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By: Hans Themistode
Tito Ortiz was envisioning a beautiful and triumphant night.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion ditched his MMA gloves in favor of boxing attire and took on fellow former UFC star, Anderson Silva. The two faced off at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, in an eight-round exhibition.
Although Ortiz expressed a great deal of confidence heading in, Silva proved to be far too much on the night, catching his man with a flush right hook in the opening round that saw Ortiz hit the deck in a heap. Still, regardless of the result, while it may have been his first time in the ring, don’t expect it to be his last.
“It’s my first one and I’ll f*cking be back,” said Ortiz during an interview with Fight Hub TV. “Win some, lose some but I will fight another day.”
Early on, before Ortiz met his unfortunate demise, the former UFC star enjoyed moments of success. Considering that Ortiz walked into their showdown with an eight-pound weight advantage on the scales, Ortiz attempted to bully his man. With just over a minute left in the opening frame, Ortiz pinned Silva against the ropes and began uncorking several shots.
The overzealous nature of Ortiz, however, ultimately left him open to the fight-ending blow shortly after. Having fought some of the biggest punchers in UFC history, including long-time rival Chuck Liddell, Ortiz believes that he was never hit as hard as he was by Silva last night.
“I made a little mistake, just being a little too wild. I never been clipped like that, even Liddell didn’t clip me like that. I was being too stupid for standing in front of him like that.”
Throughout a career that’s spanned more than two decades, Ortiz has registered several knockout wins in the cage. Nevertheless, despite showing off concussive power, Ortiz is primarily known as a wrestler. As he attempts to continue his acclimation process to the sweet science, Ortiz vows that he’ll be back sooner rather than later.
“I never boxed before but it was an opportunity and it was fun,” explained Ortiz. “I trained as hard as I possibly could for it. I’m going to continue to box. I still want to box, I’m just learning. I’m not a boxer, I’m a wrestler. I’ll be back, I promise you.”
