They had to swap out half of the main event and transplant the card from California to Florida to keep it intact, but Triller’s latest foray into boxing hits the online airwaves TONIGHT (Sat., Sept. 11, 2021) virtually unopposed in the combat sports world.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of the FITE pay-per-view (PPV) main card below, kicking off at 7 p.m. ET.
The legendary Oscar De La Hoya was previously slated to return to the ring after nearly 13 years against former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion, Vitor Belfort, but a breakthrough case of COVID knocked “The Golden Boy” off the card late last week. Instead, Ryan Kavanaugh and Co. enlisted Cruiserweight and Heavyweight legend, Evander Holyfield, who’s made multiple attempts to re-enter the ring under Triller’s banner these last couple years.
In the co-feature, two more UFC greats lock horns as Tito Ortiz makes his professional boxing debut against Anderson Silva, last seen upsetting Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. One fight prior, one-time unified Cruiserweight champion, David Haye, takes on 38-year-old businessman Joe Fournier, while Andy Vences takes on Jono Carroll in the evening’s sole meaningful boxing match.
Holyfield Vs. Belfort Quick Results:
Evander Holyfield vs. Vitor Belfort — Belfort def. Holyfield by TKO at 1:49 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS
Tito Ortiz vs. Anderson Silva — Silva def. Ortiz by KO at 1:21 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS
Andy Vences vs. Jono Carroll — Carroll def. Vences by majority decision (95-95, 97-93 x2)
David Haye vs. Joe Fournier — Haye def. Fournier by unanimous decision (79-72 x2, 80-71) — HIGHLIGHTS
Holyfield Vs. Belfort Round-By-Round Updates:
Heavyweight: Evander Holyfield vs. Vitor Belfort
Round one: Holyfield probing with jabs. He tries a combination. Belfort with an overhand left that makes Holyfield stagger back. He whiffs on a big left and Holyfield slips through the ropes a minute in. Belfort actually trying to hurt Holyfield here and he drops him with an overhand left. More left hands and Belfort is unloading. In comes the ref and there’s the first-round finish.
Final result: Belfort def. Holyfield by TKO
Catchweight: Tito Ortiz vs. Anderson Silva
Round one: Ortiz pushing forward, tries to open up on the ropes. Continuing to throw arm punches at Silva in the corner. Halfway through. Suddenly, Silva unleashes a monstrous counter right that completely crumples Ortiz. Holy moly.
Final result: Silva def. Ortiz by KO
Super Featherweight: Andy Vences vs. Jono Carroll
Round one: Welcome to the only actually meaningful boxing match on the show.
Vences with an early right cross. Jab upstairs. Both men still in the feel-out process. Both dig power hands to the body. 1-2 from Vences. Both targeting the body again. Halfway through. Carroll with a series of body shots near the corner. 1-1-2. Carroll doing well in the latter half of the round. 10-9 Carroll.
Round two: Carroll with another clean left downstairs. Trading jabs. Carroll tries a 3-2. Both fire crosses. Vences with a right hand upstairs. Clean 2-1 by Carroll halfway through the round. Both bang the body in center ring. Carroll lands another pair of body shots. Vences 1-2 downstairs. Carroll with a mobile combination. 10-9, 20-18 Carroll.
Round three: Caroll with a long combo, Vences postures in response. Carroll with a left cross. 1-1-2 downstairs. Vences just not throwing enough so far. Uppercut from Carroll halfway through the round. Another sneaky right uppercut, double hook to the body. Catches Vences coming in. Jab upstairs. Both connect with rear-hand body shots. Vences trying to jab. 1-2 downstairs from him. They trade in the center, clean cross by Carroll. 10-9, 30-27 Carroll.
Round four: This really just seems to be a case of Vences waiting for the perfect shot and letting Carroll rack up punches. Trading in the center. Halfway through. Combo from Carroll upstairs. Vences with a right downstairs. Carroll straight left, Vences straight right. Trading on the ropes. Carroll goes low-high, takes another right downstairs. Vences with a couple hard rights to the body. Carroll responds with a flurry and bangs his chest. 10-9 Vences, 39-37 Carroll.
Round five: Carroll with a good combination early on. 1-1-2-1. Vences tries to load up a right downstairs and eats a three-piece. Carroll busier this round. Another combo inside. Halfway through. Carroll with a left downstairs, answers a shot up top and gets warned for low blows inside. Good counter left. Vences to the body. Hard right cross lands for Vences, best shot in a while. Carroll triples up the left hand. Double jab. 10-9, 49-46 Carroll on the early work.
