Tito Ortiz 1, Chuck Liddell 0. But, unfortunately for “Huntington Beach Bad Boy,” my unofficial scoring means ABSOLUTELY NUTHIN!
Liddell and Ortiz were in Las Vegas, Nevada, earlier this afternoon to promote their upcoming trilogy match, which will take place inside The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Nov. 24, 2018. Of course, Oscar de la Hoya was in the middle of things since he will be promoting the legends match under the Golden Boy Promotions banner.
Liddell, 48, and Ortiz, 43, initially threw down at UFC 47 back in 2004, with “The Iceman” knocking out “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” in the second round. Several years later, Liddell did the same thing to his former friend and training partner at UFC 66, though this time the fight made it into the third frame. The two UFC Hall of Famers were supposed to meet for a third time inside the Octagon in 2010, but the 205-pound fight never came to fruition.
Ortiz has been the more active of the pair, competing (and winning) under the Bellator MMA umbrella as recently as last year, which is when he submitted Chael Sonnen with a rear-naked choke (highlights). Liddell, meanwhile, has been collecting dust since 2010 — right around the same time Dana White was coaxing his favorite aging fighter friends into retirement with cushy, front-office jobs that paid more in one month than most fighters make in one year. But, as we all know, that didn’t last … but it was a good run.
So, now, here we are. For better or worse.