Liddell Retires But Stays With UFC

[Troy]

Chuck Liddell officially retired from mixed martial arts on Wednesday, but the former UFC light heavyweight champion will remain with the company he helped turn into the world’s biggest MMA promotion.

UFC president Dana White announced Liddell’s retirement at the UFC 125 pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas. White revealed that the 41-year-old “Iceman†will be joining the ranks of the UFC brass as the company’s new executive vice president of business development.

“He’s on level and on par with all the top executives. There’s about five or six of us, and Chuck Liddell is now one of them,†White said.

“Chuck will be involved in many different things as vice president of business development,†added UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta. “He’ll be working on not only the obvious regulatory issues, fighter relations, but mainly new business development. We continue to grow here in North America, with the U.S. and Canada, but we’ve got so many more things to do around the world.â€

A visibly emotional Liddell took the podium for a brief statement, thanking the UFC, his fans and family for their support.

“I love this sport and I’m excited going into a new stage in my life, to keep promoting the best sport in the world and the sport I love,†said Liddell, who graduated from California Polytechnic State University in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in business and accounting. “[The UFC is] giving me the opportunity again to keep promoting and keep doing stuff now that I’m retired.â€

It was the right time for him to go. He had been knocked out in his last three fights and he had no need to continue to fight in the octagon. I am very glad to see him continue on with the UFC since he played a major role in helping to make it the powerhouse that it is today.