Chuck Liddell, (+200), 30-8 (20 KOs, 2 Submissions) vs. Tito Ortiz, (-260), 19-12-1 (8 KOs, 5 Submissions) In Golden Boy's first foray into MMA, we get a big-name main event, as former UFC light heavyweight champions Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz battle it out for the third time. Liddell is 48 and hasn't been in a fight in eight years. 2 days ago  After not appearing all season long, Ohio State forward E.J. Liddell has made it onto the Wooden Award list as one of fifteen finalists. The award goes out to college basketball’s top player annually. Liddell, a sophomore, has had a breakout year for the Buckeyes. A two-time Illinois Mr.

On Saturday November 24^th, Oscar De La Hoya and his Golden Boy Promotions officially enters into the world of MMA with their first event Golden Boy MMA:Liddell vs Ortiz 3. This PPV spectacle takes place at The Forum in Inglewood, California, and features 12 professional bouts and 4 amateur bouts depending on the allotted time.

For those looking to jump straight into the betting action, here are the top sites we recommend:

The event is obviously headlined by two of MMA’s legends in Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. However, Golden Boy also worked hard to put together an undercard that would draw interest from fight fans. None of the other 15 fights feature Top 10 fighters in their weight class, but they do have a decent blend of prospects and former UFC fighters.

With that said, this event is all about the trilogy fight between Ortiz and Liddell. The only question is whether or not fight fans care enough to drop $40 on this PPV event. Prelims begin at 6PM ET and the PPV begins at 9 PM ET. This event can be seen on FITE.TV or cable and satellite PPV. And for those interested in finding online betting sites to bet on the mma event, you can check our our detailed mma betting guide.

The History between Ortiz and Liddell

Prior to 2004, Liddell and Ortiz were friends and training partners. However, that all changed and the two squared off at UFC 47 in the main event. Ortiz showed no fear going up against a better striker as he went toe-to-toe with Liddell. Unfortunately, it ended up being his downfall. The light heavyweight contest lasted 38 seconds into the 2^nd Round before Liddell KO’d Ortiz.

Soon after his victory over Ortiz, Liddell would go on to defeat Randy Couture at UFC 52 to win the UFC lightweight championship. Ortiz ended up winning two fights before leaving the UFC due to contractual issues. He would return in 2006 and fight Ken Shamrock twice and winning both times. Eventually, Ortiz’s success would put him in line for a rematch against Liddell at UFC 66.

In their second fight, Liddell defended the lightweight title against Ortiz and the two would put on an impressive display of tenacity and viciousness. In the end, Liddell got a 3^rd Round TKO victory over Ortiz. The UFC 66 PPV was a huge success due to this fight. It became the first UFC PPV to crack the 1 million PPV buys mark.

Liddell vs Ortiz Betting Odds

Coming into the trilogy fight, Ortiz is a big favorite over Liddell. According to BetOnline, Tito Ortiz is listed at -260 and Chuck Liddell is listed at +220.

The biggest reason why Liddell is such a big underdog is that the 48 year old hasn’t fought since 2010. Chuck has been retired since then. After his second win over Ortiz, Liddell went on to lose 5 of his next 6 fights in a span of 3 ½ years. His loss against Rich Franklin at UFC 115 forced the UFC to basically say that Liddell is done with the company. After that, Chuck saw the writing on the wall and announced his retirement at UFC 125 almost 4 years after his win over Ortiz at UFC 66.

For Tito, he’s actually fought 4 times over the last 4 years, and did this under the banner of Bellator. The 43 year old light heavyweight legend went 3-1 over that span with wins over Bonnar, Sonnen and Shlemenko. However, Ortiz hasn’t fought since January 2017. So, there might be some rust, but not as much as Liddell.

The Rest of the Fight Card

In addition to the main event, the following fights are listed for Golden Boy’s MMA PPV event:

Main Card

Outside of the main event, the PPV card features former UFC fighters Lawlor, Escudero, Tibau, Watson, and Silva. Young prospects in Deron Winn and Kenneth Berg dot the PPV card and have some interest from fans and pundits for their potential. A win at this event would definitely help to catapult their careers into bigger fights.

