On a week without major MMA action, we decided to look back at a classic event from years past.  This week, we look back at Golden Boy MMA 1 which was held on November 24, 2018.  The event was the first and only mixed martial arts event to be put on by decorated boxer and promoter Oscar De La Hoya.  For his first foray into MMA, De La Hoya paired former UFC champions Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz.  While De La Hoya’s success in putting on boxing events was well-chronicled, the circumstances surrounding the card led to one of the sport’s most discussed events of the year.

The trilogy between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz is on for Thanksgiving weekend according to @OscarDeLaHoya. Per Oscar, both men have passed medicals.

▶️https://t.co/FdBPj0zGMu

— Gabriel Gonzalez (@DoubleGonTV) August 27, 2018

Promotion for the event actually began months prior, with preliminary talks about De La Hoya, Liddell, and Ortiz coming together to do business starting months earlier.  Liddell had long been rumored to be in talks to return to action, and that summer during International Fight Week he and Ortiz had their first face off in years in front of the UFC’s 25th Anniversary wall.  It would not be until months later, at a promotional event for the rematch between boxers Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin, that De La Hoya confirmed the weekend of Thanksgiving for the bout.

🔥 @ChuckLiddell and @titoortiz had one last heated exchange at today's final press conference. #LiddellOrtiz3 Nov 24 on PPV @theforum pic.twitter.com/uKmb0frJVB

— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) November 21, 2018

It was in the coming weeks that red flags began to be raised about the event.  For one, De La Hoya frequently referred to Liddell as “Lie-del” which raised questions as to how much he was actually involved and invested in the event.  Liddell’s health was also in question.  At 48 years old, “The Ice Man” had retired from the UFC years prior after admitting that his chin and ability to take punches were not the same.  Though he’d had time off to recover since then, his ability to still take punches from another trained fighter remained in question.  Finally, the decision to air the event on pay-per-view was highly criticized considering the two were far removed from their time as major draws in the MMA landscape.  While De La Hoya and others expressed interest in MMA beyond the event, many wondered if the entire card was a jab from “The Golden Boy” who had publicly feuded with UFC President Dana White for years.

Though it was not made clear in pre-fight promotion, the event had a respectable roster for a non-UFC or Bellator card at the time.  Dotting the undercard were names like future UFC fighter Deron Winn and UFC veterans such as Tom Lawlor, Gleison Tibau, Ultimate Fighter winner Efrain Escudero, Jay Silva, Albert Morales, and others.

The presentation of the festivities left plenty to be desired, whether you attended live or watched it at home.  Due those involved having been in the UFC for years, there were no highlight reel packages available to hype up the event.  Instead, a broadcast team with Todd Grisham and UFC veterans Frank Mir and Rashad Evans led the way through several graphics in-between calling fights.  Inside The Forum Inglewood, the production only aired live shots on the big screen so fans in attendance were left at a loss without the instant replay when incidents such as low-blows were under review. There was also no camera for crowd shots, something that was glaringly apparent when the arena announcer shouted out celebrities in attendance but their faces were not shown on the big screen to generate the desired applause.

#LiddellOrtiz3 Face off 🔥

Watch them LIVE one last time tomorrow night on #PPV @theforum pic.twitter.com/Thh0hq7hC5

— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) November 23, 2018

One thing that can be said is that the main event was treated with all of the pomp and circumstance that has come to be expected from any pay-per-view headliner.  Say what you will about the match-up at the time, but at least Liddell and Ortiz still looked the part as opposed to other questionable match-ups like Kimbo Slice against Dada 5000 or an older Royce Grace against Ken Shamrock in Bellator.

When the action began, it was very clear that it was no longer 2004.  Liddell circled patiently but it was plain as day from the first few strikes that Ortiz’s shots had astronomically more effect on him than they did years prior.  As the first round was closing, Ortiz landed the finishing sequence that left Liddell asleep on the canvas.

