It took 12 years, but Tito Ortiz finally got his long sought after victory over longtime rival Chuck Liddell. In a rematch that nobody really asked for, the 43-year-old Ortiz dominated Chuck Liddell, who at age 48 looked like a shell of his former self.
Ortiz, who has fought as recently as 2017 for Bellator MMA, was the aggressor from the start. He appeared as confident in the Octagon as he was in his pre-fight interview when he predicted a first-round knockout, stalking the slower, more-passive Liddell. Ortiz made true on his pre-fight promise, landing a pair of right hands late in the first round to knock Liddell out cold. For Liddell, it was his first appearance since retiring from the sport in 2011 and the rust definitely showed. He appeared tentative and slow as he danced around the cage, constantly backing away from the more-aggressive Ortiz. The few punches he did throw showed very little strength behind them.
The 205-pound contest, which headlined the first MMA event by Golden Boy Promotions, ended at 4 minutes, 24 seconds in the opening round. "The whole game plan was never to take him down," Ortiz said. "I wanted to box with Chuck. I wanted to test his skills. You're not taking eight years off and coming back into my cage and stopping me. Hell no." The win marks Ortiz's first victory over Liddell. The two fighters first met in 2004 and then again in 2006 with Liddell defeating Ortiz twice via KO/TKO. But it appears Liddell's age has finally caught up to him, even if he doesn't want to admit it. Liddell refused to answer if he was finally ready to call it a career.
“I don’t want to think about that right now,” he said during his post-fight press conference. “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.”
Despite some flashy post-fight antics in the Octagon immediately after his knockout, Ortiz did pay his respects to Liddell.
"I've got to be respectful. Chuck Liddell, thank you for taking this fight," Ortiz said. "You gave me an opportunity to show my skills. We're starting a business with Oscar De La Hoya. Chuck, hey, you pushed me hard. You made me work super hard. You're a true champion, brother."
Despite the outcome, both fighters were rewarded with quite the prize purse. Liddell pocketed a disclosed purse of $250,000 while Ortiz made a disclosed purse of $200,000.