Tag: Tito Ortiz

Triller Fight Club video: Anderson Silva vs. Tito Ortiz press conference faceoff

Tito Ortiz didn’t take his eyes off Anderson Silva during their first faceoff of fight week.

In what can be considered an unlikely scenario, UFC legends [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] and [autotag]Tito Ortiz[/autotag] are set to meet in the boxing ring on Triller Fight Club pay-per-view. But before they do, the former UFC champions faced off for the first time Thursday after the pre-fight news conference at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa.

You can watch their staredown in the video above.

“Triller Fight Club: Legends 2″ takes place Saturday at the Seminole Hard Rock Resort & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. The event is headlined by a fight between former boxing champion Evander Holyfield and former UFC champ Vitor Belfort.

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Vitor Belfort vs. Evander Holyfield, Anderson Silva-Tito Ortiz fights moved to Florida

The Triller Fight Club event that was set for Saturday in California is shifting coasts.

The Triller Fight Club event that was set for Saturday in California is shifting coasts.

[autotag]Oscar De La Hoya[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vitor Belfort[/autotag] was set for Los Angeles until De La Hoya contracted COVID-19, which forced him out. Triller got fellow former boxing champion Evander Holyfield to step in as De La Hoya’s replacement against ex-UFC champ Belfort.

After the California State Athletic Commission called no joy on sanctioning the 58-year-old Holyfield vs. Belfort in a boxing match, Triller has pulled up its stakes in California and will put on the event in Hollywood, Fla., Triller announced following an initial report from ESPN.

“Triller Fight Club Legends 2” not only features Holyfield-Belfort, but former UFC champs [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] and [autotag]Tito Ortiz[/autotag] will box on the card, which will air on FITE TV pay-per-view, reportedly at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. Although the venue’s official site has upcoming ticket purchase options for the likes of Hall & Oates and Guns N’ Roses, as well as October’s PFL finals, the Triller event was not listed for sale as of Monday morning.

The Holyfield-Belfort fight reportedly will be eight two-minute rounds. It is not yet known if it will be sanctioned as a pro fight or an exhibition match.

Holyfield has not fought since May 2011, when he was 48. He’s most well known for his two fights against Mike Tyson in 1996 and 1997. In the rematch, he retained the WBA heavyweight title when Tyson bit off a portion of his ear during the fight and was disqualified.

Belfort announced his MMA retirement after a May 2018 knockout loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 224 in his home country of Brazil. A few months later, Belfort announced he was returning and would fight for ONE Championship. But a fight never happened, and he no longer is connected to ONE.

The Belfort-De La Hoya boxing match started as an exhibition booking, but was changed to a pro fight. De La Hoya has not fought since December 2008. After the COVID announcement, he issued a statement saying he was fully vaccinated, but still contracted the virus.

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Metro Fight Club head coach Saul Soliz dead at 55; tributes pour in for ‘Godfather of Texas MMA’

A longtime coach, Saul Soliz trained UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz, “Rampage” Jackson, Cris Cyborg, and more recently the likes of Adrian Yanez.

Prominent mixed martial arts head coach Saul Soliz has died.

A former coach of Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Cris Cyborg, and numerous other UFC fighters, Soliz died Tuesday, multiple people with knowledge of his death informed MMA Junkie. He was 55.

Tribute posts from fighters, friends, and business partners poured in on social media for Soliz, who at the time of his death headed rising Houston-based gym Metro Fight Club. Soliz was an MMA trainer and competitor for 14 years, according to the gym’s website, though his muay Thai experience stretched 26 years. Formerly of Team Punishment, Soliz served as a coach for Team Ortiz on Seasons 3 and 11 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Other fighters coached by Soliz include former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez, former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman, former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman, Mark Kerr, Matt Hamill, Wes Sims, Yves Edwards, Pete Spratt, Melvin Guillard, Carlo Prater, Jonathan Brookins, Aaron Rosa, and Tim Credeur.

More recently, Soliz was the head coach of rising UFC bantamweights [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag] and [autotag]Mana Martinez[/autotag], as well as a crop of rising young talent that frequently populated Texas-based promotion Fury FC cards

Shortly after Soliz’s death, the tributes poured in with multiple people calling him “The Godfather of Texas MMA.”

Check out the legacy Soliz leaves behind through the impact felt from those who knew him best in the posts below.

Tito Ortiz: I lost respect for Anderson Silva for making me cut down to 195 pounds

Tito Ortiz admits there’s genuine concern that he might miss weight in his boxing match against Anderson Silva.

[autotag]Tito Ortiz[/autotag] admits there’s genuine concern that he might miss weight in his boxing match against [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag].

Ortiz meets Silva in a 195-pound boxing bout under the Triller Fight Club banner, which takes place Sept. 11 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and airs on pay-per-view. The professional bout is slated for eight rounds and is to be contested in 10-ounce gloves.

