Well how's this for irony.

Leading up to his main event showdown with Randy Couture at UFC 109 on Feb. 6, 2010, we were all lead to believe that Mark Coleman still had "it" at the ripe old age of 45. And with a win over fellow 40-something Couture, he would emerge as a contender in the stacked light heavyweight division. 

The week after a second round submission loss, "The Hammer" was dropped on the UFC Hall of Famer's career inside the Octagon. 

FiveOuncesOfPain.com reports that the first-ever UFC heavyweight champion has indeed graced the Octagon for the last time, no longer able to compete up to the promotion's high standards.

Coleman (16-10) had gone 1-2 in the second act of his UFC career following a decade-long layoff. After giving 205-pound number one contender Mauricio "Shogun" Rua all he could handle at UFC 93, Coleman dominated The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) finalist Stephan Bonnar at UFC 100, seemingly resurrecting his distinguished fight career.

Though it is unprecedented for a main event fighter to be cut from the UFC the week after the event, the argument can be, and has been, made that Coleman didn't belong there in the first place.

What do you think? Did Coleman get a raw deal or is his release for his own good?