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Tito Ortiz foresees a lucrative return for a supposed fight against Mike Tyson.
Over the past few weeks, a 53-year-old Mike Tyson has been impressing fans with a set of training videos he recently released. These immediately sparked discussions about a possible return of “Kid Dynamite,” who hasn’t been in a professional fight since 2005.
One of those who instantly jumped in was former UFC champion Tito Ortiz, who issued a cordial challenge to Tyson via social media. In a recent interview with TMZ, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” revealed that someone had reached out to him about possibly making the fight happen.
“I got a phone call and someone started asking me, ‘What do you think about fighting Mike Tyson?’” Ortiz said without revealing who individual is (transcript by MMA Junkie). “I was like, ‘Really?’ This is an opportunity that I like. I’m in.’
“I’m not sure if it’s going to be MMA or boxing yet. I haven’t even gotten that far. We both have got to be cleared by the athletic commissions. That’s the biggest thing. Either one. I’ve been boxing for 20 years.
“My boxing skills have gotten better and better,” he continued. “They may not be at the same level as Tyson, but has Tyson been punched in the face in the last 15 years? No he hasn’t. I have been. I’ve been able to subdue everyone I’ve competed against over the last four years.”
If the matchup does push through, Tyson vs. Ortiz would be another high-profile crossover fight between boxing and MMA, following the lucrative pairing of Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor in 2017. Ortiz, however, says they could do better in terms of the numbers they’ll bring in.
“You know what Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather did? I think we could double that,” Ortiz said. “It’d be amazing. It’d be fun. It’d be a great opportunity for both of our brands. The hard work that pays off, the person’s hand will get raised. Everyone knows me as being a hard worker.”
The 45-year-old Ortiz announced his retirement from competition after defeating Chael Sonnen at Bellator 170 in early 2017. After just nearly two years in the sidelines, he returned to knock out rival Chuck Liddell in late 2018, then submitted former WWE talent Alberto ‘El Patron’ last December.