Tag: Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz

Bellator President Unsure About Promoting Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz Trilogy

Bellator President Scott Coker is not against a trilogy fight between MMA legends Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, however, he’s not sure that Bellator will be able to promote it. Liddell and Ortiz, who fought in 2004 and 2006 under the UFC banner, have been going back and forth lately over social media, with Ortiz […]

The post Bellator President Unsure About Promoting Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz Trilogy appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Bellator President Scott Coker is not against a trilogy fight between MMA legends Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, however, he’s not sure that Bellator will be able to promote it.

Liddell and Ortiz, who fought in 2004 and 2006 under the UFC banner, have been going back and forth lately over social media, with Ortiz recently relenting and saying he’d be interested in the fight.

Coker believes Liddell is still under contract with the UFC, which could be problematic for Bellator in putting the bout together (MMA Fighting):

“My understanding is that Chuck is still under contract with the UFC. I’m not sure. I just thought that to be true. I don’t know the details, but when he retired, I think the contract freezes and they maintain some rights.”

“Listen, is it a fight that would be fun to watch? I think if they both pass a physical and Tito was healthy and his neck was healthy and he was able to perform at a high level, and they were fighting, to me is it interesting? I would definitely watch it. But would we promote it? I don’t think we can, because Chuck is still under contract with the UFC.”

Liddell defeated Ortiz both times they fought, the first time by first-round knockout and the next by third-round TKO.

The two were supposed to fight again back in 2010 after they coached opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter, but Ortiz pulled out with a neck injury and was replaced by Rich Franklin. Franklin knocked Liddell out at UFC 115, and that’s the last time we saw “The Iceman” in action.

On top of that, Coker says the promotion is quite preoccupied hosting its’ Heavyweight Grand Prix, which just advanced its next semifinalist in Matt Mitrione following his win over Roy “Big Country” Nelson last weekend.

“Right now, we’re extremely busy with our World Grand Prix. We’ve got a great tournament going and we have some exciting things you’re gonna hear about in the next couple weeks. I think we’re gonna focus, keep our head down and keep doing what we’re doing and focus on these great events that we’re doing.”

Do you have any interest in a trilogy fight between “The Iceman” and “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy”?

The post Bellator President Unsure About Promoting Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz Trilogy appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Scott Coker Willing To Make Liddell vs. Ortiz Rubber Match

Over the last month or so, rumors regarding a potential return to action for former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell began to swirl. In addition to that, Liddell teased a trilogy bout with fellow former UFC champion and longtime rival Tito Ortiz, which led to the two going back-and-forth on social media. Both men […]

The post Scott Coker Willing To Make Liddell vs. Ortiz Rubber Match appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Over the last month or so, rumors regarding a potential return to action for former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell began to swirl. In addition to that, Liddell teased a trilogy bout with fellow former UFC champion and longtime rival Tito Ortiz, which led to the two going back-and-forth on social media.

Both men are currently retired, as “The Iceman” hasn’t competed since 2010, while Ortiz hung up his gloves after scoring a submission victory over Chael Sonnen at Bellator 170 last January.

Given the age of both men, Bellator seems likely the landing spot for a trilogy bout between Liddell and Ortiz if it were to actually take place. Scott Coker has gained a bit of reputation for creating ‘legend fights’, and it turns out that the Bellator president would be willing to book a bout between Liddell and Ortiz:

“If Tito wanted to do it, would I do it? I think I might do it,” Coker told MMA Fighting. “To me, why not? If they all pass their medicals and their physicals. It’s a fight that I would love to see. But I think Tito is retired and we’re talking about hypotheticals that [probably] won’t happen.”

Despite saying he would indeed make the fight, Coker saying that it probably ‘won’t happen’ may serve as a sigh of relief to fight fans who are sick of seeing their favorite veterans return to the cage long after their primes.

An interesting thing to note, however, is that Coker has met with Liddell recently, although he claims it was simply to discuss a brand ambassador role:

“Chuck, he’s a guy I grew up watching fight on pay per view,” Coker said. “I think he and Tito and Randy Couture basically were the building blocks of the future and the success of the UFC.”

“As far as his legendary status, [Liddell has] already done everything he can in the sport,” he continued. “When we’ve met, he has not talked about fighting. So we’re just talking about a brand ambassadorship at this point.”

Would you like to see Liddell and Ortiz run it back a third time?

The post Scott Coker Willing To Make Liddell vs. Ortiz Rubber Match appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Tito Ortiz Issues Apology To Chuck Liddell After Back-And-Forth Exchange

Former UFC light heavyweight champions Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz have quite a bit of history, as the two have met twice to date, with Liddell stopping Ortiz on two different occasions at UFC 47 and UFC 62. Despite both men now being retired, their rivalry hasn’t been completely put to rest, as a picture […]

The post Tito Ortiz Issues Apology To Chuck Liddell After Back-And-Forth Exchange appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Former UFC light heavyweight champions Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz have quite a bit of history, as the two have met twice to date, with Liddell stopping Ortiz on two different occasions at UFC 47 and UFC 62.

Despite both men now being retired, their rivalry hasn’t been completely put to rest, as a picture featuring the two staring each other down was recently posted to Liddell’s Instagram account with the caption ‘Why not?’. Ortiz then responded by saying he would ‘lend’ Liddell some cash if “The Iceman” truly needed it, which led to Liddell responding with another message and calling Ortiz a ‘piece of s*it’.