By the time Monday came along, the MMA world sought answers for how such an event took place.  For one, the California State Athletic Commission came under fire for licensing Liddell when it was abundantly clear he could still no longer take a punch.  Secondly, the flop on pay-per-view had many wondering if future plans, were there truly any at all to begin with, would go forward for Golden Boy to continue putting on MMA events.  It should be noted, the event was not up against any competition from the UFC as the Octagon was in China that weekend for an event that took place in the early morning hours in the United States.

Years later, Golden Boy Promotions and Oscar De La Hoya have made zero mention of entering the MMA space again.  Tito Ortiz has stated that business did not end well between himself and De La Hoya.  He has not completely closed the door on a return to competition at 46.  Chuck Liddell at 51 has not shut the door on a return to competition either, with a recent appearance in a trailer for Triller Fight Club fueling rumors that he may bring his services there.  The Golden Boy MMA event was immortalized as a footnote in the final part of the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Chuck and Tito that aired in 2019.

#Redemption 🔥🔥🔥 @titoortiz is victorious! #LiddellOrtiz3 pic.twitter.com/u8JLDKLcXZ

— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) November 25, 2018

Notably, several fighters from the event would go on to find more success following the bout.  Deron Winn would go on to fight for the UFC, seen by many at the time as the hidden gem of the entire Golden Boy MMA saga.  Johnny Cisneros and Tom Lawlor would later go on to fight in Bellator and PFL respectively.  Jay Silva and Albert Morales would go on to find success as champions in the regional California promotion CXF, with Morales going on to fight in Bellator.  Juliana Miller, who opened the card as one of several amateur bouts, is now a professional who fights for Invicta.

The post Throwback Thursday: The Unique Night of Golden Boy MMA 1 appeared first on Cageside Press.

After it was announced months ago that Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz’s third and final fight would be upwards of 40$ on PPV, it was almost a given that it would be a tough sell. However, as the date approached it seemed the fight might do okay, as it appeared the MMA world all watched on as we saw ‘The Ice Man’ make his depressing return to the cage.

In the end, Ortiz had his hand raised, Liddell was knocked out once more, and Oscar De La Hoya continued to pronounce his star’s name “Lie-dell.” Yikes.

Tito Ortiz said the Monday following the fight that he’d heard the card did 200,000 buys. And even that might be low. Oscar De La Hoya said he was expecting the buys to be in that ballpark as well. So if you take both of them at their words, the card was a success right?

Well, despite what it seemed like with so many people apparently watching, according to Los Angeles Times reporter Lance Pugmire, the trilogy fight between Ortiz and Liddell did as low as 30,000 buys. With that news coming out, it would place it as one of the lowest PPV buyrates in MMA history. It’s also worth noting that Kevin Iole has heard that it’s possibly as low as 25,000.

The numbers, however, vary wildly. A sampling of PPV buys provided to Cageside Press indicates the show did a little under a third of the buys that UFC 230 did. That show was reported to have come in around 250,000 buys, which could see Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 as high as the low 90,000 mark.

Still, that’s a far cry from 200,000 buys or more.

It’s not shocking to see these low of numbers come out however, with the card riding on a battle between two retired MMA fighters, one of whom hadn’t fought in eight years. And who had lost multiple fights in a row prior to retiring. Still, there was a feeling the fight might fare better than expected, especially considering Chuck Liddell is one of the biggest stars the sport of MMA has ever seen.

It doesn’t appear that’s the reality, however. Liddell is almost 50 and his fighting days should long be over. A poorly booked undercard, one that would make even the smallest of regional promotions blush, didn’t help matters. Especially with a number of amateur fights. Add in the PPV price at a steep 40$, and it’s not surprising to see Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 struggle.

It’s worth noting that Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz 3 is not alone. It joins the likes of Dynamite!! USA, Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni, and BodogFight: Clash Of Nations as some of the lowest PPV events of all time. Even the UFC has struggled to surpass the 100,000 buy mark for certain events in recent memory.

