Boxing and now MMA promoter Oscar De La Hoya is foreseeing a lucrative payday for both Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz in their upcoming trilogy fight this weekend.
Boxing promoter Oscar De La Hoya will officially be making his entry into mixed martial arts promotion this weekend, with a fight card headlined by a third fight between UFC Hall-of-Famers Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. And according to “The Golden Boy,” both fighters are in for the most lucrative paydays of their careers.
“The message I want to send here is Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, this trilogy with this fight taking place, they’re gonna make the most money they’ve ever made in their entire careers,” De La Hoya said recently on The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting). “It’s incredible.
“I’m actually mind blown by that, because I would have thought with Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell — with two names like that — they would have made a lot more money in their careers.”
The UFC has been heavily criticized for the manner of which they compensate fighters on its roster. In his maiden venture into MMA, De La Hoya says he is already trying to change that.
“I’m a promoter that loves to share all revenues and whatever revenues are coming in, we’re gonna share it,” De La Hoya said. “It’s not about the promoter, it’s about the fighters. And that’s exactly why, for instance, Golden Boy Promotions has been very successful, because we treat our fighters the way they should be treated.
“The fighters are the ones who make these events happen. This is a great indication that, look we’re letting Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell participate in the pay-per-view revenues from top to bottom, they’re gonna be able to make tons of money. The best purse they’ve ever made in their careers.”
Ortiz said that his cut of the gate and PPV revenue will be 30%, as opposed to the 2 or 3% he received from the UFC.
Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 takes place on November 24th at the Forum in Inglewood, California. It is also available on pay-per-view for $39.99, which De La Hoya believes is the “perfect” price point.