(Complete lack of facial expressions? Unbuttoned shirt, to expose a gold medallion with possible religious significance? I’m going to take a wild guess and say this man is from…Russia? / Props: YouTube.com/alnado)
Bellator’s “Alvarez vs. Chandler III” pay-per-view card is just over a month away, but only three fights have been officially confirmed so far. And so, reigning middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko has decided to do a little YouTube matchmaking to get a big fight on the card. Here’s what “Storm” had to say in a video statement released yesterday; I’ve done my best to transcribe it in its entirety…
“Tito Ortiz, you say you want to fight May 17th on Bellator’s PPV. I will fight you. I will beat you. Tito, I respect you but I must beat you because I am champion. I know that Tito Ortiz, different weight class. I know that Tito Ortiz, light-heavyweight. This is not problem for me. I ready. I ready fight with light-heavyweight, no problem. Bjorn, make this fight for me because I am champion. I am ze best. I will make good fight. Fight of the night.
Prietziem. Seemnostomyabelotaprauwitzwapeerupayperview. Nitumtooneerihayagustipi Tito Ortiz. Tito Ortiz teeshasivisapeernika. Yagatostitevosapeerniko. Yasneshtomostupait foljoelenvisi. Yagatoldrasisniev foljoelenvisi. Yasneshtayamagul weegretinyugu. Bjorn, ebulyetur. Esyolsdebajolstinyaboi? Maaah. Payperviewsinos stowamyaprotiv. Tito Ortiz-eh. Yabolugotov, yabagozhareseevaboi.”
Ortiz has already accepted the challenge via Instragram and is already doing the kind of intense training that will lead to a back injury about three weeks from now. You heard it here first.
UPDATE: According to Sherdog, Shlemenko vs. Ortiz has been booked for the 5/17 PPV.