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Bellator Is Trying To Setup Chuck Liddell vs Matt Hughes in 2017

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Just when you thought Bellator had gotten past the whole extreme freakshow fights thing, here we go again.




Sonnen vs Wandy or Fedor vs Mitrione didn’t quite cross the line towards freakshow fight territory, it’s certainly guys who are past their primes (Except Mitrione), but also none of those bouts are as egregious as something like Kimbo Slice vs Dada. Chuck is 47 years old and Matt is 43 and they both retired from the UFC for very legitimate reasons and because it was time for them both to hang up the gloves.

They both had cushy jobs with the UFC under the Fertitas, that allowed them to basically collect a big paycheck without really having to bust their butts. It has been reported that Liddell, Hughes, Forrest Griffin and guys like that who worked for the UFC were given those jobs as a way for the company to say thanks, without expecting a ton from them. Forrest is the only one who kept his job (as far as we know) because he’s the only one two took it seriously. Chael has said that the other guys got about $1,000 a day from their “fake jobs” at the UFC, whereas Forrest didn’t just take it as a token position, and actually worked really hard. The other guys were canned when the new owners came along, but Forrest was earning his keep.

When you lose a $1,000 per day job, it’s not wonder you’ll be looking for a fight to cash in on your name one last time, and when the UFC won’t book it – Bellator is your best bet.

Scott Coker, the president of Bellator, formerly the guy who built and sold Strikeforce to the UFC, has said that he’s interested in talking to Chuck and Matt and seeing if they can make something happen.

“At some point, I’m sure we’ll talk, and we’ll just hear each other out and see if there’s anything to be done,” Coker said.

Dana White basically forced Chuck into retirement years ago, they are very close friends and Dana wanted what was best for his buddy, so you have to imagine that, plus putting two UFC legends on a Bellator card, is going to make Dana White’s blood boil for two reasons.


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