Chuck Liddell vs Tito Ortiz 3 was an interesting show, to say the least, and didn’t match what was originally projected in terms of PPV buys. Over the weekend, inside The Forum in Inglewood, California on pay-per-view, Tito Ortiz was able to score a first round knockout victory over “The Iceman.” Obviously, this was not how the former UFC light heavyweight champion wanted this fight to go.
Prior to this fight, Liddell had already beaten Ortiz twice while under the UFC banner. However, he took the fight and it didn’t work out for him. Liddell and Ortiz have fought twice throughout their legendary careers, with “The Iceman” knocking out Ortiz at UFC 47 in 2004 and UFC 66 in 2006.
Originally, Oscar De La Hoya initially claimed 200,000-400,000 PPV buys was a “no-brainer” for this fight. However, that is not the case. It was reported by media members from LA Times and Yahoo! Sports that the PPV drew very poorly.
“Industry source tells me the Liddell-Ortiz PPV buys may be as low as 30,000. But the Tiger-Phil golf might reach 1 million (all refunded, but a glimpse of what a low price can generate).”
Industry source tells me the Liddell-Ortiz PPV buys may be as low as 30,000….but the Tiger-Phil golf might reach 1 million (all refunded, but a glimpse of what a low price can generate).
— Lance Pugmire (@latimespugmire) November 30, 2018
I’ve heard 25k for the fight
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) November 30, 2018
Coming into this fight, there was a mindset that this was a reality and that came true. It should be noted that non-UFC promotions have never really done well on pay-per-view. Also, this was built up as an original boxing event with there being a solid main event with no drawing power on the rest of the card.
The live gate was reportedly at $731,226, and PPV revenue would be at around $1-1.2 million at the $40 price point. The two fighters also got merchandise, sponsorships, any other international deals, and revenue sources. They received a base pay of $200k and $250k respectively.
Their Second Fight Drew Well
For those who are wondering, here is a comparison to their second fight that reportedly drew over a million buys back in 2006.
“If Tito & Liddell had the same deal back at UFC 66 as they reportedly both had with Golden Boy (30% each for Chuck/Tito & 40% for Golden Boy of the revenue) then they each would have earned almost $6.5 mil from ppv & gate alone back in 2006.”
If Tito & Liddell had the same deal back at UFC 66 as they reportedly both had with Golden Boy (30% each for Chuck/Tito & 40% for Golden Boy of the revenue) then they each would have earned almost $6.5 mil from ppv & gate alone back in 2006.
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) November 28, 2018
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