INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Chuck Liddell offered no excuses following his knockout loss to Tito Ortiz in the main event of the inaugural Golden Boy MMA show.

Liddell (21-9) came out of retirement after more than eight years on Saturday night for a trilogy bout with long-time rival and fellow UFC Hall of Famer Ortiz (20-12-1). The result didn’t go the way of the first two fights, though, as “The Iceman” was knocked out cold in the first round.

All of the pre-fight talk from Liddell indicated he was coming back to the sport for the right reasons. He couldn’t get the job done, and afterward accepted the defeat with grace.

“I showed up, no excuses,” Liddell told reporters, including MMAjunkie, at the post-fight news conference. “I was in great shape, ready to go, and he was the better man. So, there it is.”

Liddell said he regrets some aspects of his strategy for the fight. He believes he allowed Ortiz to gain too much confidence and wishes he’d put out a more aggressive offensive pace in the light heavyweight bout, which took place at The Forum and aired on pay-per-view.

Despite the loss, the former long-time UFC light heavyweight champ said he enjoyed the experience of returning to competition. He was resistant to retirement following a knockout loss to Rich Franklin at UFC 115 in June 2010, and getting back to fighting fulfilled an urge.

“I loved being in there,” Liddell said. “You’ve got to understand, I love fighting. I never did this for money or fame. That’s not why I started. I did this because I love being out there. I was ready to go. I wish I had done a few things different, obviously, but it happens.”

The rivalry between Liddell, 48, and Ortiz, 43, dates back even further than their first encounter at UFC 47 in April 2004. After the trilogy bout ended, though, the two shared a respectful moment inside the cage where they seemingly buried the hatchet.

Liddell struggled to explain his emotions toward Ortiz but did give credit to the man who beat him.

“I don’t know what to say about (our relationship),” Liddell said. “I respect him. He gets in that ring. Anyone gets in that ring, and they close the door and fights, I respect them. I have respect for him, have respect for the job he did, and he got ready for the fight and came out and fought hard, and he beat me.”

Liddell said prior to his matchup with Ortiz that if he couldn’t achieve victory, a future in the sport was unlikely for him. He wouldn’t commit to any sort of retirement post-fight, though, and gave himself an out as to what the future could hold.

“I don’t want to think about that right now,” Liddell said. “I’m not in the right state of mind to really talk about whether or not I’m done or not, but I felt good out there, and I had fun. So, we’ll see.”

For more on “Golden Boy MMA: Liddell vs. Ortiz,” check out the MMA Events section of the site.