The Iceman: Done-eth?

Chuck Liddell, the MMA stalwart and one of UFC's highest profile fighters, sits somewhere in the Brett Favre-ish gray area between retirement and the next fight. It may stay that way for the immediate future, too: as of Friday, Liddell and his trainer John Hackleford were ambivalent about the future of Liddell's career, a long, distinguished, and diverse career spanning both the globe and the sport's evolution from open weight class brawling to the highly technical discipline MMA is today.

Liddell, 39, has lost four of his last five fights, including a first round loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 97; if he decides to retire, it won't be as if the decline of his skills was in question, as Liddell clearly and evidently is not the same fighter he was four years ago, much less in his prime. Dana White -- who is openly advocating for Liddell's retirement, and said he considered Liddell's fight against Rua to be his last -- says he doesn't want to see anyone get hurt in the ring, but the issue seems to be one not of potential injury (though this is MMA, and that could happen) but of pride. Liddell simply isn't competitive anymore, and that's unfair to young fighters who could take Liddell's spot and to Liddell himself. (Who, at this point, could pack his bags and go paint his toenails happily as a gym owner, commentator, or some other post-career sport as MMA's most recognizable public figure without having to sell the Ferrari.)

There's also the ticklish legal angle, too: Liddell has one more fight on his UFC contract. Should Dana White not grant him a fight -- citing his lack of ability to perform -- Liddell won't be able to compete on another circuit and make money as a fighter. As much as the prologue to this has been about Liddell's performance (or lack thereof) inside the ring, the most important tussle could be the personal and legal wrangling surrounding Liddell, White, and the army of lawyers who could get involved should Liddell decide not to retire from MMA. White and Liddell reportedly have a good personal relationship, but that's never kept friends from putting each other into rear naked chokes in the courtroom when it starts to get about the paperwork.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.