Last week, it was announced that former UFC champion Tito Ortiz would make his MMA return against Alberto del Rio in Combate Americas.
The fight will take place in the United States and be contested at 210 pounds. Ortiz was last seen knocking out archrival Chuck Liddell in the ill-fated Golden Boy MMA late last year. Now, he’s ramping up the trash talk for his current bout.
“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” appeared on today’s episode of “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show” to open up on his differences with del Rio in terms of political views:
“I’m not into politics. I’m not a politics person, I’m not a Republican, I’m not a Democrat, I’m an American. I want the safety for my children’s future to be number one, and our president’s putting that for our country. I want that to happen.
“Now on the opposite side, Alberto del Rio, he wants open borders. Anybody to be able to come into our country whenever they want and I don’t believe in that. So I think that’s kind of where we butt heads.”
Disagrees With Alberto Del Rio
Questioned if he was friends with del Rio, Ortiz then admitted he respected the former WWE pro-wrestling champion. With that said, if the political strife due to their conflicting views came into play, he would fight for his country. So much so, he insisted he would have joined the Armed Forces had he not become a fighter:
“I wouldn’t say friends, I respect the man. I really respect him. There’s not hate as I had against Chuck Liddell, but you never know. I mean, you start talking about people’s countries and you start talking about the future and safety of our country here in America and I’m willing to die for it. If I wasn’t a fighter, I probably would have been a great Marine.”
Finally, Ortiz closed with a warning to del Rio after plugging his Instagram account:
“Alberto del Rio, keep a watch on my training stuff, and watch how I’m gonna whoop your a**.”
Ortiz will face del Rio at 210 pounds sometime in October. An official location, date, and venue have not been revealed as of this writing.
