddell like a shotgun blast and sending him crushed to the canvas. It was the most brutal KO blow that Liddell had ever taken, and Evans earned himself a Title shot with the victory.

Liddell took some time off and came back in April of 2009 to face another of Pride's top light heavyweights that Liddell had never faced off with in their respective primes in 2005-2006, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. After a gassed out performance against Mark Coleman in January of 2009, Rua seemed a very beatable foe for Liddell, and the two were matched up at UFC 97 in Montreal.

Unfortunately for Liddell, the fight ended in similar fashion as the bout with Evans. Late in the first round, he swung a looping left, attempting to land on Rua. But Rua beat him to the punch, catching him with a left of his own that sent him to the mat. Rua pounced and finished him off with hammer fists on the ground to force the stoppage.

The loss prompted UFC President Dana White, Liddell's former manager and longtime friend, to say he was done in the Octagon and openly call for his retirement.

Liddell wouldn't concede, however, and after taking time off from the fight game, participating in ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" program, along with being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, Liddell returned to coach the eleventh season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Initially set to face off with Tito Ortiz for a third time, Liddell found a new opponent in Rich Franklin when Ortiz was forced out of the bout due to his need for neck surgery.

At UFC 115 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Liddell looked to be a new fighter, varying his attack and keeping Franklin on the ropes. He even broke Franklin's forearm with a kick early in the fight. But after three knockout losses in his previous five fights, Liddell's chin could no longer withstand the type of punishment it had in the past, and his ability to take a punch to give a few was rendered obsolete when Franklin dropped him with a right just seconds before the round ended.

White once again called for Liddell's retirement, this time guaranteeing it was the last time Liddell will be seen in the Octagon. The proud former Champion may look for one last shot at redemption, but UFC 115 for all intents and purposes marked the end of Liddell's 12 year career in the sport with his fifth loss in six fights, and fourth by vicious knockout.

After a lengthy career that saw him fight through MMA's dark ages to emerge as the first true superstar in the sport, Liddell amassed millions of fans worldwide on his way to becoming the face of MMA. "The Iceman" will always remain one of the most beloved and celebrated light heavyweights in the annals of MMA history, but the final three years of his career showcased the accumulation of damage over a career and how that plays into a fighter's ability to compete. Liddell may not have left the game on top, but he certainly went out swinging.

TOMORROW: Chuck Liddell's top 5 fights

RELATED STORY: Part Two - "The Iceman" becomes the face of MMA during Championship reign: [CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE]