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Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz is nearing the end of his combat sports career, but he’d still “love” to battle Jake Paul in a boxing ring.
The 47-year-old fighter hasn’t competed since his KO loss to ex-UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva during a Triller boxing match in September 2021. And when he spoke recently with Chris Van Vliet, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” shared his interest in scrapping with Paul.
He admitted that although he sees himself as an “amateur” in the boxing word, Ortiz feels he’d be “very competitive” against “The Problem Child,” who boasts a professional record of 5-0.
“I would love to,” Ortiz said via MMA News. “That’d be amazing. That would be fun. Once again, I have an 0-1 record, he has a [5-0] record. I still feel like I’m an amateur in boxing. I do a lot in mixed martial arts, but I still feel myself as an amateur but I’m competitive. I’m very competitive.”
Paul was scheduled to box Hasim Rahman Jr. at Madison Square Garden in New York City this past weekend. However, the event was canceled after The Problem Child and his promotion, Most Valuable Promotions, shared that Rahman Jr. was unable to effectively manage his weight, breaching his contract which ultimately led to the fight being canceled.
Ortiz Wants to Fight in the UFC 1 More Time
Ortiz (21-12-1 MMA) has been much more successful in mixed martial arts as of late than boxing. He’s riding a three-fight win streak which includes his most recent victory, a first-round rear-naked choke win over Alberto Rodriguez in December 2019.
All in all, The Huntington Beach Bad Boy has won five of six MMA bouts since parting ways with the UFC in July 2012. And although he and UFC president Dana White have a rocky past, Ortiz wants to return to the Octagon for one more contest.
That’s what he told Helen Yee in May. And Ortiz also mentioned that he’d like to pair up with his fellow former UFC 205-pound champion, Shogun Rua, as a potential opponent.
“It’s never over and I think I made that mistake with the UFC when I said I’ll never fight for the UFC ever again. And now I think about it, that’ll be an amazing last fight for myself and for Shogun Rua,” Ortiz said via Bloody Elbow.
“Shogun has his last fight with the UFC, we’re in kind of the same era, so it would be nice to see a Tito Ortiz vs. Shogun. I would like that.
“I have a lot of respect for Shogun, I think he’s an amazing former champion, an amazing fighter. I watched his last fight. I thought he won the fight, but they ended up giving it to OSP (Ovince Saint Preux). Let’s see what happens in the future.”
Ortiz Defeated Chuck Liddell in 2018
Arguably Ortiz’s biggest MMA rival is Chuck Liddell and “The Ice Man” defeated Ortiz twice back in the day decisively. Well, The Huntington Beach Bad Boy had his chance to earn some vengeance in November 2018 when they fought in a trilogy match under Golden Boy promotions.
And although Liddell took Ortiz out via KO/TKO in 2004 and 2006, Ortiz knocked out The Ice Man in the first round of their third encounter.
Along with Liddell, Ortiz’s recent three-fight win streak also includes Rodriguez and Chael Sonnen.
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