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Ricardo Palacios was one of the biggest winners at Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 on Saturday night, finishing off UFC veteran Walel Watson with a head kick in the first round. The main card fight should have been a shining moment for Palacios, who entered the night off a win on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. There was only one problem: Palacios missed weight for the catchweight fight.

Still, it was a big moment, and just being part of the historic card was a great experience for the Combate Americas veteran. “Being on PPV, that’s a big goal for me. Being in this moment, Tito Ortiz-Chuck Liddell, it’s just amazing,” he told Cageside Press following the event.

“I’m doing something that many fighters in the world would not be able to do in their lives,” he pointed out, “and be with two pioneers, or two legends, in the cage with Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell, one of the biggest rivalries in MMA history.”

It’s a big break for Palacios, who a year ago was pulled from Combate’s one-night Copa Combate tournament for missing weight. He’s managed to stay relevant since, however. “I just fought in Las Vegas for the Contender Series. So I’m still active. Combate’s not the end of the road, like they say. Now we’ve got Golden Boy MMA, Dana White’s Contender Series, there’s a lot of promotions out there.”

The problem, however, remains the weight cut. Palacios has missed weight a handful of times in his career cutting to bantamweight, beyond just the Copa Combate incident. At Liddell vs. Ortiz 3, he missed the mark for a 140lb catchweight, weighing in at 142lbs.

“It’s just, I know everybody does it, for me it’s extremely hard. Having a full time job, getting home late, trying to put in training, I’ve got my kids,” he explained. He’s not blind to the fact that other fighters go through similar issues. “Everybody has a lot, I’m not making an excuse. It’s just extremely hard.”

“Honest truth, I leave my fighting to the end. Take care of my family first, then fighting,” he admitted, adding that weight and distractions have “always been an issue. I’ve always had businesses, I’ve always tried to provide money and food, and pay the bills and make sure my family’s okay.” Finding the balance has been as issue.

For Ricardo Palacios, however, in the end, the money he’s giving up isn’t that much of a concern. “Giving back a little bit of money doesn’t really matter. At the end of the day I’ve got to go home, got to go get back to work on Monday, and see [whether] my manager’s going to hit me up, see whatever fight’s going to come up,” he said. “So I’m not really giving up much, because I go home and I go back to my life.”

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Chuck Liddell did not get the return to glory he was looking for on Saturday. In fact, Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 was anything but the “warm up fight” Liddell had referred to it as. Instead, it was a reminder that time away, and time in general, is more than most fighters, even great fighters, can overcome.

Speaking to reporters including Cageside Press following the event, Liddell was forthright about the loss. “Sorry about my performance. It is what it is,” he said. “It happens. Tito came prepared, and I lost. It is what it is. I’m proud of my training camp, the guys did a great job, they got me in great shape, I showed up, no excuses, I was in great shape, ready to go, and he was the better man tonight. There it is.”

There is is indeed. Liddell was once again knocked out, this time by a fighter he’d finished twice before. Yet at age 48, should anyone really be surprised? The only question that remains is whether or not Liddell will hang up the gloves for good. After eight years away and a failed comeback attempt, he probably should — but many, including opponent Ortiz, have suggested he could fight again. Post-fight, Liddell was in a reflective mode, expressing regrets about how he approached the fight. Yet on continuing on, or not, he postponed the decision.

“I don’t want to think about that right now,” Liddell said “I mean, I’m not in the right state of mind to really talk about whether or not I’m done or not. But I felt good out there and I had fun, so we’ll see.”

In terms of his health following the knockout, Liddell said he felt fine, adding he didn’t think it was a bad knockout. “I was able to answer all the questions in the corner right away, when they came up and asked me where you live, where are we, all those questions. I was able to answer them all right away. So I’m fine.”

On whether the two had buried the hatchet after the fight, “I don’t know what to say about that,” Liddell responded. “I respect him. He gets in the ring fights with me. I mean, anybody who gets in the ring and closes the door and fights, I respect them.”

