Chael Sonnen says all the Iceman's trash talk was a bunch of hot air ... 'cause Chuck Liddell rejected 2 DIFFERENT OFFERS to fight him, killing their potential matchup.
"That's just not gonna happen," Sonnen told TMZ Sports.
Chuck's been putting Chael on blast for months ... saying he'd smash him and even calling him a "warm-up fight" -- but it sounds like Liddell's staying retired for now.
As for Sonnen -- he says he's "expecting some news very soon" ... but he wasn't about to let Chuck off the hook that easy, taking some serious shots at the UFC legend before signing off.