Chuck Liddell Retiring?

Dana White comments on Chuck Liddell's loss at UFC 97 and possible retirement:

"He's a huge superstar, and we could still sell lots of tickets (with Liddell). But I don't care about that. I care about him. I care about his health, and it's over, man. It's over. How we built this company – using boxing as the blueprint – (and we) don't let guys hang around longer than they should, I was pushing for retirement. He's my friend, I love him, and I care about him. We sat down (prior to UFC 97). We had a two-hour talk. He wanted to do this (fight). I said, 'If you take this seriously – if I hear you're in one [expletive] nightclub, if you're not training, if you're not doing this, doing that – it's over. That's it. He said, 'No, I'm taking this seriously.' And he did. He kept his word. He was in great shape. He came out guns slinging like he does, but that was it. If that (fight) was a toe-to-toe war and he got flashed (knocked down) a couple times and it went to decision, he'd still be retiring too. He'd still be retiring."

From Jim Ross:

"It was tough watching Chuck Liddell get TKO'ed in the first round Saturday night in Montreal on the UFC PPV. I have huge respect for Liddell who was one of the primary individuals who motivated me to want to watch MMA from the early days. Chuck is a true warrior and I hope that he doesn't put himself back in the octagon for "one more fight" so he can end his career "the right way." Chuck's legacy is in tact and fighting again and either losing again or not fighting like the old, Chuck Liddell won't do Chuck any favors. My hats off to Chuck Liddell and I thank him for helping make me a huge UFC/MMA fan."

Liddell also spoke on the possibility of retirement, saying:

"Yeah, that's probably the case, I'm not going to make any decisions until I go home to talk to everybody, talk to my people and my friends. But it's probably safe to say I'm retired."