It appears Ortiz vs. Liddell 3 has a date, and both fighters have passed medicals — though a location is still up in the air.
Los Angeles, CA — At the Canelo vs. GGG 2 Media Day in L.A. over the weekend, a certain former boxing star turned promoter turned MMA promoter was on hand. Oscar De La Hoya took a moment to speak to Cageside Press reporter Gabriel Gonzalez, and let slip a little bit of info on the upcoming trilogy fight between MMA legends and former UFC champions Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.
That includes tidbits on the date, and both fighters having cleared medicals. “The weekend of Thanksgiving,” De La Hoya was able to confirm. “We just found out that both fighters passed their medicals. We have a green light. I’m excited.”
So the fight is good to go, then. Liddell, 48, last fought at UFC 115 in 2010, where he was knocked out by Rich Franklin. It was his third straight fight being finished, and UFC President and friend Dana White then ushered him into retirement.
Tito Ortiz, meanwhile, has been down the comeback trail before. After a brief retirement following his UFC run in 2012, Ortiz returned to the sport and signed with Bellator MMA. There, he went 3-1, picking up wins over Alexander Shlemenko, Stephan Bonnar, and Chael Sonnen. He also earned himself a title shot, coming up short against Liam McGeary before retiring again following the Sonnen win.
De La Hoya, meanwhile, expanded on his approach to MMA. “Let me just clarify one thing,” he said. “In the beginning, when MMA started getting popular, and the UFC, I kind of criticized it a little bit because I was not a little skeptical, but a little worried that UFC/MMA would take over boxing, and this and that. But that’s not the case. The case now is that there’s room for both. I respect the MMA fighter. We’ve actually hung out with a lot of their champions.”
Promoting the sport has no doubt helped De La Hoya see things differently. In any case, when it comes to Chuck and Tito, “I’m excited. I’m excited. They’re warriors. They’re gladiators in the ring. There’s much respect, much appreciation up in the ring for them.”
Asked about ticket prices, and the assumption the fight would be held in Vegas, De La Hoya answered that “we don’t know,” before adding that “details, we’re putting together. We’re possibly looking here in L.A. Maybe The Forum. Both guys are from L.A., they’re Angelenos. It’s going to be a fun promotion.”
There will, however, be plenty of MMA action on the undercard. “Oh yeah. We’re going to do it big,” the former boxing champ proclaimed. “Just the way Golden Boy does, we’re going to do it big.”
