On Thursday, following the UFC 98 pre-fight news conference, Dana White would not entirely rule out the possibility of former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell fighting again.

White said “there are no rumblings” that Liddell may fight once more, and placed the blame for the speculation on Jon Hackleman, Liddell’s longtime trainer. When jabbed with the fact that Liddell himself said he’s still contemplating his future, White backed off slightly.

“Trust me when I tell you, he’s ready to retire,” White said. “He’s ready to retire. It’s the reason we love Chuck Liddell. He has nothing left to prove. He’s got a [expletive] load of money. He’s been a world champion.

He’s beaten a who’s who of mixed martial arts fighters. He’s the most famous guy in the sport. There’s no reason to fight. He’s 40 years old, man. He and I had an agreement. We had a deal.

Am I his father? Can I tell him not to fight? Absolutely not. If he still wants to fight, he can fight. I’m not saying, ‘It will never happen. It will never happen.’ But he made a deal with me. He’s never not listened to me. We’ll see what happens.”

White could thwart the “Iceman” from entering the octagon by simply not booking him for another fight. If White did that and Liddell decided he wanted to fight, it could create the barbed scenario of Liddell looking for a fight outside of the UFC.

Strikeforce immediately comes to mind as a potential landing spot, with old UFC foes like Renato Sobral, Tito Ortiz and Kevin Randleman lurking as possible opponents.

White is Liddell’s former manager and the two are close friends. When asked if he’d stand in the way of Liddell fighting outside the UFC if Liddell opted to fight, White hedged:

“I don’t know, man,” he said, grimacing. “I’m honestly telling you guys I can not see him coming back to me and saying, ‘I want to fight one more.’

We already did that. I can’t see it happening. I think there are a lot of people around him who need his money putting pressure on him. That’s what I think.”