Tito Ortiz Going Back to the Future with Combate Americas

Since his last fight with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in July of 2012, former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz has been a traveling man. The UFC hall-of-famer had a four-fight stint in Bellator MMA, headlined Golden Boy Promotions’ one and only mixed martial arts event and now he has taken his 22 years’ worth of professional talent to Combate Americas. He is now set to headline the promotion’s first ever pay-per-view event against former multi-time World Wrestling Entertainment champion Alberto Rodriguez on Dec. 7 in Hidalgo, Texas.

Although his star power has waned in the last decade, Ortiz still has name value to draw attention from any MMA organization outside of the UFC. When asked why he chose Combate Americas, the 44-year-old revealed that the decision boiled down to the old-school feel of the organization, and the promotion’s CEO, Campbell McLaren, a man who helped found the UFC.

“I’d have to say Campbell McLaren is the No. 1 reason. He’s been an amazing guy to work with. He’s given me a contract that I couldn’t refuse, and I really want to spread the brand of mixed martial arts through the Latino market. In Mexico, South America, Chile; all across the world in general. And this is a great opportunity to be a part of a company that is kind of a flash back to when I was in the UFC in the 2000s, when Zuffa bought it. How family oriented the company was itself; it really wasn’t a corporate company.”

Along with talking about his decision to join Combate Americas, the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” spoke about his upcoming fight with Rodriguez, and if his opponent will have more than a puncher’s chance of winning and thoughts on the ESPN 30 For 30 documentary focused on his rivalry with fellow UFC hall-of-famer Chuck Liddell.