The post Chuck Liddell Not Ready To Make A Decision On Fighting Future appeared first on Cageside Press.

Tito Ortiz got the result he was looking for on Saturday night against Chuck Liddell. With the two old rivals meeting for the third time, Ortiz put ‘The Ice Man’ on ice roughly four and a half minutes into the first round. Without ever falling back on his wrestling base, Ortiz backed Liddell into a corner, let his hands go, and earned the knockout finish.

Whatever is said Sunday about the condition Liddell was in at 48 years old, the record books will show that Ortiz got his revenge. He put away the man who beat him twice earlier in his career. He went out on a win.

“You guys don’t even know. All the pressure. Everything that I’ve worked for,” Ortiz told reporters including Cageside Press at the post-fight press conference after the bout. “Twenty-one years I’ve been in this game of mixed martial arts. I’ve been through the worst of the worst, I’ve been through the highest of the highs, like no others.”

Those ups would include becoming a world champion, five title defenses, but then the down of being “thrown to the wolves.” Thanking his fans for supporting him over the years, Ortiz said that now “I can be thankful for Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions for starting something new.”

On the fight itself, Ortiz revealed that “I wasn’t going to wrestle. This fight was never about wrestling. I faked him out the whole time telling him I was going to take him down.” It’s clear that Ortiz wanted to beat his longtime rival at his own game. “I believe in my hands, because I’m sparring with the best guys in the world right now.”

The big question after the fight, of course, was about the future. “Is this the last one?” Ortiz asked aloud on Saturday. “I want it to be.”

“There’s a lot of pressure. To impose your will on someone like that every single fight is really really hard. There’s so much pressure to do that. And I’ve been doing it twenty-one years,” he explained. Now, he wants to step out of the fighting game and into the promoting realm. There, he’ll be looking to help up-and-coming fighters, to “grow the next Tito Ortizs, grow the next Chuck Liddells, grow the next Rampage Jacksons, Royce Gracies, Ken Shamrocks, Conor McGregors, and give them an opportunity to make the real money in here.”

Later, Ortiz said no potential opponent has his interest at this point. “There’s no one out there to fight. Nobody. I’m done.”

“I’m willing to walk away,” he finished, and if the door was left open for a return, it was only a crack. After all, it’s clear Ortiz doesn’t want to wind up like his opponent Saturday. Tito admitted that if he was managing Chuck Liddell, he would have advised against the UFC Hall of Famer taking another fight. “I would have told Chuck no. Let’s get you an ambassador job.” He later put a rider on that, suggesting that “you can’t hold someone back, if they believe in something.” So with that in mind, “if he wants to compete, let him compete” — just not in the main event, Ortiz added.

That said, “I buried the hatchet with Chuck, 100%,” following the fight.

If it is his last hurrah, Ortiz goes out on a high note at least. With a record of 20–12–1, he has now won four of his last five bouts.

Watch the full post-fight press conference with Tito Ortiz above.

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Heading into Liddell vs. Ortiz 3, Oscar De La Hoya, promoter of the dubious main event that unfolded Saturday night, said in an interview with MMA Junkie that one should never tell a fighter when to hang up the gloves. “You never tell a fighter to retire. That’s his business. It’s the fighter’s business,” he told the outlet. De La Hoya, a former fighter himself, was speaking from the heart. Unfortunately, it’s the head that’s required when such decisions are being weighed. And realistically, it’s the job of several parties — coaches, commissioners, loved ones — to suggest a fighter call it a career.

It’s a shame none of them told Chuck Liddell prior to Saturday night.

The main event of Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 was exactly what many thought it would be. Exactly what many feared. An aged and obviously slowed Liddell shambled around the cage, awkwardly looking for a way to land on Tito Ortiz. Ortiz, who had not been away from the sport for long, was without question the superior athlete. He beat Liddell at his own game. But in reality, father time beat Chuck Liddell before he ever stepped into the Golden Boy MMA cage.

