On Sunday night, Liddell said he hasn't decided what he wants to do next, comparing the situation to a child-custody battle.

"It's like if you're a kid and your parents don't get along," he said. "They both called me up and talked to me, and they both love me and have my best interests at heart. I love both guys, and I'm not going to take sides.

"They've never liked each other. But they've always kept it quiet out of respect for me. Now that it's going back and forth, it's been blown way out of proportion."

It's also gotten personal. Hackleman was furious at White's assertion that the trainer was sacrificing his friend because of money woes.

"Obviously, John Hackleman didn't pay his house off yet," White said in an interview with Sherdog.com last week. "John Hackleman needs some money because anybody who claims they care about Chuck Liddell even a little bit would not be making these [expletive] statements."

"I'm not going to have any trouble making my house payments," Hackleman said. "I don't live an extravagant life. I don't have a big house. I have a storefront karate studio."