Chuck Liddell may not have been the most versatile mixed martial artist to ever grace the octagon, he may not have been the most well rounded, but now that it is all said and done, he was the most important.

Yesterday Liddell finally gave in to what many fans, family, friends and Dana White have been begging him to do for the past 18 months or so, he retired. He walks away from the sport of mixed martial arts having accomplished more than he ever thought could be possible.

Regardless of the fact that he suffered 4 brutal knockouts and compiled a 1-6 record over that time, Liddell can walk away with his head held high and knowing he always gave it his all. No one can ever question his integrity nor can they ever say Liddell looked for an easy way out.

He helped MMA gain acceptance into parts of the mainstream media and along with Randy Couture showed people that these fighters were not animals locked in a cage. Without these two UFC Hall of Famers serving as coaches on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter who knows where the sport would be today. They showed us that these men were educated, loyal, respectful athletes looking to prove themselves in the world's ultimate arena.

His list of opponents reads like a who's who of great mixed martial artists. From the aforementioned Couture to such luminaries as Tito Ortiz, Rich Franklin, Wanderlei Silva, Rampage Jackson, Shogun Rua, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort and Alistair Overeem. There are many more that I did not mention because the list is just too long.

All in all Liddell faced a total of 12 world champions. He compiled a record of 11-6 against those 12 men. He beat these guys when they were in their prime and still had a lot left in the tank. All of his opponents knew what he was going to do, yet they still couldn't seem to get the job done.

He finishes his career with an impressive 21-8 record overall and was 16-7 while fighting inside the octagon. He held the UFC light heavyweight title for over 2 years and defended it successfully four times. When people think of the UFC they think of the "Iceman" Chuck Liddell. The man with the Mohawk and the right hand that put many of his opponents down for the count.

His days as a competitive athlete may be over, but he will still be an active employee with the UFC. It was announced yesterday that he would take on the role of executive VP of business development. His responsibilities will include helping the organizations expansion into the international markets and of course he will always be an ambassador for the sport.

Let's not mourn for Chuck Liddell today, he did things his way and we are all that much better off because of him. Let's celebrate the career of Chuck Liddell, go and watch a favorite fight of his and remember it's because of that man we have become as spoiled as we are.