Last night (Jan. 21) Chinzo Machida competed at Bellator 170 inside The Forum in Inglewood, California. Machida went head-to-head with Jamar Ocampo. Machida was able to rally in the final round and knocked Ocampo out with a thunderous right hand shot.
While Machida is glad to pick up the victory, he knows there is room for refinement (via MMAJunkie.com):
“I think I need to improve a little bit, the takedown defense and the ground work for sure. But at the same time, I’m proud of me because I fought almost three rounds. I’m so happy, but at the same time, I know I have to work a little bit more on the takedown and on the ground, as well.”
Chinzo’s younger brother Lyoto Machida is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title holder. The Bellator featherweight said his brother gave him some advice after the fight.
“(Lyoto) was happy, but he said that even on the stand-up technique, I was too anxious to finish the fight. So I have to keep more calm and get a good timing and a good distance. Because sometimes I took a good shot (to him), but I wanted to finish the fight at the moment, and the guy took me down.”
One benefit Machida has is an honest corner. Instead of telling their fighter what he wants to hear, Machida’s coaches and teammates told him he was losing the fight heading into the final frame. Machida believes he knows why he was down on points before scoring the knockout.
“My corner told me I was losing, because at the end of the first round, and at the end of the second round, my opponent was on top and I was on the bottom. I think I was losing the fight, so for that reason, to the end I was looking for the knockout.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb9UJ9AwMYM&t
Last night (Jan. 21) Chinzo Machida competed at Bellator 170 inside The Forum in Inglewood, California. Machida went head-to-head with Jamar Ocampo. Machida was able to rally in the final round and knocked Ocampo out with a thunderous right hand shot.
While Machida is glad to pick up the victory, he knows there is room for refinement (via MMAJunkie.com):
“I think I need to improve a little bit, the takedown defense and the ground work for sure. But at the same time, I’m proud of me because I fought almost three rounds. I’m so happy, but at the same time, I know I have to work a little bit more on the takedown and on the ground, as well.”
Chinzo’s younger brother Lyoto Machida is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title holder. The Bellator featherweight said his brother gave him some advice after the fight.
“(Lyoto) was happy, but he said that even on the stand-up technique, I was too anxious to finish the fight. So I have to keep more calm and get a good timing and a good distance. Because sometimes I took a good shot (to him), but I wanted to finish the fight at the moment, and the guy took me down.”
One benefit Machida has is an honest corner. Instead of telling their fighter what he wants to hear, Machida’s coaches and teammates told him he was losing the fight heading into the final frame. Machida believes he knows why he was down on points before scoring the knockout.
“My corner told me I was losing, because at the end of the first round, and at the end of the second round, my opponent was on top and I was on the bottom. I think I was losing the fight, so for that reason, to the end I was looking for the knockout.”
MMA legend Tito Ortiz ended his storied career in style by submitting Chael Sonnen in the main event (watch highlights here) of last night’s (Sat., January 21, 2017) Bellator 170 from The Forum in Inglewood, California. Ortiz was able to calmly survive an early guillotine attempt from ‘The Bad Guy’ to mount the smaller Sonnen
MMA legend Tito Ortiz ended his storied career in style by submitting Chael Sonnen in the main event (watch highlights here) of last night’s (Sat., January 21, 2017) Bellator 170 from The Forum in Inglewood, California.
Ortiz was able to calmly survive an early guillotine attempt from ‘The Bad Guy’ to mount the smaller Sonnen and take his back to look for a rear-naked choke submission attempt of his own. It wasn’t fully around Sonnen’s neck, but the decorated former UFC light heavyweight champion cranked the hold until he had to tap out.
When he did, however, Ortiz caused some minor conroversy when he refused to release the hold on Sonnen after their trash talk got personal in the lead-up to the bout thanks to a few choice references to Ortiz’ ex-wife, porn superstar Jenna Jameson.
And what’s more, Ortiz admitted at the Bellator 170 post-fight press conference (transcribed by MMA Fighting) he held onto the hold a little longer because of the ill will he held towards Sonnen after the famous trash talker poked fun of a pre-fight monologue Ortiz told involving a lion. He was apologetic to the commission, but towards Sonnen, Ortiz said he became that lion in the middle of the fight:
“When he was tapping, I thought he was trying to grab my hands, but I kind of held on to it because I have ill will towards him. But that’s just me, when someone talks about my family, when someone talks about my character, I have bad will towards the person. And I’ve never done that before, but it was just something in my mind saying, if I let go and they stop it and restart it again, I couldn’t let that happen.
“I apologize to the athletic commission for holding on to it a little longer, but I did hold on to it longer. I just had that ill will, I felt like an animal, I felt like a lion, and this lion roared how I said I was going to. This was my fight, no matter what, this is what I was going to do.”
