Tag: tito ortiz vs chael sonnen

Dana White: ‘There’s No Way’ Ortiz vs. Sonnen Was Fixed

After former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz choked out former UFC middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen in the main event of last month’s (Jan. 28, 2017) Bellator 170 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, many had claimed the fight was fixed. Fight fans argued that Ortiz didn’t have the rear-naked-choke locked in correctly, but

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After former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz choked out former UFC middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen in the main event of last month’s (Jan. 28, 2017) Bellator 170 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, many had claimed the fight was fixed.

Fight fans argued that Ortiz didn’t have the rear-naked-choke locked in correctly, but UFC President Dana White, who admits that Bellator 170 was the first Bellator event he had watched, doesn’t agree:

“It was my first (time watching a) Bellator event,” White said on the “UFC Unfiltered” podcast with hosts Jim Norton and Matt Serra. “I watched it, and both guys are 40-something years old. It was basically a retirement fight, and a lot of people were calling it a fix. There’s no way.”

The fight marked the last of Ortiz’s illustrious career, while it marked Sonnen’s first bout since 2013 after he dealt with a suspension due to multiple failed drug tests. White believes that Sonnen’s inactivity played into his poor performance, but he also said that fans should be aware of Ortiz’s strength:

“Here’s one of the things a lot of people don’t realize about Tito Ortiz,” White said. “Tito Ortiz – this (expletive) guy is so strong. He put me in a neck crank one time and almost popped my (expletive) neck off my shoulders. This guy is physically very strong. And I think his ground game is very underrated because Tito would always get that top position and ground-and-pound people.

“I don’t think Chael has fought or won a fight since 2013, or that ballpark somewhere. … You take that much time off, and that’s what a fight’s going to look like. … There’s no way in hell that was a work. I’d love to come on here and (expletive) all over Bellator, but there’s no way that was a work. The thing you’ve got to remember, he’s a good wrestler, (but) never was Chael some big jiu-jitsu guy. And when Tito Ortiz is cranking your (expletive) head off, you’re 40 (expletive) years old … maybe I should tap out here.”

Do you agree with White’s comments?

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Tito Ortiz Responds To Fight Fixing Accusations

Providing closure on the career of one of the last old school UFC champions, Bellator 170 went down on January 21. Rounding out a 20-year career, Tito Ortiz submitted Chael Sonnen in the main event. Although the show featured some great fights and finishes, it wasn’t without controversy, at least after the fact. Ortiz’s bout

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Providing closure on the career of one of the last old school UFC champions, Bellator 170 went down on January 21. Rounding out a 20-year career, Tito Ortiz submitted Chael Sonnen in the main event. Although the show featured some great fights and finishes, it wasn’t without controversy, at least after the fact. Ortiz’s bout with Sonnen has been analysed by conspiracy theorists and sceptical fans, many of whom believe something was amiss. Hand movements by Ortiz during the grappling exchanges were pointed out, leading to fight fixing accusations.

Among those who threw allegations around was former UFC title challenger Dan Hardy. After watching the fight again a few times, ‘The Outlaw’ did admit to The MMA Hour that it was more likely Sonnen just ‘didn’t want to fight.’ Looking back at fights like Shamrock vs. Gracie 3 and Shamrock vs. Kimbo, this is not the first time Bellator have stood accused. Responding to fans during a Facebook Q & A, Ortiz was not amused.

“Haters”

“All these people are saying it was a fixed fight, those are the ones that are just fucking haters. Believe me, I tried to punch him in his face. I tried to elbow him in his face, hard, and he gave his back. I’m going to take a choke. That was fixed? That’s why I held onto the choke even longer. I even got marks on my face from him. Come on people, I don’t do fixed fights. I drilled those positions, ask BJ Penn.”

“Yeah it was really fixed, that’s why I have to get neck surgery you stupid asses. Come on people, don’t be so ignorant, don’t be so dumb, don’t be so gullible. I know my fans don’t believe it, but for the people that do, don’t be so gullible. Did you see how red his face was? I almost ripped his neck off, almost broke his head, almost broke his jaw. I was squeezing for dear life, that’s for sure.”


Thoughts

When Wanderlei Silva accused the UFC of fixing fights, Tito Ortiz actually said he agreed. Ironically ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ now finds himself mixed up in that murky pot. Granted Bellator has a less than stellar track record, although no allegations have ever been confirmed. Is this just a case of conspiracy nuts gone wild, or is there fire at the bottom of this smoke plume?

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Tito Ortiz Wants Public Apology From Chael Sonnen

Tito Ortiz was likely pleased with his first round submission victory over Chael Sonnen in the main event of this past weekend’s (Sat., Jan. 21, 2016) Bellator 170 event, but he wasn’t always pleased leading up to the bout, as him and Sonnen went back-and-forth with some nasty trash talk. Sonnen, a man known as

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Tito Ortiz was likely pleased with his first round submission victory over Chael Sonnen in the main event of this past weekend’s (Sat., Jan. 21, 2016) Bellator 170 event, but he wasn’t always pleased leading up to the bout, as him and Sonnen went back-and-forth with some nasty trash talk.

Sonnen, a man known as one of the best trash talkers in the history of the sport, took shots at Ortiz each and every time he got the chance too. Because of this, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” wants a public apology from “The American Gangster”:

“I didn’t say anything after the fight,” Ortiz told Fight Hub TV. “He came to my dressing room and said, ‘Good fight, it was an honor, da da da’ and I go, ‘You’ve got to apologize to me in public.’ So we’re gonna see if he has enough balls to apologize to me in public.”

