On April 18th, the mixed martial arts world said goodbye to the career of Chuck Liddell...well kind of.

When Liddell exited the ring at UFC 97 in front of a raucous Bell Centre crowd it was the type of applause that was reserved for a fighter that fans knew would never be returning and a ‘thank you' more than anything was given to ‘The Iceman'.

The immediate reaction from Liddell was his popular stock answer that he would go home and discuss his options and if he retired it would be in the gym when he couldn't put out the same work ethic he had demanded of himself throughout his career. However, after the post show press conference there was little doubt as to the future of Chuck Liddell with UFC president Dana White emphatically telling the press that Liddell had entered the octagon for the final time and would remain with the company in a non fighting capacity for life.

When the 4:28 mark of the first round signaled the end of the fight the emotion I felt during that knockout of Liddell was one of sadness, seeing this once dominant champion succumb to a punch that a younger Liddell would have eaten without flinching and would drown him into a forced retirement. My immediate thought was that it is time for Liddell to call it a career and not stay on the stage after the audience has stopped clapping (and you could easily make the argument that that he did stick around for one fight too many). In this fight he looked tentative, he looked slower and his chin was no longer an attribute to his style but a hindrance.

So was that the last night in Chuck Liddell's career? People are on the fence as they look at the on paper value of a Liddell headlined Pay Per View and cannot fathom UFC president Dana White not wanting to cash in that gigantic lottery ticket that can still earn millions.

The fact is, Chuck Liddell does not want to retire, nor does he want to bite the hand of the UFC, which has fed him since 1998 and take a fight with a rival promotion (who would pony up millions for the services of Liddell and offer a fraction of the tough fights the UFC could offer).

If there is one thing fans have a soft spot for, it is nostalgia and with the UFC running so many Pay Per Views and only having a finite amount of available main event level draws, it begs the questions if Dana White would be able to continually turn down requests from Liddell to fight ‘one more time'. There is no reason for Liddell to fight other than his own personal desire - the man is a millionaire many times over and won't have to work another day in his life, his legacy is cemented amongst fight fans as one of the key stars of the first generation mainstream UFC talent and he has the respect of his peers.

Where I think you could appease both parties is contingent on the outcome of a heavyweight bout in August between Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. With a Couture win, it would be smart business to milk one more title fight out of Couture before he himself calls it a career. However, with a Couture loss you find both ‘The Natural' and ‘The Iceman' in the same position where they will be shoved towards the side and into retirement and that is where a farewell fight could do tremendous business for the UFC.

When the UFC exploded in 2005, it was largely done on the backs of Liddell and Couture as the coaches of the inaugural season of ‘Ultimate Fighter' and their bouts in 2005 and 2006 did record business at the time as the two faces of the UFC.

The company is poised to generate a ton of money and do a proper ‘farewell fight' where both men go into a December New Year's bout with the clear indication that this is the last fight for both men in their careers - win or lose. Liddell has always stated he is willing to fight at heavyweight and conversely Couture would be amicable to move down to light heavyweight.

The two were rumored to fight this year but both men seemed luke warm on the idea of a fourth fight between seem citing hesitation in fight fans wanting to see them fight again. Under the right context - and a retirement fight is that context - this would do monster business for the UFC, would not be a case of feeding one of these legends to a young lion and allow both men to go out on their sword on their terms and ease into retirement.

I'm not crazy about another Chuck Liddell fight but for a man that played such a huge part in building the foundation that the current talent rests upon, I feel if the man wants one more fight that it is within reason that his wish is granted.  

In an industry that is constantly evolving and seeing new talent usurping older talent, it would be nice to see a proper retirement and allow fans to do something they rarely get to do and that is say ‘goodbye' to two legends at once.