Round six: Three-piece from Carroll, then some body work. Vences now pressing forward, lands a right downstairs. Clinch. Carroll combination as he gets off the ropes. Right hook as Vences tries to land his own body shots. Good shots by Carroll near the corner. Halfway through the round. Vences still doggedly advancing and landing his own shots to the midsection. More 1-2s downstairs from Vences. Carroll left hand and combo. Vences digs a pair of rights to the body. Carroll catches him with a straight left and tries a 3-2. Closer, but 10-9, 59-55 Carroll.
Round seven: Carroll still seemingly getting the better of things through raw volume. They trade heavy shot sin the center. Halfway through the round. Clinch. Lull as both men feint for a while, then a Vences two-piece. Carroll answers to the body. combinations on the ropes. Vences with a two-piece to the body. 10-9, 69-64 Carroll.
Round eight: Carroll with a quick little four-piece to start. Body jab. Vences falls short with return fire. It’s not like Carroll is dominating; he’s just doing more. Vences complaining of shots to the back of the head. Halfway through. Carroll catches him with a good left on the exit. Hard 1-2 by Vences. Carroll waves him on and lands a right hook. Looking a bit marked up. Left hook from Vences. Good 1-2. 10-9 Vences, 78-74 Carroll.
Round nine: Lots of feeling out, not much punching early on. Now Carroll comes forward with some lovely combos 30 seconds in. Really pouring it on. Continuing to attack the head and body. Vences punches into a brief clinch. 3-2 from Carroll halfway through the round. Little right hook. Vences with a body shot but it’s Carroll pressing forward this round. Right hook lands in the corner. Trading on the ropes, decent shots from Vences. Both rip the midsection. Carroll calling him on. 10-9, 88-83 Carroll.
Round ten: Slow start to the round again. Carroll pressuring, lands to the body. Counter uppercut lands for Vences. Good right cross. Vences lead right. Both fire combos inside. Halfway through. Hard right hand by Vences on the exit. They trade rights on the ropes. Carroll left hand, Vences body shot. Continuing to exchange volleys. Vences answers a flurry with a body shot. 10-9 Vences, 97-93 Carroll. There were at least three or four swing rounds, so the scores will be interesting.
Final result: Carroll def. Vences by majority decision
Heavyweight: David Haye vs. Joe Fournier
Round one: Fournier backs Haye to the fence and tries some arm punches before tying up. Ugly two-piece. Haye with some clean jabs, eats a right hand, clinch. Halfway through. Haye continuing to pop him with jabs, doesn’t seem inclined to actually throw a power punch. Fournier flails into the clinch. Fournier walks into a jab that knocks him down before the bell. 10-8 Haye.
Round two: Haye could clearly obliterate Fournier any time he wanted but is content to jab. 3-2 from Haye, his first real combo of the fight a minute in. Fournier looks gunshy at this point. God, one right hand from Haye would pop this dude’s head like a grape. Clinch. 10-9, 20-17 Haye.
Round three: Fournier with some wimpy punches on the ropes, then clinches. Haye doubles up the right hand. God I hate this commentary. Decent left hook from Fournier. He blitzes, nothing doing a minute in. More clean jabs from Haye, who backsteps Fournier’s return fire. More clean jabs. Fournier punches into the clinch. 10-9, 30-26 Haye.
Round four: Good body shot by Haye as he continues to play with his food. One minute in. Haye punches into the clinch. More clinching. 10-9, 40-35 Haye.
Round five: Fournier tries an early combo that falls short. To reiterate, Haye is 10,000% pulling his punches here to avoids hurting Fournier. Landing jabs. Fournier tries his own jabs a minute in. More clean jabs from Haye. Fournier advancing, landing nothing. 10-9, 50-44 Haye.
Round six: More of the same: Haye periodically landing jabs and Fournier whiffing on all of his power punches. One minute in. Haye matadors another blitz. Light left hook from Haye. Clinch. 10-9, 60-53 Haye.
Round seven: Fournier tries to corner Haye and misses with another ugly overhand. Haye circling and sending out the occasional jab. Halfway through the round. More Haye jabs, and by “more” I mean like eight total. 10-9, 70-62 Haye.
Round eight: Despite how funny it would be for Haye to just go HAM and knock his block off, it’s still the same sparring session. One minute in. More Haye jabs. Fournier whiffs and clinches. Trading jabs. 10-9, 80-71 Haye.
Final result: Haye def. Fournier by unanimous decision
Stick with Mania for full coverage of Saturday’s “Holyfield vs. Belfort” PPV card right here.