“I wouldn’t have made this comeback if I didn’t feel like I was in great shape. I made a mistake. I got caught,” Liddell said after the fight. All of that, on the surface, is true. Liddell was in great shape, for a 48 year old man. Yet being in great shape, and being in fight shape, are two different things. Liddell never looked to be in fight shape, as his disastrous open workout proved.

Any talk that Liddell was pulling a fast one at the open workouts, intentionally trying to look bad to throw his opponent off heading into Saturday, went out the window in a heartbeat when Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 got underway at The Forum in L.A. And no one should have been surprised. We’ve been here before, after all. Shamrock vs. Slice was just as farcical. Not that you can blame the athletes. Wanting to keep competing is natural, and in any other line of work, wouldn’t be an issue. In fighting, however, it’s dangerous, and no one really needed to see Liddell knocked out again.

Fighters rarely want to admit time has passed them by. Promoters, however, have a responsibility to watch out for the safety of their athletes (sorry, independent contractors). For once, Dana White got one right, ushering ‘The Ice Man’ into retirement all those years ago. He’ll get an I told you so moment out of this, but it’s doubtful even White wants to brag about this one.

Ortiz, in the four and half minutes or so that it took to put away Liddell with a combination that the Chuck of old would have seen coming a mile away, proved little. Other than that a fighter who has recently competed and stayed in the gym will have a clear advantage over an aging fighter eight years removed from the game. As if you really needed that lesson. Ortiz finally got his revenge on Saturday, but in a victory akin to elder abuse, that’s not really much to celebrate. Worse, he encouraged Liddell to continue fighting. Apparently, the hatchet wasn’t completely buried Saturday night, because Ortiz wants to see his old rival take further punishment.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom on Saturday, mind you. As bizarre as the whole ramp-up to Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 was, as underwhelming as the main event was, the production was top notch. The commentary and analysis solid, outside of Rashad Evans tripping over his tongue once or twice. The house was packed come the main event. Deron Winn, the undefeated prospected matched up against the returning Tom Lawlor in the co-main event, emerged as a potential star. There were some solid submission finishes.

Golden Boy is welcome to stick around MMA. Through all the weirdness, including the Golden Boy himself being unable to pronounce Chuck Liddell’s name, there was some entertainment value Saturday. Of course, whether the promotion tries again will no doubt rest on how Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 performed on Pay-Per-View. But should De La Hoya take a second stab at promoting an MMA event, let’s hope he chooses a main event more relevant, and less decrepit.

The post Now that Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 Is Over, What If Anything Have We Learned? appeared first on Cageside Press.

Oscar De La Hoya’s initial foray into mixed martial arts went down Saturday at The Forum in Los Angeles. For those even remotely aware of the goings-on in the sport, the main event was well known: a third meeting between Chuck Liddell and Tito Oritz, renewing a feud from back in their UFC days. Of course, while Liddell had won both of those fights, finishing Ortiz on both occasions, eight years had passed since Liddell had got in the cage. Eight long years, during which Ortiz had remained active, finishing his career (until Saturday) with Bellator MMA.

The card goes down live on PPV, but you can check the results below as the evening unfolds!

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 9PM ET)

Tito Ortiz def. Chuck Liddell by knockout, Round 1, 4:24
Deron Winn def. Tom Lawlor by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Gleison Tibau def. Efrain Escudero by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ricky Palacios def. Walel Watson by knockout, Round 1, 3:56
James Barnes def. Alberto Morales by submission (arm-bar), Round 3, 4:09
Jay Silva def. Oscar Cota by technical submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 3, 2:13

PRELIMINARY CARD (7:30PM ET Facebook)

Joseph Henle def. Keith Berry by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 1:15
Joshua Jones def. Craig Wilkerson by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Johnny Cisneros def. Dave Terrel by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Fernie Garcia def. Joe Roye by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:48
Francisco Estrada def. Jose Huerta by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 2:47

AMATEUR BOUTS (6PM ET)