Having never weighed in at 195 pounds in his entire career, the former UFC light heavyweight champion isn’t quite sure how he’ll hit the mark come fight night. He thinks former UFC middleweight champion Silva, who’s competed at 205 pounds on numerous occasions in the octagon, is showing a sign of weakness by asking him to drain himself cutting weight.

“I appreciate this opportunity, Triller, Anderson Silva for finally agreeing to the weight that was mandatory for me to make 195,” Ortiz said on a pre-fight media call. “So I’m literally trying to cut my leg off to make that weight, and I’ll do it. I’ve never missed a weight my whole career, but it just shows that I’m really that focused. But again, it shows that Anderson, he respects the power, so I’m excited. I respect the man as a fighter, but I kind of lost a lot of respect for him just for not fighting me at 200 pounds.

“I’ve never made 195 in my whole career of 24 years, and I’m going to try like hell to make it, and I will make it. But at the same time, I just kind of lost a little respect for the guy. Someone who’s been a great world champion, he’s fought at 205 over six times, he’s fought for the world title at 205. But once again, it shows that he respects my power and he’s trying to make me weak. But hey, as I do in every one of my fights, I’m going to make it exciting, I’m going to fight, and I’m going to make this vicious.”

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Ortiz is a big underdog heading into his fight with Silva, who’s coming off a fantastic performance against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. But Ortiz says the betting line only fuels his motivation of not only beating the odds, but ensuring that he makes the weight so he doesn’t have to give up a percentage of his purse.

“I don’t care about odds,” Ortiz said. “Odds actually kind of pushed me to want to express my feelings inside the ring, and my feelings are to hurt the man in front of me. I got to go back to the weight thing because if I don’t make the weight, they’re going to take a percentage of my purse away. So they’re taking food off the table of my children, and that makes me very angry, but I focus in anger. I’m excited because Anderson is one of the best in the world. I’ve always wanted to fight Anderson. I’ve always had respect for him, but I understand how his team is going to take control of what weight he should be fighting at.

“But like I said, he’s fought at 205 before, and I thought he’d be a gentleman and make it at least 200 knowing that I used to be the middleweight world champion myself, and I used to make 199, and that was the weight class. When UFC moved the weight up to 205, that was because of me. They asked me what would be the perfect weight for light heavyweight, and I said 205 pounds, so that’s why they made it. But once again, I understand what their theory is behind it and what they want to do. I really don’t look at odds. I just look at the factor of how am I going to be when I step into the ring and compete against Anderson Silva, one of the greatest middleweights to ever grace the octagon.”

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UFC legends Anderson Silva, Tito Ortiz meet in Triller boxing match on Sept. 11

Former UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tito Ortiz will box at a Triller Fight Club event on Sept. 11.

Former UFC champions [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] and [autotag]Tito Ortiz[/autotag] will meet at a Triller Fight Club event on Sept. 11.

Longtime former UFC middleweight king Silva has agreed to take on ex-UFC light heavyweight titleholder Ortiz in a 195-pound boxing bout, which takes place at Staples Center in Los Angeles and airs on pay-per-view. The professional bout is slated for eight rounds and is to be contested in 10-ounce gloves.

MMA Junkie confirmed the news with a person with knowledge of the booking after an initial report from MMA Fighting. The person requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement

Silva, 46, made a successful return to boxing when he defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. by split decision on June 19. The scorecards read 75-77, 77-75, and 77-75 in favor of Silva, who improved his pro boxing record to 2-1.

It was the first combat sports bout for “The Spider” after a UFC tenure that lasted more than 14 years. He fought out his promotional contract with an October 2020 loss to Uriah Hall, and while UFC president Dana White encouraged the Brazilian to move on from combat sports for good, Silva didn’t listen.

Ortiz, the UFC Hall of Famer who recently resigned from his role as Huntington Beach (Calif.) Mayor Pro Tem, hasn’t competed since submitting Alberto El Patron in the main event of Combate Americas 51 in December 2019. Ortiz’s win was momentarily overturned to a no decision by the Texas State Athletic Commission but later restored after Ortiz claimed that the disqualifying substance that appeared in his urine sample was prescribed by a physician.

Ortiz, 46, has won his past three MMA fights and hasn’t suffered a defeat since September 2015.

The bout between Silva and Ortiz is part of the undercard for the Triller Fight Club event headlined by boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya vs. former UFC champion Vitor Belfort.

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Every UFC trilogy ranked ahead of Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3

Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor will meet in the 14th trilogy fight in UFC history when they clash at UFC 264.

Another chapter in the long story of UFC trilogy fights takes place Saturday at UFC 264.

[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] and [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] will clash for a third and likely final time – 2,483 days after they first fought at UFC 178 in September 2014.

