Chuck Liddell is coming out of retirement this year, likely for a trilogy bout with fellow UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz. Could he end up in the cage with Jon Jones one day? Almost 100 percent not, but it hasn’t stopped both guys from talking about it.

Liddell (21-8) went on The MMA Hour earlier today and officially announced that he’s going to return to MMA competition. He’s 48 and hasn’t fought since June 2010, but apparently “The Iceman” still has the desire to fight, and is in negotiations for a pay-per-view bout with longtime rival Ortiz, possibly promoted by Oscar De La Hoya and the upstart GoldenBoy MMA.

During his announcement interview, Liddell said he’s taking his comeback one step at a time, but in the back of his mind he’s being motivated by fighting the best in the world at 205 pounds. That’s fellow former UFC champ Jones (21-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC), who Liddell said would be the opponent he’d want to fight most.

Liddell has said numerous times over the years that he wants the fight, and it’s always been met with a collective rolling of the eyes from the MMA community. “Bones” usually brushes it off, as well, but upon hearing of the latest callout he was slightly more feisty (via Twitter):

Is this fight any closer to happening after Jones’ response – sanctioned or unsanctioned? Probably not. Liddell is not under a fight contract with the UFC and is pursuing the fight with Ortiz. Then, of course, there’s the fact Jones is still unavailable to fight until he receives his official punishment from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for his failed test around the time of his UFC 214 bout with Daniel Cormier.

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