Noah Christy def. Casey Smith by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-28)
Josh Wang Kim def. Johnny Robles by TKO (punches), Round 2, 1:56
Mary Almario def. Tyler Schaefer by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
John Wang Kim def. Mauro Gutierrez by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Julianna Miller def. Sidney Trillo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)

The post Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz 3 Full Card Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Deron Winn is currently a hot prospect in MMA, and one of the rare cases where Bellator hasn’t snapped up a top wrestling prospect long-term. Winn, who fights out of Dethrone Base Camp alongside Ed Ruth and Chris Honeycutt, and is friends and sparring partners with UFC double champ Daniel Cormier, fought once for Scott Coker’s promotion. However, that was a one-fight deal, and Winn is keeping his options open.

That brings him to the co-main event at Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 on Saturday, under the Golden Boy MMA banner. It’s Oscar De La Hoya’s first attempt at promoting an MMA show, and while the card has had its share of criticism, the boxer-turned-promoter made a smart move in selecting Winn to feature. He’ll be taking on former UFC fighter Tom Lawlor, in his first fight back following a USADA suspension.

The pair had their first real interaction this week, at the final press conference before the fight. Speaking to Cageside Press, Winn said that Lawlor’s “been in this game a long time, so he knows what to say. I don’t know if he’s trying to get under my skin, or promote the fight or whatever.” However, the pro wrestler certainly did what he could to get some shots in — but it hasn’t fazed Winn any.

“I’m not scared, I’m prepared,” he said. “I know exactly what he has to offer. Everybody can talk a game, and try to act like they’re big time or whatever, or think he’s going to be the man after this. But at the end of the day, we’re going to find out. We’re going to step in that cage, it’s going to lock, and we’ll find out.”

While Lawlor has dabbled in pro wrestling, Winn is a decorated amateur wrestler who finished fourth at this year’s U.S. Open. Just weeks later, he fought in Bellator, then took part in wrestling’s World Team Trials. All in a matter of weeks.

Why Winn continues to pursue wrestling while competing as a pro fighter is simple. “There’s a lot of downtime as I build in my professional career in fighting. So I like to be active and competitive,” he explained. “For a guy like me, I like to stay in shape and train. That’s what’s best for me in the long run.”

“The more downtime I have, the worse it is for me,” he continued, and noted that new opportunities continued to arise in the wrestling world. “There were some new weights and now there’s these professional matches and stuff like that. So I saw these opportunities, and I pounced on them when I could.”

That said, Winn’s focus will likely switch mainly to MMA in the coming months, especially if all goes well this weekend. “I’m not going to lie, I probably won’t be doing it for much longer, because now my career’s about to jump off after Saturday night, and I’ll probably give wrestling the back seat,” he confessed. “But wrestling is what molded me into who I am today, so I love it, and I always will.”

As to what comes after Saturday, Winn’s interested in hearing all offers, be it from Golden Boy, Bellator, or the UFC. A breakthrough performance could certainly land him a big contract. Which makes his fight against Tom Lawlor key.

The post Deron Winn Explains Why He’s Continued to Wrestle While Pursing MMA Career appeared first on Cageside Press.

Antonio McKee wasn’t even interested in talking about his incredible crop of rookies after Tuesday’s media day for Liddell vs. Oritz 3. The head coach of Team Bodyshop instead immediately focused on accusations leveled by Tito Ortiz that McKee had leaked him info about Chuck Liddell’s training camp. Liddell has been working with Team Bodyshop in preparation for this weekend’s fight between the two MMA legends at The Forum in L.A.

McKee wanted to make one thing clear immediately: he’s no snitch, and Ortiz needed to retract his statements. “I’m still active. I’m in the streets. I’m trying to make a change in the community. I don’t deal with a lot of law abiding citizens, and a lot of them do illegal things,” McKee explained about why the issue is so important to him. “I’m trying to be a positive influence in our community. I still live on the outskirts of that area. So by him saying that about me, I took that really personal, and I don’t like that. Because the people that I’ve worked with, the people that I’m working with, they need to know one thing about me, that they have my loyalty.”

