Chuck Liddell has spoken out about concerns raised by MMA fans over his health.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion, who holds a 21-9 professional record, took on some of the biggest names in the sport during his career.
Liddell captured the UFC light heavyweight title but was forced into retirement in 2010 after suffering three consecutive knockout losses.
He made a brief comeback eight years later, facing Tito Ortiz again, but a first-round KO loss convinced him to step away from fighting for good.
Chuck Liddell addresses concerns over slurred speech
For years, clips of Liddell speaking have popped up online, sparking concern from fans about how his speech has changed over time.
But the 56-year-old recently tried to calm those worries by explaining an injury he had not mentioned before.
Speaking on the Love & War podcast with Dominick Cruz, Liddell said: “I’ve seen people show videos of me before and after. But the problem is, I damaged my vocal cords and my neck.
“It was either from the surgery or after it. I went in, they’re like, ‘You have damaged one of your… You have three muscles in there, and one of them is kind of not working. So the other two will take over for it. So that changes your voice.’”
Liddell believes that some footage showing him slurring his words or appearing disoriented can be misleading and is not necessarily a sign of a head injury.
“They’ve done a couple with me where it’s like I’m talking to someone, and it’s like, dude, really, you’re going to pick this one where I’m having a conversation with somebody and I’m like, ‘Wait hold on – forgot’,” he said.
“They make that look like ‘Oh he’s got a problem with his brain’. But it is what it is.”
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