What Now for Chuck Liddell?

Is this the end of an era? Can the "Iceman" recover from this latest setback?

Chuck Liddell's career in the Octagon suffered a serious setback on Saturday night after he was knocked out in the second round by Rashad Evans. The loss stunned the pro-Liddell crowd, not only because Liddell lost, but also because of the way that he lost. Many figured that the only chance Evans had was to take the fight to the ground and hope to stay out of the way of Liddell's striking - few figured that Evans would be the one delivering the knockout blow.

The worst-kept secret in the UFC was that Forrest Griffin was going to fight Chuck Liddell for the UFC light heavyweight title if Liddell got past Evans. The Griffin / Liddell fight was going to be another in the long line of "mega" bouts for the UFC.

Now the UFC can't possibly justify giving Liddell a shot at the light heavyweight title. He has lost three of his last four fights (two of which were knockout losses), and seems to be far removed from the "Iceman" that dominated the light heavyweight division from 2004-2006. He was seemingly on the right track with a hard-fought victory over Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79 - however, a loss to Evans has pushed Liddell far down the light heavyweight ladder. At 38 years of age, you really have to wonder if Liddell will ever contend for the light heavyweight championship again. It seems doubtful considering that the light heavyweight division is absolutely loaded with talent.

You have to give tons of credit to Rashad Evans. He has fought his way into the light heavyweight title picture, having beaten Chuck Liddell and Michael Bisping in his last two fights. Evans is still undefeated, with his only "blemish" coming against Tito Ortiz at UFC 73, when the two fought to a draw.

But back to Liddell - is this the end of an era?

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