Despite the admitted trangression, Sonnen didn’t seem upset by what had happened, accepting his loss and moving on:
“I tapped and he didn’t let go. I’m not upset about it. I don’t have any ill feelings towards him. But yes did he hold the choke after I tapped? Sure.”
Ortiz further discussed his win and holding onto the choke a bit longer in a post-fight interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto courtesy of Fancy Combat:
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz caped off a legendary career last night (Saturday, January 21, 2017) at Bellator 170 with a first round submission win over Chael Sonnen. Ortiz, who was previously employed by the UFC before his departure in 2012, signed with Bellator in 2014 after a brief flirt with retirement. ‘The
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz caped off a legendary career last night (Saturday, January 21, 2017) at Bellator 170 with a first round submission win over Chael Sonnen.
Ortiz, who was previously employed by the UFC before his departure in 2012, signed with Bellator in 2014 after a brief flirt with retirement. ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ went three for four in his career under the Bellator banner, having only lost one contest to Liam McGeary in 2015 for the light heavyweight title.
The former UFC 205-pound champ has had well documented issues with UFC President Dana White in the past, but during a recent interview with ESPN(via MMA Mania), that all seems to be water under the bridge as White sent him a congratulatory text following his win over Sonnen yesterday to wrap up a great career:
“He actually sent my girlfriend a text message. She used to work for UFC and they always talk back and forth. When I first signed with Bellator, Dana sent me focus mitts with his face on it and said, ‘If this doesn’t motivate you, nothing will.’ So I guess it’s that love/hate relationship we have toward each other. But, thank you Dana for the text, saying that’s the way I should go out, on top.
“I mean, I love the guy, he was my first manager. I always just fought for what I wanted for my career. No hard feelings, I’ve grown up a lot over the last four years, and I’ve done a lot of things business-wise for my future. I’ve made mistakes before and I will never make those mistakes again.”
After a 20 year career competing in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) Ortiz leaves behind a great legacy of being a true pioneer to the sport, paving the way for so many who currently compete inside the Octagon today. After having retired once before, however, do you believe the former UFC champ is truly done competing?
After three years out of the cage, former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen made his return last night (Jan. 21, 2016) in the main event of Bellator 170, but it didn’t go as planned, as he was submitted by former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz in the first round. While he obviously wasn’t pleased
After three years out of the cage, former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen made his return last night (Jan. 21, 2016) in the main event of Bellator 170, but it didn’t go as planned, as he was submitted by former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz in the first round.
While he obviously wasn’t pleased with his performance, Sonnen admitted that the fight was ‘helpful’ for him, also saying that he will continue to fight:
“Look, tonight is helpful for me,” Sonnen said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. “I’ve been out for three years, and this was a long-term play for me. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. I need to get those minutes in. I thought I did it in the practice room, and I had some deer in the headlights (moments) out there. “After three years, it’s just the way that it goes. So I’ll be in the practice room on Monday, and I’ll use it to get better.”
Early in the fight, “The American Gangster” attempted two submissions, one being the guillotine choke, which he thought would be a useful attack given Ortiz’s history with neck issues:
“Look, tonight is helpful for me,” Sonnen said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. “I’ve been out for three years, and this was a long-term play for me. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. I need to get those minutes in. I thought I did it in the practice room, and I had some deer in the headlights (moments) out there. “After three years, it’s just the way that it goes. So I’ll be in the practice room on Monday, and I’ll use it to get better.”
As far as what may be next for Sonnen, he’s made it known that he’s interested in fighting longtime rival Wanderlei Silva, although he elected to let the spotlight shine on Ortiz last night:
“I don’t want to use this as a platform to get something going with Wanderlei. This is Tito’s night,” Sonnen said. “It’s his birthday and he retired, and he won fair and square. I was completely ready for the contest. I had great coaches, great training, and I don’t think I was too small. Tito thought I was too small for him, I don’t think I was too small. I think that he got a position, I think he won the position. As far as Wanderlei goes, yeah, I’m going to fight Wanderlei the next time I see Wanderlei. But again, I’m the loser tonight. I’m not here to promote anything, man. This is Tito’s night and it’s tough.”
With Bellator 170 taking place near Los Angeles combined with the star power of Tito Ortiz and Chael Sonnen, celebrities from all walks of life were all over The Forum in Inglewood, California last night.
Bellator MMA recapped a number of celebrities in attendance, as well as those tweeting about the event as it was happening live on Spike TV on Saturday evening.
Among the celebrities and well-known fighters in attendance were WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross, MMA legend Urijah Faber, former WWE Superstar Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, UFC bad boy Nate Diaz, former women’s boxing champion Laila Ali, actor Mickey Rourke, actor/comedian Jon Lovitz and more.
