Chuck Liddell vs Tito Ortiz 3: Odds and Prediction

• Oscar De La Hoya breaks into the MMA game this Saturday, November 24th with an event at The Forum in Inglewood, California
• The headliner is a trilogy fight between two former UFC light heavyweight champs, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell
• Liddell won the last two encounters, but does he still have it at 48 years old?

Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions put on their first MMA event this Saturday, November 24th, with a trilogy fight between former UFC light heavyweight champs Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz.

It’s not a fight that the fans asked for and pulling two fighters in their forties out of retirement will always draw some push back. Chuck Liddell stepped away from the octagon in 2010 and hasn’t fought since, while Ortiz has dipped in and out of retirement a few times.

This will not be Fight of the Year material, but it could still be a pay-per-view hit. Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell were once the biggest draws in the sport and helped expand the UFC to a broader audience. Without them MMA would not be what it is today.

This is a chance for the fighters to take the boxing model to MMA and grab a bigger slice of the pie. Both Liddell and Ortiz stand to pull in a significant payday with Golden Boy.

Chuck Liddell vs Tito Ortiz 3 Odds

We know what would happen if these two fighters were still in their prime. We’ve seen it — twice. Chuck Liddell (21-8) knocked out Tito Ortiz (19-12-1) in 2004 at UFC 47, and then did it again in 2006 at UFC 66. The Iceman prevailed and it wasn’t particularly close.

Liddell hasn’t fought in over eight years and hasn’t won in over ten.

But that was over a decade ago. Liddell hasn’t fought in over eight years and hasn’t won in over ten. He lost his last three fights — all by way of knockout — which prompted Dana White to nudge the pay-per-view star into retirement.

Most fighters are done by the time they’re 40, and that was especially true for Liddell. His fighting style isn’t exactly tailored for longevity, and he took a ton of damage in his last few fights. He amassed a dismal 1-5 record after losing his UFC title to Rampage Jackson in 2007.

Tale of the Tape: Tito Ortiz vs Chuck Liddell

At 43 years old, Tito Ortiz is far from his glory years as well. But at least he’s been staying relatively active. He signed a four-fight contract with Bellator in 2013 and racked up an impressive 3-1 record. His win over Chael Sonnen last year proved that he can still hold his own in the cage.

That’s pretty much the gist of this fight. Liddell was done fighting a decade ago, and now he’s a man nearing 50 with eight years of ring rust. The little training footage we’ve seen from him has been unimpressive. He’s slow on the pads and sluggish in his overall movement. Ortiz is clearly not in his prime but he was still a threat in Bellator’s “retirement division.”

Throughout his entire career, Liddell relied on his aggression and power. He threw wild looping punches and swarmed his opponents, always happy to take a hit to give one in return. That’s a terrible style for an aging fighter, and will not be effective now that he’s slower, weaker, and less durable. Ortiz should be able to handle Liddell like he handled Sonnen.

Pick: Tito Ortiz (-285)