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Anaheim, California "I'm going to Disneyland." Many a victorious athlete has uttered those now-storied words after realizing glory on the grandest stage. As Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell sat in the underbelly of the Honda Center in Anaheim, he offered those words as the only certainty of his future. "I'm going to Disneyland tomorrow with my kids, then I'll go home and figure it out," were the words offered by Liddell – the biggest star in the history of the infant sport of mixed-martial arts – when asked about his fighting future. On a cloudy Southern California day, Liddell's days in the Ultimate Fighting Championship became cloudier. Months removed from a stunning first-round knockout loss to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Liddell was supposed to begin his road back to the light-heavyweight title that Jackson had taken from him with a perfect right hand. Liddell was supposed to set up the long-awaited blockbuster, toe-to-toe war with former PRIDE light-heavyweight kingpin Wanderlei Silva. Liddell was supposed to win by a devastating knockout - just one more in a long list that has made up his legendary career. But a never-failing trend in the UFC as of late continued, supposed to never happened. As Sept. 22 approached, it seemed that every question Liddell answered was about his loss to Jackson and his impending showdown with Silva. All the while, Liddell said he was thinking about nothing but Keith Jardine. As Saturday, Sept. 22 quickly turned into the early morning of Sept. 23, Liddell was left to answer questions about what had happened and what would happen. They were all questions that merely led to more questions.  For the last five years, Chuck Liddell carried the banner of mixed-martial arts as the UFC's most popular fighter. He was on the wrong end of a three-round, split-decision loss to Jardine, and after two straight losses was left to answer quandaries about retirement. In the days that followed, rumors circulated that, indeed, the "Iceman's" days inside the octagon may very well have concluded. If Sept. 22 was indeed the last time Liddell – trademark blue shorts, Mohawk, tattoos, bad intentions, knockout power and all – is to fight in the octagon, it was most assuredly a historic night. For being able to witness that, I guess I am thankful – much the same way I'll be forever grateful that I was able to sit next to my Dad at Yankee Stadium on the day that Mickey Mantle passed away. Perhaps the comparison's a bit too melancholy; Liddell's most certainly got a lengthy and luxurious life still ahead. Nevertheless, should he never again compete, his loss to "The Dean of Mean" was the end of an era. Like most things in life, it didn't end well. The most dominant champion the UFC has ever seen was left squatting against the cage, stunned, bewildered and betrayed, his face covered by the hands that made him famous. For roughly the last five years, Liddell carried along the banner of mixed-martial arts' and the UFC's most popular fighter. Most of the UFC's biggest grossing gates and most watched pay-per-views saw the curtain fall after a Liddell knockout win. And through it all, he crossed over, becoming a mainstream star – he was "Punk'd," he was part of "Entourage," on the cover of "ESPN The Magazine" and tabbed as one of the top 32 sports stars in ESPN's "Who's Now" poll. But now what? "Chuck needs to decide what Chuck needs to do," UFC President Dana White offered in the same postfight press conference during which Liddell spoke of his plans of visiting the "Happiest Place on Earth," while also contemplating the doldrums of two straight losses. Many contemplated if the UFC and the sport of MMA that it incorporates would cease claims of being the fastest growing sport after Liddell's chin was so perfectly struck by Jackson's right hand in May. The man known as "Rampage" proved his legitimacy with a unanimous decision victory against then-PRIDE light-heavyweight champion Dan Henderson. "Rampage's" charisma, humor and ability made him a star like most in the industry predicted. On top of all that, Jackson's triumph against a game Henderson was seen by 4.7 million viewers on Spike TV, grabbing more viewers in the 18-34 and 18-49 male demographics than anything else on the tube – which included college football and NASCAR.
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