McGregor (22-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) won the initial meeting by first-round TKO. In the rematch more than six years later, Poirier (27-6 MMA, 19-5 UFC) got redemption with a second-round TKO at UFC 257 in January.

Now the two lightweight contenders will compete one final time in the winner-takes-all rubber match.

It will be the 14th trilogy fight in company history, and ahead of UFC 264, we rank the others that have happened so far. Check out our list below, from worst to best.

Tito Ortiz resigns from Huntington Beach city council: ‘This job isn’t working for me’

UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz cited “character assassination” and concerns over his family’s safety in deciding to step down.

UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Tito Ortiz[/autotag] has had enough of his role as Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem.

On Tuesday, during the first in-person city council meeting of the year, Ortiz announced his resignation from the Southern California city’s governing body, effective immediately.

“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” will no longer have a role in making political decisions for his hometown after he simply expressed, “This job isn’t working for me.”

Ortiz’ time in office, which began after being elected last November, was not without controversy as the council sought to remove him from office with a vote of no confidence less than four months into his role due to his stances on the coronavirus pandemic, including public safety measures such as mask-wearing.

“I was under the notion that I was in a bi-partisan position and that we all had a common goal that our city and our constituents could have. To put it frankly, that’s not the case,” Ortiz said, reading from a prepared statement.

He continued, “From Day 1, I was sworn in and I was met with hostility and judgment.  Being a public figure, nothing is new. However, to be the sole focus of character assassination each and every week, with multiple news stories and leaked personal information – all of which were in hopes to slander and defame my name.

“I thought I was up to this job, but I knew I had over 40,000 constituents who were there counting on me. As of recent, the attacks against me moved to involve my family. I now feel (that) their safety is in danger. To put it simply, this job isn’t working for me.”

The council went into recess after Ortiz made the announcement on Tuesday, and the remaining council members did not comment on the development upon return.

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Tito Ortiz remains mayor pro tem: Huntington Beach city council shelves vote for removal

UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz will remain mayor pro tem of Huntington Beach, Calif., with council members shelving a vote for removal.

UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Tito Ortiz[/autotag] has been given a reprieve as mayor pro tem of Huntington Beach, Calif.

Following a rather lengthy city council meeting conducted via online conferencing and extended past midnight, Ortiz was allowed to retain the largely ceremonial position under the expectations that his behavior in the role will improve.

“I want to thank each and every one of you,” Ortiz said following the council’s decision to shelve a potential vote of no confidence. “I apologize if I let anybody down. I think I just let myself down because I went on defensive mode from the very beginning, and I shouldn’t have done that. I will work harder, and I will try not to miss meetings as hard as I possibly can. I do have other jobs to pay my bills, but at the same time, I will do the best job that I know to do.”

Ortiz was elected to office in November and then appointed mayor pro tem one month later. However, he created concerns among the council for his refusal to wear a mask while on official business as required by current COVID-19 safety protocols. Ortiz was also criticized by council members for being untruthful in some of his postings on social media, as well, many of which had a very combative tone.

Huntington Beach mayor Kim Carr, along with council members Mike Posey and Dan Kalmick, originally proposed stripping Ortiz of his duties in the mayor pro tem role, which includes filling in for the mayor if ever needed and running council meetings – responsibilities they felt Ortiz has proven unfit to execute.

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However, following more than an hour of debate, the vote was tabled for the time being, with the understanding it could be brought up again in the future, if needed.

“I’m asking you to understand … and truly be that leader,” Carr said. “I always have an open door. You know that. I don’t have an axe to grind with you. Never have. I’ve never attacked you. None of us have. We’re not interested in that. We truly want to do just want to do what’s good work with the city.

“Here’s your opportunity. Show us what you can do. Show us that you’re in it to win it and that you want to work with us, you want to be a partner, and that I know I can count on you because there is going to be that day I need you, and I want you to be there. So you told me, ‘I’m in it.’ I will trust you, and I have your back, but I cannot have you lying. That is the biggest thing. You cannot lie to our community. You cannot tell half truths. You have to be completely honest and transparent.”

Prior to the decision, the council listened to public comments for nearly three hours with a majority in favor of ousting Ortiz, but there was also vocal support to maintain his position. He was described as “unstable, unsuitable, unhinged, and unfit” by one resident. Other residents called for him to stay on the basis of not undermining the November election results, which saw Ortiz capture more than 42,000 votes.

Simon Samano contributed to this report.

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Tito Ortiz could be removed as Huntington Beach City Council Mayor Pro Tem

Tito Ortiz is in danger of losing his position as Mayor Pro Tempore on the Huntington Beach City Council.

[autotag]Tito Ortiz[/autotag] is in danger of losing his position as Mayor Pro Tempore on the Huntington Beach City Council less than three months after being voted onto the city’s governing board.

