Time for a legend to save his health

Let’s make one thing emphatically clear – Chuck Liddell is a mixed martial arts legend and no loss or losing streak is going to change that.

He became one of the first big-time, marketable and recognizable stars the sport had seen.

A sport that critics labeled as “bloodthirsty” and its fighters seen as “animals” in its infancy was transformed into a mainstream attraction thanks to UFC president Dana White and fighters like Liddell.

But with most legends, there comes a time when enough is enough.

At last week’s UFC 115, Liddell was knocked out for a third straight fight after a short right hand from Rich Franklin toppled the former World Champion, leaving him in a heap. With only one win in his last six fights and being knocked loopy in three straight, it’s time for
Liddell to step aside.

For his own safety, if for nothing else.

It’s not Liddell’s skills that have betrayed him – he was still quick in the cage and was fluently changing up his offense against Franklin – it’s the ability for the 43 year old to take a punch. His chin is as weak as Shaq’s game at the free throw line.

I know it’s not medically proven, but theories suggest that once a person received a concussion, the next one becomes easier to sustain and so on. When a fighter gets knocked out, he suffers a concussion. The Liddell of six years ago would have lasted through the short right that Franklin delivered to his chin. But the battered Liddell of 2010 simply can’t.
What he used to brush off now knocks him out.

And it’s White’s responsibility to make sure the Franklin fight was Liddell’s last. He needs to protect his fighters – White can’t afford a star of his company walking around with slurred speech and drooling thanks to too many knockouts – and the integrity of his product.
As much as it pains me to write it, Liddell is no longer competitive with today’s main event fighters. He’s a draw – for how much longer? – but he’s not a top fighter, thanks to his chin.

UFC 118, Fan Fest, head to Boston in August

UFC will hold its first event in Massachusetts at the TD Garden on Aug. 28. The event is headlined by a lightweight championship rematch with Frankie Edgar defending his new belt against B.J. Penn, who he upset for the title at UFC 112 in April.

UFC legend Randy Couture is also on the card against former boxer James Toney, who will make his MMA debut.
Local Kenny Florian (Dover) will fight Gray Maynard in what many believe will determine the challenger for the Penn-Edgar winner and the lightweight title.

UFC will also hold just its third fan convention in the company’s history at the Hynes Convention Center Aug. 27-28.
“I think everyone knows how much it means to me to bring the UFC to Boston and to give fans this two-day event packed with amazing UFC experiences,” said White, a New England native.

White also wants to hold an outdoor event at Fenway Park.
“We’re not going to do one fight there (in Boston),” White said. “We’ll be coming back. You’ve got Fenway Park and the Garden. It’s awesome.”

Tickets will go on sale next week and range between $75 and $600.

“Without a doubt, Aug. 28 will be one of the highlights of my career,” White said. “I’m thrilled to bring the UFC to Boston for the first time in our history. Boston is one of the world’s greatest fight towns. Fans only expect the best, and we are bringing it with the rematch between B.J. Penn and Frankie Edgar, and the octagon debut of boxing legend James Toney versus one of the greatest UFC heavyweights of all time, Randy Couture.”