Below are some of the tweets that show the celebrity crossover appeal that Saturday night’s Bellator 170 event garnered.
Bellator 170 featured the retirement fight of MMA legend Tito Ortiz, who went out on a high note by submitting former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen with a rear-naked choke at just over two minutes into the first round. For complete Bellator 170 results, click here.
With Bellator 170 taking place near Los Angeles combined with the star power of Tito Ortiz and Chael Sonnen, celebrities from all walks of life were all over The Forum in Inglewood, California last night.
Bellator MMA recapped a number of celebrities in attendance, as well as those tweeting about the event as it was happening live on Spike TV on Saturday evening.
Among the celebrities and well-known fighters in attendance were WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross, MMA legend Urijah Faber, former WWE Superstar Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, UFC bad boy Nate Diaz, former women’s boxing champion Laila Ali, actor Mickey Rourke, actor/comedian Jon Lovitz and more.
Below are some of the tweets that show the celebrity crossover appeal that Saturday night’s Bellator 170 event garnered.
Bellator 170 featured the retirement fight of MMA legend Tito Ortiz, who went out on a high note by submitting former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen with a rear-naked choke at just over two minutes into the first round. For complete Bellator 170 results, click here.
Despite all the bad blood between UFC President Dana White and former UFC champ/Bellator MMA star Tito Ortiz over the years, it appears cooler heads prevailed following Ortiz’s retirement. Apparently, White reached out after the latter’s final bout Saturday — and was complimentary. Ortiz, who submitted Chael Sonnen in the final tilt of his historic career, spoke to ESPN after the fight, and confirmed that White had sent a message his way — by way of Ortiz’s girlfriend, Amber Nichole Miller. Miller was previously employed by the UFC as an octagon girl.
Per Ortiz:
He actually sent my girlfriend a text message, cause she used to work for UFC, and they always talk back and forth. When I first signed with Bellator, Dana sent me focus mitts with his face on it and said, ‘If this doesn’t motivate you, nothing will.’ So I guess it’s that love/hate relationship we have toward each other. But, thank you Dana for the text, saying that’s the way I should go out, on top. I mean, I love the guy, he was my first manager, you know. I always just fought for what I wanted for my career. No hard feelings, I’ve grown up a lot over the last four years, and I’ve done a lot of things business-wise for my future. I’ve made mistakes before and I will never make those mistakes again.
Ortiz (19–12–1) finished his career on a 3-1 run in Bellator MMA, with his only loss being in a light heavyweight title fight against then-champ Liam McGeary. Prior to that final run, 27 of his 28 other bouts came in the UFC, where he served as the longest reigning light heavyweight champion prior to the rise of Jon Jones. However, a feud with White (that included plans for the two to face off in a boxing match that never materialized) soured his UFC run, and he eventually left the company and transitioned into a fighter manager following a 2012 loss to Forest Griffin — though not before being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. He was then lured out of retirement for his final run in Bellator.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9EgzKT4fv8
Despite all the bad blood between UFC President Dana White and former UFC champ/Bellator MMA star Tito Ortiz over the years, it appears cooler heads prevailed following Ortiz’s retirement. Apparently, White reached out after the latter’s final bout Saturday — and was complimentary. Ortiz, who submitted Chael Sonnen in the final tilt of his historic career, spoke to ESPN after the fight, and confirmed that White had sent a message his way — by way of Ortiz’s girlfriend, Amber Nichole Miller. Miller was previously employed by the UFC as an octagon girl.
Per Ortiz:
He actually sent my girlfriend a text message, cause she used to work for UFC, and they always talk back and forth. When I first signed with Bellator, Dana sent me focus mitts with his face on it and said, ‘If this doesn’t motivate you, nothing will.’ So I guess it’s that love/hate relationship we have toward each other. But, thank you Dana for the text, saying that’s the way I should go out, on top. I mean, I love the guy, he was my first manager, you know. I always just fought for what I wanted for my career. No hard feelings, I’ve grown up a lot over the last four years, and I’ve done a lot of things business-wise for my future. I’ve made mistakes before and I will never make those mistakes again.
Ortiz (19–12–1) finished his career on a 3-1 run in Bellator MMA, with his only loss being in a light heavyweight title fight against then-champ Liam McGeary. Prior to that final run, 27 of his 28 other bouts came in the UFC, where he served as the longest reigning light heavyweight champion prior to the rise of Jon Jones. However, a feud with White (that included plans for the two to face off in a boxing match that never materialized) soured his UFC run, and he eventually left the company and transitioned into a fighter manager following a 2012 loss to Forest Griffin — though not before being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. He was then lured out of retirement for his final run in Bellator.