Ortiz (21-12-1), a former UFC light heavyweight champion, has become a constant presence in the news since being elected to a City Council seat in December, mostly for the wrong reasons.

The issues with Ortiz, 46, largely relate to the coronavirus pandemic and his vocal stances against mask-wearing and social distancing. It’s festered frustration with his fellow council members, who are now positioning to take action against the UFC Hall of Fame inductee.

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News surfaced Thursday that the next city council meeting, scheduled for Feb. 1, will include a vote of no-confidence against toward Ortiz with the hope of removing him from his Mayor Pro Tem position.

The Mayor Pro Tem position is largely ceremonial. If removed from the position, he would still retain his council seat. In a race for three at-large seats, Ortiz finished first among 15 candidates with 37,015 votes in the Nov. 3 election.

“Mr. Ortiz has failed to perform at a level expected for his position and his demonstrated little commitment to serving in the role with honor and dignity,” a statement read. “His unprofessional demeanor and poor judgement have raised concerned among residents, local business owners, and his fellow council members. The Huntington Beach community expects local elected officials to take their governing responsibilities seriously and we wholeheartedly agree.”

Additional details on the situation can be viewed below (via Twitter):

Ortiz’s particular indiscretions have been well-documented by Twitter user @FullContactMTWF.

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MMA MAGAs who hate socialism took government loans. Maybe there’s a lesson there | Opinion

A whole lot of right-wing MMA types lined up for socialist federal loans while they preached self-reliance. Maybe there’s a lesson to be learned.

You heard it all throughout the 2020 election campaign from conservative voices in the MMA space: Socialism is bad. The government is a nanny state. Real men are self-made. They pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get to work and would never think of taking a handout.

The UFC, and by extension the sport of MMA, became deeply tied to this message and perhaps the most active proponents of President Donald Trump’s failed reelection campaign in the American sporting landscape.

UFC president Dana White, whose relationship with Trump goes back well before the latter’s political career, spoke at the Republican National Convention, much as he did in 2016. White also led a UFC contingent to appear at Trump campaign rallies in the swing state of Nevada, and several UFC fighters also appeared with Trump at rallies in Florida.

MMA’s MAGA brigade were undefeated champions in the fight against the gluttonous pig that is the evil government.

Until it was their turn to feed from the federal trough, that is.

In response to the terrible economic disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the government created two avenues to help small business owners through the CARES act, which was signed into law March 27.

One, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, is a low-interest loan program for which the lender has 30 years to repay. The second, the Paycheck Protection Program, helps employers meet payroll during the pandemic. If certain benchmarks are met, these loans don’t have to be paid back.

As it turns out, several prominent names in the MMA MAGA sphere had already taken their government handouts while they spoke out against the evils of socialism. In a report released Friday, Bloody Elbow took a deep dive into public records and found the following:

  • [autotag]Tito Ortiz[/autotag], current Huntington Beach mayor pro tem, longtime Trump supporter, and staunch anti-mask crusader, took out a $32,292 PPP loan June 8. The loan is in the names of both Ortiz and ‘Triple JJJ LLC.” (Does this mean the company is called JJJJJJJJJ?)
  • Miletich Fighting Systems, founded by MMA legend and outspoken libertarian Pat Miletich, took out an $8,700 PPP loan on May 1.
  • [autotag]Brendan Schaub[/autotag], granted, was not a part of the crew that went out campaigning for Trump. He did, however, use his platform to push the notion COVID was overblown early on during the pandemic, right up until he caught the virus after doing a standup comedy gig. Turns out that during the period Schaub was telling his podcast listeners COVID was no big deal, Brendan Schaub MMA found it real enough to take out a $22,427 PPP loan April 29.
  • Then there’s First Round Management, one of the sport’s largest agencies. Among its client base is Jorge Masvidal, who actively campaigned for Trump. To this day, he’s tweeting nonsense about a stolen election, to which we won’t link. FRM went to the federal till more often than anyone else on the list. It received a $4,620 PPP loan April 8, a $10,000 EIDL April 18, and a $140,000 EIDL June 30. FRM president Malki Kawa took out a $39,300 EIDL loan Aug. 4.

There were a few other big names on the list, as well, but we’re not going to name them, because, you know what? They didn’t spend most of the past year telling us how they did everything all by themselves and how government money is for weak-minded snowflakes. That also goes for the lesser-known names, by and large gym owners and smaller-scale fight promoters who were hit hard by state and local shutdowns to combat the virus.

Americans faced unprecedented hardships in 2020 during the worst public health crisis of the past century. The federal government’s role is to help people get through such situations, a belief system underscored by President-elect Joe Biden trouncing Trump by more than 7 million ballots in the popular vote. Even those who fancy themselves as the biggest and strongest need a hand sometimes. Hopefully those who preached one thing but practiced another in 2020 will show a little more humility in the future.

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