Kudos to Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz for Tricking Someone Out of Their Money

HOLLYWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 10: (L-R) Former UFC fighter Chuck Liddell, naseball Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda (L) and MMA fighter Tito Ortiz at the Heroes for Heroes: Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation Celebrity Poker Tournament at Avalon on September 10, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Los Angeles Memorial Foundation)

Former UFC champs and rivals Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz were the biggest names in the sport about 100 years ago. Of course, back then the sport was more niche than mainstream… but whatever. These guys were huge.

Nowadays, though, whenever Liddell’s name is mentioned in the context of combat sports, the first thing that comes to mind is “Siri, what are long-term effects of repeated brain trauma?” Whenever Ortiz’s name is mentioned aloud, it’s usually because Scott Coker wants another freakshow match for a Bellator card.

But Liddell and Ortiz are fighting this weekend! For a third time! Which means they somehow, some way tricked a financial backer into putting together an event that will surely fail and lose everyone tied to the show tons of money. But not Liddell and Ortiz!

Golden Boy MMA is the sucker in this scenario. And looking at the undercard, which features the likes of Tom Lawlor, Efrain Escudero and Gleison Tibau, it’s clear that whoever put together this roster has either no concept of what could drive a pay-per-view, or they’re like those two guys in the musical “The Producers” who purposely put together something that would fail for tax purposes.

Anyway, since it’s Liddell and Ortiz, the media has to take this venture somewhat seriously. So here’s Liddell talking to MMAFighting:

Make no mistake about it: the degrees to which this event can and will fail are epic, and range between “No More Golden Boy MMA Shows” to “No Fighters Getting Paid”. But what else are you going to be doing on Saturday night?

Jim Genia