Bellator's Scott Coker willing to hear out Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes on coming back to fight

If UFC Hall of Famers Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes want to stage comebacks, Bellator President Scott Coker is certainly willing to hear them out.

“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 today during a conference call to promotoe Bellator 179, which takes place May 19 at The SSE Arena in London. “But really, it hasn’t been on our radar just yet.”

Indeed, Coker has a show to worry about. What’s more, it’s not clear if importing two former UFC stars is even possible. The contractual status of Liddell (21-8 MMA, 16-6 UFC) and Hughes (45-9 MMA, 18-7 UFC) is unknown, though in most cases, retirement “freezes” a UFC contract, meaning the original deal resumes if a fighter decides to compete again.

After UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture retired amid a disagreement with the UFC, the promotion took him to court to enforce their contractual rights.

Liddell hasn’t fought since 2010, while Hughes hung up his gloves one year later. Both suffered knockout losses in the latter parts of their careers but have expressed a desire to return to competition. Perhaps not coincidentally, jobs they had behind the scenes with the industry leader were eliminated in the wake of corporate cutbacks this past year.

So far, the man who pushed both to call it a career, UFC President Dana White, hasn’t signaled whether he’s open to the idea of the former stars staging a comeback. But if history is any indication, it’s an idea he’s unlikely to support.

In theory, that would leave open a window for Bellator should Liddell and Hughes win a contractual release to fight elsewhere. They appear to be a perfect fit for the Viacom-owned promotion’s “tentpole” events, which pit aging former UFC stars against each other. Whether the reality of fighting in another show materializes is anyone’s guess.

If it did, at least a few Bellator stars wouldn’t mind.

“Chuck’s a legendary fighter,” Bellator 179 headliner Paul Daley (39-14-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) told MMAjunkie during the call. “(He) produced some highlight-reel knockouts – a great character for the sport. And Matt Hughes was a consistently dominant champion. So, yeah, it would be great to have two legends back in the sport, in particular Matt Hughes. He’s in my division, and it would be great to get in there and fight against a legend. So it would be great to have them both back, and even better if they come to Bellator.”

Daley’s opponent, Rory MacDonald (18-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), agreed.

“I think Bellator’s done a fantastic job of bringing these legendary fighters and matching them up against each other,” MacDonald said. “It’s good for those legendary fighters to come in and stay busy and do what they love without having to go against the young and dangerous guys. So I like it, the fans like it, and it really works. I would always like to see more of the old-school guys coming back to Bellator for good fights.”

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