Tito Ortiz: ‘I don’t have the advantage anywhere’ against Liam McGeary
At age 40, Tito Ortiz is being quite realistic about his chances heading into his next fight.
Saturday, at Bellator: Dynamite!, Ortiz meets undefeated light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary.
Most think that McGeary, at least on paper, is the far superior athlete – hence why Ortiz is an almost 4-to-1 underdog.
And guess what, Ortiz agrees.
“I don’t have the advantage anywhere,” Ortiz told Yahoo Sports. “I really just think it’s an opportunity for me to expose the mistakes that will happen during the fight. I’m not looking for any advantages. He’s a great fighter.”
Ortiz, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, is one of the greatest fighters of his generation. The Huntington Beach Bad Boy made his name with over-the-top braggadocio on the microphone and workmanlike ground and pound on the mat.
Over the course of his 18-year career, Ortiz battled names like Randy Couture, Vitor Belfort and Chuck Liddell en route to one of the longest reigns in 205-pound history.
Now, as a veteran eyeing the twilight of his storied career, Ortiz is relishing the opportunity to prove naysayers wrong and add another belt to his collection.
“I could’ve got an easier fight,” Ortiz admitted. “I could’ve fought someone like Kimbo. Or, like Ken Shamrock. Or Frank Shamrock. But those are gimmes. Why would I want gimmes? I want to fight the best guys in the world, I’ve been doing it my whole career.”
It’s an admirable quality – the need, or want, to fight the best in the world – but Ortiz is 3-7-1 since losing to UFC light heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell at UFC 66 in Dec. 2006.
In his last fight, Ortiz labored to a split-decision victory over a fellow UFC veteran and Hall of Famer, Stephan Bonnar. That fight in Nov. 2014 was a tiring affair, not only for the fighters, but also for any poor soul who decided to tune in.
By the end of the second round, both Ortiz and Bonnar were visibly winded, winging loopy punches and plodding through the conclusion of the fight.
Or, as McGeary pointed out: It was like watching your two drunken uncles fight at a party.
“It’s not gonna be like two drunken uncles — I’m not gonna let that happen,” McGeary said. “I watched his last fight, it was like two old uncles at a party, you turn around, and they’re fighting. But they’re not gonna do anything to damage anyone, or no one’s gonna get hurt, so it’s just, ‘Oh, just leave ‘em to it.”
Despite the initial disrespect, McGeary is very complimentary of Ortiz. He calls him a ‘legend’ and reiterates that it’s a great honor to fight the UFC Hall of Famer.
McGeary says the opportunity is ‘massive’ and when asked if he jumped at the chance to fight Ortiz, he replies, “Sign me right up on the dotted line.”
The 32 year old might be excited to mix it up with Ortiz come Saturday, and perhaps Ortiz is over the hill. However, someone should remind McGeary that even a drunk uncle can land a punch every now and again.
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Ryan McKinnell is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports Cagewriter blog. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
