“Huntington Beach Bad Boy” will have to cut 10 more pounds than usual to fight “Spider,” a demand that has left Ortiz with little respect for the former Middleweight champ.
Triller’s Sept. 11, 2021, Oscar De La Hoya vs. Vitor Belfort boxing event just got a whole lot freakier with the late addition of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) greats Anderson Silva and Tito Ortiz fighting on the undercard. It’s exactly the kind of bout that no one expected nor asked for, but is honestly kinda scratching that sideshow itch just right.
We’re always excited to see Silva get paid, and Tito … well, Tito is a +500 underdog on this one so if you want to see the 46-year-old fighter-turned politician get punched in the face a lot, this may be one of your last chances.
Of course, Tito doesn’t see it going that way. He’s fired up for the fight, and there’s a little extra heat on this one because of how Silva’s team set up the bout conditions.
“I’m excited. I mean, I’ve been boxing almost my whole career,” Ortiz told TMZ Sports. “But now I don’t have to worry about wrestling or jiu jitsu. Don’t have to worry about knees or kicks. I can focus strictly on boxing. I’m exciting. I’m thankful for Triller giving us this opportunity, thankful for Anderson finally taking the fight.
“There was a little bit of negotiating on his part,” he continued. “I had a lot of respect for this guy, and he did what he did for the contract, I kind of just lost respect for him, man. He wants me down at 195. He’s fought at 205 over six times in his career. And he wants me down at 195, so it shows he’s afraid of my power. People don’t realize I’m a pretty decent puncher and I’ve gotten better over the last six years. I’ve gotten really good the last three to four years. I dunno, but hey.”
“Last time I was 195 was my sophomore year in college, wrestling. Sophomore year in college was the last time I weighed 195. I’ll make it, Imma try. I’ll literally cut off my … to make weight. I’ll try. I’ve never missed a weight in my entire career. But Anderson pushed the limit of doing that. But once again, I lost respect for the guy. He’s one of the best in the world at mixed martial arts, but I have no respect for him. So it gives me a little more energy, a little more aggressiveness during camp to punch this guy’s face off.”
Ortiz admits that Silva is coming in the better striker, but “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” thinks being hard as nails will carry him through the fight.
“I’m way tougher than him,” Tito declared. “Am I going to make it vicious, am I going to make it a blood fight? Yes, I’m ready for a dog fight and that’s what it’s going to be, a dog fight. I’m not in here for exhibition, I’m not in here for pitter patter, do a dance. I’m here to fight, I’m a fighter. That’s what I do for a living.”
For all the latest card info, pricing and how to order check out the FITE.TV page here.