• Tom Lawlor (10-6) vs Deron Winn (4-0)
  I’m picking Winn to get the victory over UFC bet Lawlor.
• Kenneth Bergh (6-0) vs Jorge Gonzalez (14-4)
  I also like Bergh to take another big step in his young career with a win at this event.
• Efrain Escudero (30-13) vs Gleison Tibau (33-14)
  This catchweight features two former UFC fighters and will be a good fight. It’s a tough call, but I do believe Tibau will get the win in this contest.
• Ricky Palacios (10-1) vs Walel Watson (14-11)
  Palacios appears to have the advantage in this fight and I think he will come away with the win over Watson.
• Oscar Cota (8-1) vs Jay Silva (11-12-1)
  Cota is going to snag the victory here and continue his momentum as a heavyweight prospect.

Preliminary Card

• Jason Manly (5-0) vs Tom Callicchio (19-10)
• James Barnes (10-3 vs Alberto Morales (0-0)
• Francisco Estrada (0-0) vs Jose Huerta (2-2)
• Johnny Cisneros (11-6) vs Dave Terrel (7-8)
• Joshua Jones (7-3) vs Craig Wilkerson (7-4)
• Leandro Gomes (3-1) vs Westin Wilson (5-3)
• Fernie Garcia (4-0) vs Joe Roye (4-0)

In addition to the fights above, there will be a handful of amateur fights throughout the night as time permits.

Final Thoughts on Liddell vs Ortiz 3

Although these two fighters have a combined age of 91 years old, I’m not going to dismiss the potential of an entertaining fight because of their age. I would like to point to some comments the great Randy Couture recently said about this fight:

“I’m not too concerned about the age, honestly. I fought right up until where Chuck’s at right now, at a high level.”

Now, Couture’s career was consistent as he continued to fight and didn’t take an 8-year retirement from the sport. With that said, I expect Ortiz to be in better shape as he’s at least fought within the last few years. Furthermore, Tito’s conditioning should be an advantage over Liddell’s. But, I wouldn’t test Chuck’s punching power if I was Ortiz. Tito should put the pressure on and try to get Liddell to the mat. Once there, Ortiz should be able to easily finish the fight. It’s just a matter of getting to that point without eating a Liddell fist.

I believe Ortiz will win this fight as he is definitely the smart bet here. I do see some value in Liddell as his striking ability gives him a puncher’s chance. For some of you risk takers, it might be worth taking a flier on Chuck. But, for those looking to be safe with their MMA bet, go with Ortiz to win.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

If coming out of retirement after eight years to battle fellow UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz for a third time on Saturday wasn’t surprising enough of a decision for Chuck Liddell, the “Iceman” has something bigger to share about his comeback — this is only the beginning.

The 48-year-old Liddell (21-8), who was coaxed into retirement by UFC officials in 2010 following a trio of violent knockout losses told CBS Sports on Tuesday that his bitter rival Ortiz (19-12-1) is nothing more than a “tuneup” for bigger things.

“I wanted to get back into the game. I got interested and excited about fighting again and I needed a tuneup fight. And I needed a tuneup fight that we could sell,” Liddell said. “Tito is a great tuneup fight and a great measuring stick to where I am and where my comeback is. If everything goes to plan on Saturday, I’ll be ready to go and fight someone for real.”

“If I can’t perform to the level I expect to, I’ll hang it up for good.”

If you are choosing to remain skeptical about Liddell’s decision making, you aren’t alone. While Liddell-Ortiz III brings enough name value and remaining hostility between fighters to coax some nostalgic interest, it’s a fight that both UFC and even Bellator MMA — which has promoted the last four fights of the 43-year-old Ortiz — wanted nothing to do with.

Instead, the pair of legends and former UFC light heavyweight champions will meet on pay-per-view at The Forum in Inglewood, California (9 p.m. ET), under the banner of boxing promoter Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy banner, which makes its debut in MMA.

Skeptics remain abound regarding how well the fight will actually sell considering the poor undercard and not-so-stellar public performances by De La Hoya in promotion of the fight. That’s not even taking into account the combined age of the two fighters (91) and the fact that Liddell has looked every bit his age during various workout videos that went public ahead of the fight.

Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz

Light heavyweight

Deron Winn vs. Tom Lawlor

Light heavyweight

Kenneth Bergh vs. Jorge Gonzalez

Liddell Vs Ortiz 3 Odds 2019

Light heavyweight

Gleison Tibau vs. Efrain Escudero

Catchweight (160 pounds)

Walel Watson vs. Ricardo Palacios

Bantamweight

Jay Silva vs. Oscar Cota

Heavyweight

De La Hoya made both fighters equal partners with him in the PPV bout, which according to the former boxing star will net both the biggest paydays of their careers should the fight do well financially because of how large their percentage split is. That remains a big if, however, whether the fight will sell, especially considering ticket sales have reportedly been slow and De La Hoya lowered the PPV price to $39.99 on Monday.

Still, regardless of how many fans pony up to see it, the two legends will do business for a third time in a rivalry that once helped build the UFC into the powerhouse it is today thanks to the trash talking between them. Liddell won both of their meetings by knockout, including their 2006 rematch at UFC 66 that set a new PPV record at the time for the sport of 1.05 million buys.

“He says I’m a tuneup fight? Man, I think this guy has lost his mind over the last eight years,” Ortiz said. “You have to understand, I’ve been competing over the last eight years. The last time I fought was 2017 against Chael Sonnen and choked him out in two and a half minutes. My timing is there, my wrestling is there and everything is still there exactly where I’m going to need to be able to beat Chuck Liddell.

“At the end of the day, we are enemies, we are not acquaintances, we are not friends and on Saturday night I’m going to smash his face and we won’t be friends then either.”

Ortiz, who underwent a grueling 18-week camp to ensure he had properly recovered from neck surgery, said he would consider himself the winner of the rivalry should he score his first victory over Liddell on Saturday. He also thinks Liddell was “sandbagging” it a bit by making himself appear slower and older than he really is during public workouts in order to give Ortiz a false sense of security.

Tito Ortiz -285

Chuck Liddell +225

Light heavyweight

“This is the best chance he has ever had against me but he never had a chance at all,” Liddell said. “Best chance? Maybe, but I don’t think it’s much of a chance. If I don’t trip and break my ankle on the way into the ring, I think he’s in trouble.

“It’s the one thing that when I was retired I heard the most from fans, ‘Can you just come back and fight one more time and beat Tito up?’ That was the most commonly asked question from every third fan I would meet and they would say that.”

Tito Ortiz Chuck Liddell 3

Liddell has heard the negative talk regarding his age and inactivity and isn’t buying into the notion that if Ortiz takes him down early, the fight is over.

“I will get back up and I will knock him out,” Liddell said. “It’s really simple. I’m very good at working out of the bottom. If he takes me down I will get back up and finish the fight.”

Ortiz, meanwhile, predicted he would end the fight via knockout.

“What if I keep the fight on the feet and knock him out at his own game? I’m stubborn like that,” Ortiz said. “I just want to give the fans the best fight.”

Prediction

They say the last thing to go in an aging fighter is power and Liddell has twice proven already that he’s capable of changing a fight against Ortiz with one punch. But outside of that “puncher’s chance” in the first round, it’s hard to imagine Liddell’s timing or stamina will be anywhere close to how we remember him before a run of five losses in six fights beginning in 2007 ended his career.

Ortiz Vs Liddell 3

Ortiz has fought nine times since Liddell retired (winning four of them) and has looked fairly credible during the twilight of his career amid his recent Bellator run. Should Liddell spend a large amount of the opening round on his back, it’s very likely his gas tank will be emptied.

The other problem for Liddell is his punch resistance, which effectively disappeared 11 years ago following his one-punch knockout loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Ortiz has remained fairly durable in recent years and has been stopped due to strikes just twice (via ground-and-pound against Rashad Evans and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira) in the 12 fights since he last shared the cage with Liddell.

Liddell Vs Ortiz 3 Odds Vs

Even if Ortiz eschews sound strategy and looks to trade with Liddell, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him as the last man standing.

Liddell Vs Ortiz 2

Pick: Ortiz via first-round TKO

Liddell Vs Ortiz 3 Odds

Source: Read Full Article