One was perhaps the greatest light heavyweight of all-time, a feared striker who ruled the 205-pound weight class with an iron right hand and in doing so became mixed martial arts' first crossover superstar.

The other was his close friend, a visionary who helped create a brand that is now synonymous with the sport, but who also did it not with a ruthless business sense, but with an infectious enthusiasm and an attitude that could light up a room.

On Friday, July 10, the UFC inducts its two newest members, Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell and Charles "Mask" Lewis.

"I appreciate this gesture and I'm glad that people appreciate what I do and that they think that I deserve this, but I'm just one of the guys that fight out there," said Liddell, who admitted that this crowning moment of his storied career does come with some bittersweet feelings due to the fact that he won't be able to share it with his longtime friend Lewis, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in March. "It's gonna be a little rough being that it's Charles and me, but for us to go in together, I wouldn't have it any other way."

The official UFC Hall of Fame ceremony will take place at the UFC Fan Expo on Friday, July 10 at 6:30pm. Liddell and Lewis join Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Randy Couture, and Mark Coleman in the UFC's Hall of Fame.