Perhaps Sonnen’s most personal line was when he referenced Ortiz’s ex-wife Jenna Jameson, which was a line that Ortiz believes took things too far:

“I’m a kid who has a lot of respect. I believe in respect. Talking about another person’s family is something wrong to do and for what he did, that’s just the wrong thing to do. That’s always my three rules of s**t-talking: You don’t talk about a person’s family, you don’t talk about a person’s country, and you don’t lie about a person. He did all three of those things, and the big man upstairs took care of it.”

The fight marked the last of Ortiz’s illustrious career, as he left his gloves in the cage, announcing his retirement. Although he looked rejuvenated in the fight, Ortiz appears to be content with his decision:

“I want to go out as my best, no matter what anyone says. I don’t want to go away when people say, ‘Well, he should have left a long time ago.’ I want people to go, ‘He should stay here, he should still stay around.’ But I’m gonna be 42 on Monday. I’ve been in this business for 20 years. I’ve done everything I wanted to do. I’ve became a millionaire, I bought my dream home, I bought my dream car, I bought my dream boat, I’ve been able to give my kids their college tuition, all three of my boys, so I’ve done what I needed to do as a parent, as a man on this Earth and what’s the next thing for me to do is find a different career.”

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Chael Sonnen Says He Was ‘Deer In Headlights’ At Bellator 170

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

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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.”

Where should Sonnen go from here?

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Chael Sonnen Was Wiling To Edit Tito Ortiz’s Trash Talk

Chael Sonnen and Tito Ortiz are two of the most outspoken trash talkers in the history of mixed martial arts. But Sonnen hasn’t been too impressed with Ortiz’s banter ahead of their Bellator 170 main event bout tonight (Jan. 21, 2017) from The Forum in Inglewood, California. In a recent interview (transcribed by Bloody Elbow), “The

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Chael Sonnen and Tito Ortiz are two of the most outspoken trash talkers in the history of mixed martial arts.

But Sonnen hasn’t been too impressed with Ortiz’s banter ahead of their Bellator 170 main event bout tonight (Jan. 21, 2017) from The Forum in Inglewood, California.

In a recent interview (transcribed by Bloody Elbow), “The American Gangster” critiqued Ortiz’s trash talk, saying that he was willing to edit and revise “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’s” lines leading up to their fight:

“He said that he ‘literally’ hoped that I soiled myself, which means he’s either really gross or he doesn’t understand what ‘literally’ means,” Sonnen said.” “My offer to him is the same as it was from back when we got started: Just run it past me first. Before you say anything, send me a text message. I’ll edit it and send it back—I’ll handle both sides of this thing for us. It’ll be great.

“He won’t be able to perform it, though. It’s not like I can just give him the words. You can hand the lyrics of “Blue Suede Shoes” to anybody, but there’s a reason Elvis was the one out there in a blue jumpsuit singing it. I mean, I can’t fix everything, but I think it’s a step in the right direction.”

Sonnen also took a shot at Ortiz’s infamous use of a juice box, which he used to take a jab at Sonnen’s history with performance-enhancing-drugs (PEDs):

“I was a little surprised by the juice box thing,” Sonnen said. “I was like, ‘Tito, you brought in props which means you thought this out.’ He didn’t just freestyle that off the top of his head. This was a prepared statement. Who was your focus group? Who did you run that past and they said, ‘Yeah, do the juice box thing. Let’s do that!’?”

With the war of words now over, Sonnen will have to back up his always-brash banter with his first late 2013, compared to the oft-injured Ortiz’ relatively active resume as of late. Who are you picking to to come out on top this evening?

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Chael Sonnen Mocks Tito Ortiz’s Strange Story By Snoring

MMA veterans Tito Ortiz and Chael Sonnen are set to do battle in the main event of this Saturday night’s (Jan. 21, 2016) Bellator 170 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, and there’s certainly no love lost between “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” and “The Bad Guy”. The two have went back and forth in

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MMA veterans Tito Ortiz and Chael Sonnen are set to do battle in the main event of this Saturday night’s (Jan. 21, 2016) Bellator 170 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, and there’s certainly no love lost between “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” and “The Bad Guy”.

The two have went back and forth in the media over the last few months, and their feud hit its boiling point at the Bellator 170 pre-fight press conference earlier this week.

After Ortiz was asked a question at the presser, he elected to tell a story about a lion and a hyena, comparing himself to a lion:

“It’s kind of funny,” Ortiz said. “I was listening to Christopher Walken, a little skit he did, and he talked about this lion, the king of the jungle, with this big giant mane, and this hot, smothering weather in Africa. And the small lions come up and poke at him, bite on his ear, bite on his neck, and the lioness comes over and bugs him. Then you’ve got the jackals and the rest of the wilderness looking and seeing these lions on the mountaintop. They come over and bother him. They eat all his food.”

Sonnen, mocking the story, started snoring into his microphone. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” wasn’t too pleased with “The American Gangster’s” actions, saying he would put Sonnen to sleep on Saturday night:

“This little hyena, I’m going to eat right through him, and we’ll see on Saturday night,” Ortiz said. “It’s good because it’s fueled me. Because you hear that snoring nose? That’s the snoring nose you’re going to hear in the second round of the fight.”

Sonnen then responded with the following:

“That’s good! That’s something,” Sonnen said. “That was good work by you. I gave you a good setup.”

It’s clear that Sonnen has gotten under the skin of Ortiz, as the ex-UFC champion has appeared to be quite angry leading up to the bout, while “The American Gangster” has been more laid back, enjoying the process ahead of his Bellator debut.
Who do you expect to come out on top when these two settle the score at The Forum?

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