Ortiz defeats Liddell. Photo: Reproduction / Golden Boy MMA
Tito Ortiz He waited almost 12 years since their last meeting, but he finally managed to defeat Chuck Liddell. After losing twice to the 'Iceman' – at UFC 47, in 2003, at UFC 66, in 2006 – the 'Bad Boy from Huntington Beach' came back and knocked out his rival in the first round. The fight between the ex-UFC legends took place at Golden Boy MMA, an event produced by former boxer Oscar De La Roya, in the early hours of this Sunday (25), in Inglewood (USA).
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“I would like to thank him, Liddell, you did me a lot of good, you made me train like never before, I'm in excellent physical shape. At the end of the day, I respect you a lot and recognize you as a great champion”, said Ortiz still in the cage.
With the triumph, Ortiz, 43 years old, proves the good phase of his career. In the last five fights, the American of Mexican descent has won four. In turn, Liddell, who hadn't fought since 2010, was defeated again. The UFC Hall of Famer is now coming off four consecutive losses.
The fight
The fight began with Ortiz taking the initiative in the duel. With fighting rhythm, he connected good punches, while Liddell didn't have the distance to land his well-known fatal counterattack. Tito walked forward and when 'Iceman' fired the dreaded right swing, the attack went by in vain. The 'Bad Boy' took advantage of the chance and scored a counter blow. Liddell went to the ground and with a few more punches from above, referee Herb Dean ended the dispute and declared a technical knockout.
Tibau beats Escudero and gets his arm raised again in MMA
The only Brazilian on the 'Golden Boy MMA' fight program, Gleison TIbau from Rio Grande do Norte made peace with victory. Without winning since 2015 and coming off four consecutive defeats, the former UFC fighter defeated Efrain Escudero in a unanimous decision by the judges.
“He was very tough, he defended my takedowns very well. It was a very close fight, but in the last fight my coach, Parrumpinha, said: go there, get the takedown and win this fight. And that’s what I did”, said Tibau after the victory.
Known for his physical strength and ease in taking down opponents, Tibau wasted no time and took Escudero to the bars. The Brazilian quickly took down the North American. Efrain even tried to surprise with a guillotine, but without success. On top, Tibau arrived in mount and dominated the partial. He even tried a triangle in the final seconds, but to no avail.
Escudero opened the game and 'called' Tibau for a straight fight in the second round. The North American had the advantage and even managed to surprise the Brazilian with a takedown. On top, he scored points and wore down the fighter from Rio Grande do Norte.
The third round began with the athletes quite worn out. With slow and blunt blows, the fight was warm and Escudero had a small advantage. But, with just over a minute left, Tibau managed a takedown. The Brazilian advanced in position on the ground, landed some blows and ended the fight in the advantageous position. In the end, the three judges scored 29-28 for the Brazilian.
Golden Boy MMA Results
MAIN CARD
Tito Ortiz defeated Chuck Liddell by technical knockout at 4:24 of R1;
Deron Winn defeated Tom Lawlor via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Gleison Tibau defeated Efrain Escudero via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ricardo Palacios defeated Walel Watson by knockout in R1
James Barnes defeated Albert Morales via submission 4m9s into R3
Jay Silva defeated Oscar Cota via submission 2m13s into R3
PRELIMINARY CARD
Fernie Garcia defeated Joe Roye via submission at 2:48 of R1
Francisco Estrada defeated Jose Huerta via submission at 2:47 of R2
Johny Cisneros defeated Dave Terrel via unanimous decision
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