Tito Ortiz is not done with his mixed martial arts (MMA) career just yet.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion was last seen knocking out longtime rival Chuck Liddell in the first and only event under the ill-fated Golden Boy MMA banner. ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ claimed to be the face of Oscar De Lay Hoya’s foray into the sport as early as last year. But he recently confirmed the promotion was dead after one show, even admitting Dana White was right about it.
Ortiz flirted with retirement as he often does, but news arrived this spring that he had signed with Combate Americas instead. Today, we have found out his first opponent for the promotion. Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren revealed to the Generación MMA podcast that Ortiz will meet former WWE champion Alberto del Rio:
A Strange Booking
The 44-year-old Ortiz is reportedly under a multi-fight deal with Combate Americas. He has retired twice before, first after his second loss to Forrest Griffin in the UFC and again after defeating Chael Sonnen in Bellator.
As for del Rio, he’s most well-known for his pro-wrestling career. But he does have a background in MMA. He actually has a winning record of 9-5 in MMA. His last fight was a TKO loss to Yamamoto Hanshi at 2010’s Cage of Combat 4: Spanish Bombs in Madrid. Before the defeat, he did win six fights in a row.
Perhaps more importantly, del Rio is currently working as an executive for Combate Americas.
An official date and location were not announced for Ortiz vs. del Rio. Ortiz has drawn some criticism for facing past-prime fighters in order to collect an easy paycheck in his late-career stage. This certainly will not put out those fires. For what it’s worth, Combate Americas has been making waves with some very solid ratings for the Mexican-based outfit.
Ortiz will add to that, in the very least, due to his mainstream appeal.
Are you excited to watch Ortiz take on Alberto del Rio?