In the end, Ortiz has issued an apology of sorts to his longtime rival:

Liddell hasn’t competed since being knocked out by Rich Franklin at UFC 115 in 2010. That loss marked his third consecutive by way of stoppage and he subsequently retired after the fight.

Ortiz, on the other hand, last competed in the main event of Bellator 170 this past January, submitting Chael Sonnen in the first round.

At this point, it doesn’t look like a trilogy bout between Liddell and Ortiz is in the cards, but the idea has indeed stirred up a bit of discussion amongst the MMA community.

The post Tito Ortiz Issues Apology To Chuck Liddell After Back-And-Forth Exchange appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Tito Ortiz Buries Hatchet With Dana White, At Peace With His Retirement From MMA

When Ryan Bader signed with Bellator MMA, some fans thought that this signing might bring Tito Ortiz out of retirement. However, that is not going to happen. Ortiz is scheduled to have his fourth neck surgery on May 12, and three months after his last bout against Chael Sonnen, he’s now getting his competitive fix

The post Tito Ortiz Buries Hatchet With Dana White, At Peace With His Retirement From MMA appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

When Ryan Bader signed with Bellator MMA, some fans thought that this signing might bring Tito Ortiz out of retirement. However, that is not going to happen. Ortiz is scheduled to have his fourth neck surgery on May 12, and three months after his last bout against Chael Sonnen, he’s now getting his competitive fix through his sons.

“I’m very thankful to Bellator,” Ortiz told MMA Fighting. “It’s kind of weird, because after it was all over I got a text from [UFC president] Dana [White] saying congratulations. Me and Dana haven’t really been eye-to-eye for a long time, but recently we’ve been texting back and forth. I don’t know, man. Life’s too short. Too short to hate. I’ve done a few things in my career that I regret towards him. Maybe wearing a tee shirt that says ‘Dana’s My Bitch’ is one of them.”

Ortiz and White have been bitter enemies for years. Now that his career is over, the UFC Hall of Fame says he doesn’t see a need to drag out a grudge due to him moving on to the next chapter of this life. Ortiz is open to several new careers now that he is no longer a fighting. Some of those careers include acting, commentating, philanthropy work and a little poker action as well as continuing his work as an ambassador for Bellator.

“I’ve always just tried to work for the future of my children, and for their future,” Ortiz says. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that if not for Bellator. [Spike president} Kevin Kay’s an amazing guy over there. He gave Scott Coker a job in order to make that company grow. Bellator’s gotten bigger and bigger, and the PR firm is doing an amazing job. The sport’s getting bigger. You can see all the UFC fighters are going over there and signing with Bellator. Is it that the pasture’s greener over there? In my history, yes. I’d have to say absolutely yes.”

Ortiz had a rough string of fights in the last six years of his time in the UFC as he went 1-7-1. His only win in that stretch saw a shocking finish over the heavily favored Bader at UFC 132. He then moved to Bellator MMA after fighting Forrest Griffin in what was supposed to be his retirement bout. With Ortiz holding a win over Bader, it made sense for the promotion to match these two fighters up again. It certainly would appeal to Bader, who fights Phil Davis for the light heavyweight title on June 24 in New York. Ortiz knows he can’t have a better ending than the one he had against Sonnen in January at Bellator 170 in Los Angeles.

“It was kind of like watching a great movie, only I lived it,” he said. “It was great. It was the perfect ending. I have no regrets. I am very thankful for everything I was given. Of course, the hard work does pay off, and Bellator gave me a great opportunity to leave the sport as the man I always wanted to be. I couldn’t have asked for anything better, having my son there next to me, to have him lay my gloves in the middle of the cage. It was a story-book ending.”

According to Ortiz, if he does indeed fight again, it’ll be against Sonnen in an unsanctioned bout, taking place wherever he happens to cross him, whatever time of day.

“That guy has not shut his mouth up about me,” he says. “And the next time I see him he better put his hands up, because there’s going to be a fight. “I didn’t think I could dislike anybody more than I did Stephan Bonnar, but I think I just have with Chael Sonnen. You’ve got to win. You see guys like Chael Sonnen who is nothing but mouth. But you’ve got to win, that’s what it’s about. In my career, yeah I had a mouth on me, but I backed it up come fight time.”

Ortiz claimed that he and White have buried the hatchet for good.

“Yeah, I’d have to say yes [we did bury the hatchet],” he says. “We briefly spoke, and it seemed like the old Dana. I guess we kind of both said life is too short to hate as much as we have. It’s one of those things man. I’ve learned, why waste my time with hating somebody when I can just forget about it and let life go on? I’ve done that.”

The post Tito Ortiz Buries Hatchet With Dana White, At Peace With His Retirement From MMA appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Top 10 Most Anticipated Rematches In UFC History

Fight week is well underway here at LowKickMMA, as fight fans are on the edges of their seats waiting for the blockbuster UFC 202 card which is slated to take place this weekend (Sat., August 20, 2016) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card has been filled out

The post Top 10 Most Anticipated Rematches In UFC History appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Fight week is well underway here at LowKickMMA, as fight fans are on the edges of their seats waiting for the blockbuster UFC 202 card which is slated to take place this weekend (Sat., August 20, 2016) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card has been filled out quite nicely from top to bottom, but it’s safe to say that all eyes are on the main event: a highly-anticipated rematch between Nate Diaz and featherweight champion Conor McGregor.

As arguably the biggest fight of the year approaches, it’s an interesting time to take a look back at 10 of the most anticipated rematches in promotional history:

The post Top 10 Most Anticipated Rematches In UFC History appeared first on LowKick MMA.