“If someone is referring to me as a snitch or a spy, that can’t run where I’m coming from,” he said. Asked how he’s been able to handle his relationship with both Ortiz and Liddell, McKee pointed out that “I trained Rampage, and Rampage was in the same gym as Tito. I’ve worked out with Tito, Tito’s came to my gym and worked out. It’s all good, that’s the fight game.” He went right back to the snitch issue however, adding “but when you refer to me as a snitch or a spy, I take that real personal.”

“So I went over to Tito and I asked Tito, ‘hey bro you need to clear that up, you can’t be having me out there like that,'” McKee continued. “I’m almost 50 years old bro. I came from a bad place. I’m in a good place now, the last ten years of my life has been amazing! Mentoring, coaching, developing inner city talent. And for that to be said, there’s another way to sell the show without doing that.”

To his credit, Ortiz had already retracted his statement when he spoke to Cageside Press just a few minutes earlier. Still, speaking to the media simply isn’t enough. For McKee, it’s a matter of clearing it up “with the community, with the public. You need to go on your social media, and you need to clear that up. Because you can’t say that about me. I have an image I have to uphold, just like anybody else. You can talk about my momma, you can talk about anything you want, but to say I’m a snitch? I’m from the streets.”

Despite a lack of education and top schools at his disposal, and the very real possibility that he go down a rough path, McKee clawed his way up to where he is today. But that streets background never seems to fully vanish. Snitching, with that in mind, is one of the worst things McKee could be accused of, in his mind, up there with child molester.

With that matter dealt with, however, Antonio McKee had high praise for Chuck Liddell, and their first camp together at Team Bodyshop. “It was another great athlete under the coattail, but out of all the athletes I’ve ever worked with, Chuck was probably the hardest worker out of everybody.”

Will that hard work pay off? We’ll find out this Saturday, November 24. Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 takes place at The Forum in Los Angeles, live on PPV.

The post Antonio McKee Clears Up “That Snitch Shit” From Tito Ortiz appeared first on Cageside Press.

When it comes to Deron Winn, Tom Lawlor has a good idea of what to expect. He’s facing the amateur wrestler this weekend at Liddell vs. Ortiz 3, under the Golden Boy banner. It’s Lawlor’s first fight since 2016. “No surprises. He’s one of the top amateur wrestlers in the country,” Lawlor said. With that in mind, he’s expecting the take down, and barring that, “he’s going to throw some big punches before he tries to take me down.”

“It’s a cut and dry game plan as far as I look at it,” he said of Winn. “I don’t think he’s going to come in with anything I’m not expecting. I’ve seen it all, he hasn’t. He’s relatively young in his career.”

While his opponent is young and hungry, Lawlor told Cageside Press that “I’m hungrier. I guaran-damn-tee you that.”

Lawlor took a few potshots at Winn ahead of the fight, a bit of page out of his pro wrestling career. “Everybody knows the deal, professional wrestling is…” he said then paused. “It’s fixed.” Breaking news, right? “It’s pre-determined. That doesn’t mean it’s not an athletic contest in and of itself.” Breaking Kayfabe. Yikes.

As Lawlor pointed out, he’s been out of the MMA realm for a while. “I’ve been training the entire time, I’ve been getting ready for a fight, it just so happens it’s going to be here for Golden Boy.” But while he’s been gone, “luckily I’ve had a lot of support from the professional wrestling community,” he explained. He’s been doing shows, staying active, and his self-promotion ahead of his MMA return is a nod to his second career.

“I want people to know that I’ve been in that world, so those people who supported me for the past two years have something to look forward to,” he said. Plus, having done his research, he recognizes that the two professions have long been intertwined, from Brazil to Japan.

In fact, he found wrestling through MMA. Now, he’ll return to his original field, on November 24 in Los Angeles, and look to get his career in fighting back on track.

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