Tito Ortiz Confirms He’s Waiting On Chuck Liddell To Sign A Contract For A Trilogy Fight
You learn to never say “never” in MMA and an unlikely trilogy bout between Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell looks like it could be taking place in the near future.
Talk of the two fighting for a third time surfaced this year when infamous boxer Oscar De La Hoya announced that he would be moving into the MMA space and that he would be working with Liddell who is targeting a comeback.
With Bellator president Scott Coker informing reporters earlier this week that Ortiz was no longer Bellator contract, the opportunity for a third showdown with Liddell has presented itself and appears it is now going to happen.
Speaking with Submission Radio this week, Ortiz revealed that the talks are very advanced and that it’s just down to the mater of signing the contracts.
“I’ve bounced back faster than I expected, which is great,” Ortiz said. “But I feel good, man, I’m anxious. I’m just waiting on Chuck Liddell’s side to kind of sign the contract, get this done. So, it’s just a matter of time.”
Ortiz then went to explain that structure of the deal on the table and explained how it’s different to the standard agreements that mixed martial artists are used to fighting in Bellator or the UFC. At this point in time, it appears that onus is on Liddell to sign his end of the deal.
“I think Chuck’s kind of holding out, trying to make more money out of it, which it just doesn’t make sense because this deal is pretty much a cut and dry contract,” Ortiz said.
“We’re both partners. De La Hoya wants his 40 percent and me and Chuck Liddell get to split 30 percent. So that’s on complete revenue of the whole fight in general. And this is the whole thing that I’ve been waiting for such a long time in mixed martial arts, to really make a difference, and we’re gonna do that with De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions.”
“We’re able to make a big percentage of the revenue with pay-per-view, the gate, merchandising, sponsorship – something that no MMA event has ever done before, and we’re gonna make it happen.”
Whilst it may not yet be a done deal, Ortiz believes that a deal will be struck soon and that fans will finally get to see a third fight between the pair a whole 12 years after their second fight at UFC 66.
“It’s gonna happen. This fight is gonna happen. It’s just a matter of time. Chuck Liddell, come on, buddy, stop asking for pennies, man,” Ortiz said.
“You’re stepping over dollars, looking for pennies. Let’s sign this fight, let’s get it done so that we can give all the fans 25 years of UFC.”
Watch the full interview here:
