Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz enters Bellator 131 tomorrow night to square off with fellow UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar, and he seemed to spare no expense for his walkout.
In a 45-second preview clip filmed by TMZ Sports, the footage begins with two large U.S. flags being hung from the top of the entrance ramp on both sides near where the fighters walk to the cage, followed by two similarly placed Italian flags.
Also worth noting is that Ortiz’s entrance theme of choice is “Mosh” by Eminem, a song from October 2004 protesting against then-U.S. President George W. Bush.
Shortly after the Italian flags are lowered, an explosion can be heard before a large fire graphic flows across the middle screen typically reserved for fighter highlights.
The fire quickly reveals a picture of Ortiz holding an American flag on the aforementioned, large middle screen.
At the same time, his old nickname, The Huntington Beach Bad Boy, is plastered twice—over both sets of flags—in a large, stone-colored font.
The text on the right side quickly disappears and is replaced with “Tito Ortiz” in a hurry.
If the actual walkout goes off without a hitch, it looks like Ortiz may have a trip to cage-side that would make Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson blush.
Ortiz, who was a paltry 1-7-1 in his last nine fights before retiring from MMA in July 2012, signed with Bellator one year later.
Despite 16 months away from professional fighting, Ortiz had no problem taking down and submitting then-Bellator middleweight champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko at Bellator 120 this past May.
The bout was contested at 205 pounds, unfamiliar territory for the Russian striker.
Meanwhile, Bonnar has not fought since a lopsided TKO loss to then-UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 153 in October 2012.
The American Psycho and Ortiz were heavily criticized for an over-the-top pre-fight segment that took place back at Bellator 123 in September.
Additionally, some pundits question what Ortiz, 39, and Bonnar, 37, have in the tank at this point in their respective careers.
Fight fans will have a chance to find out at Bellator 131 tomorrow night, which airs for free on Spike TV, with the main card kicking off at 9 p.m. ET. Ortiz vs. Bonnar headlines the card.
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
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