Tag: Combate Americas

Tito Ortiz returned to the cage back in November when he fought for Golden Boy MMA. There, he took on Chuck Liddell in the trilogy bout, which he won.

Now, the 44-year-old is continuing to fight as he has signed with Combate Americas and will take on Alberto Del Rio later this year. As for why he wanted to return to fighting well it was an easy decision.

“I’m feeling great and I’m able to do it physically and mentally and I think that has huge value to it, but I love the sport, I love training, I love seeing how my body forms from the beginning to the end of camp,” Ortiz said to MMA Fighting.

“After my last fight with Chuck Liddell, I went from being in okay shape to being in a type of shape that I was in when I was 23 years old. People see the weigh-ins and every time my body structure is almost the same and it’s just because of how hard I push myself. But you have to be in the right mind space, you have to be in a positive environment because it helps us fighters compete. But really, I’m just happy, I’m content, I like to get in the gym and train, I like to push myself.

“After the Chuck fight, I came to this fork on the road of which way I go right now. Do I go in the business stuff and make decent money or do I go the other way and do something that I love, and still do the business stuff, but do the thing that I love and get in shape and compete. I had to call Randy Couture and ask him the same question, ‘When you were 43 years old, what made you want to comeback?,’ and he said, ‘Well, Tito. I really felt like I wasn’t done, I felt like I could give so much more,’ and that’s all he had to tell me and I was in.

“My mentality, my mindset, my body, my life, the people surrounding me, the positive reinforcement I get, all that motivates me and inspires me because I don’t want to look back when I’m 50 years old and wish I would’ve continued fighting when I was 44, so I can end it on my own note, the way I want it.”

How Tito Ortiz looks in this fight is to be seen. But, he is confident he still has the skills necessary and will get another win.

Do you think Tito Ortiz should still be fighting?

The post Tito Ortiz Explains Why He Is Fighting In Combate Americas appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Tito Ortiz’s Combate Americas debut is set. He’ll take on former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio at a date and location yet to be determined.

The fight will be contested at a catchweight of 210 pounds. Although the location is not set, it will be taking place in the United States. Ortiz spoke to “The Ariel Helwani MMA Show” earlier today (Mon. July 15, 2019) to discuss his matchup with Del Rio.

“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” first dove into the differences in political views between himself and Del Rio:

“Well, you got to think about this,” Ortiz said. “I’m not into politics, I’m not a politics person. I’m not a Republican, I’m not a Democrat, I’m an American. I want the safety for my children’s future to be number one. And our President is putting that for our country. I want that to happen.

“Now on the opposite side, Alberto Del Rio, he wants open borders. Anybody can come into our country whenever they want, and I don’t believe in that. So I think that’s where we kind of butt heads and I think the story will lead up to the fight.”

Although Del Rio and other professional wrestlers who venture into mixed martial arts (MMA) catch a lot of flack, Ortiz actually has respect for the Mexican star. Del Rio actually holds a professional MMA record of 9-5 and began fighting back in 2001. He has shared the cage with stars such as Mirko Cro Cop.

Ortiz wouldn’t necessarily call Del Rio a friend, but he doesn’t hold any hate for his upcoming opponent the way he did when he fought the likes of Chuck Liddell:

“I wouldn’t say friends,” Ortiz said. “I respect the man, I really respect him. There’s not hate as I had against Chuck Liddell but you never know. I mean, you start talking about people’s countries and you start talking about the future and the safety of our country here in America – I don’t know, I’m willing to die for it. If I wasn’t a fighter I probably would have been a great Marine.”

Finally, Ortiz offered one last warning to Del Rio ahead of their fight later this year:

“Alberto Del Rio, you can watch all my training stuff, and watch how I’m gonna whoop your a**.”

What do you think about Ortiz’s trash talk ahead of his Combate America matchup against Del Rip?

The post Tito Ortiz Warns Alberto Del Rio: ‘Watch How I’m Gonna Whoop Your A**’ appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

The rumors are, in fact, true. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz will make his Combate Americas debut against ex-WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio.

ESPN has confirmed the match-up for the Latin American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion. No date or venue has been confirmed for the show as of this writing, but we’ll pass along more information as it becomes available.

Ortiz has been active in MMA competition over the past several years. His last outing occurred during the Golden Boy MMA event back in November. Ortiz defeated longtime rival Chuck Liddell via first-round knockout. Prior to that, Ortiz submitted Chael Sonnen in the first round of their Bellator 170 fight in January of 2017.

As for Del Rio, he is a longtime retired mixed martial artist who has been competing in professional wrestling for most of his life. Del Rio, whose real name is Jose Alberto Rodriguez, hasn’t fought since 2010. He has competed against notable names such as Kazuhiro Nakamura and Mirko Cro Cop, losing to both, the latter via knockout.

In his last fight, Rodriguez was finished in the second round of his fight against Yamamoto Hanshi in Spain. It ended a six-fight win streak for Rodriguez at the time, all of those victories coming via finish. Now, the 42-year-old will return to test himself against a former UFC champion.

What do you think about Ortiz facing Del Rio in his Combate Americas debut?

The post Tito Ortiz Will Fight Ex-WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio In Combate Americas Debut appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz recently signed a deal with Combate Americas.

The contract is said to be a multi-fight deal with Ortiz expected to make his debut this fall. No opponent has been officially named for “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy,” however, the rumors have already begun to swirl. The favorite is reportedly former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio.

Del Rio has been affiliated with the Combate Americas promotion for several years. He once served as the promotion’s president before later stepping down from the position. Del Rio actually has a legitimate background in mixed martial arts (MMA). The Mexican star has a record of 9-5, and even once fought the legendary Mirko Cro Cop.

He hasn’t fought since 2010 when he was knocked out in the second round by Yamamoto Hanshi. Wrestling Observer Radio and MMA Fighting’s Dave Meltzer recently mentioned the rumor. It was noted that Del Rio actually revealed last year he was planning a return to fighting sometime this year.

Should he be matched up with Ortiz, it will certainly be interesting to see how that match-up plays out at this point in their respective athletic careers.

The post Tito Ortiz Rumored To Make Combate Americas Debut Against Former WWE Champ appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.