Two weeks after the Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley tussle, more former UFC champions enter the squared circle as Anderson “The Spider” Silva (2-1-0) takes on Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz (0-0-0).
Silva is obviously a massive -1000 favorite per the boxing betting lines with Ortiz as a +600 underdog. This fight is happening and anyone with an extra thousand lying around can make an easy hundred. But other than the easy cheese, why is this fight happening?
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 11, 8 p.m. ET
- Venue: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, FL, USA
- Watch on: FITE TV (Triller Fight Club Pay Per View)
Silva vs Ortiz: Asked For By Absolutely No One
This circus fight serves little purpose other than to see Silva run circles around Ortiz. In fact, that’s probably why this fight was made to continue building Silva’s rep as a pro boxer following his underdog win against former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
But going from a former boxing champion to a thrice (or more) retired MMA fighter, who specialized in wrestling, is a sizable step down as far as the competition goes. Silva should look like he did back in 2009 when he channeled Neo from The Matrix.
#OnThisDay in 2009… @SpiderAnderson entered the matrix against Forrest Griffin! 😎
📺 Watch more on @UFCFightPass now! pic.twitter.com/1IkKSz7eaV
— UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2020
Fans can enjoy this one-sided Silva thrashing at least. But for the sake of humor, let’s dig deeper into this fight.
Ortiz Has Actually Been Winning
Most MMA fans who only began watching UFC in the mid-2000s probably don’t know about Ortiz’s best days as a fighter. Once upon a time, Ortiz was the most dominant light heavyweight in the UFC.
Using his powerful wrestling and heavy hands, Ortiz went on to win the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship and defend it five times, a record that only Jon Jones could break. But his UFC career would slowly degenerate into a whirlwind of injuries, controversies, and beefs with UFC President Dana White.
Like most legendary MMA careers, Ortiz would lose six of his final seven UFC fights then leave the promotion. But he’d get a second win in his MMA career compiling a 3-1 record in Bellator then capping it all with beatdowns of former WWE wrestler, Alberto Del Patron and his decrepit nemesis, Chuck Liddell.
Ortiz has actually been a winning bet online. But this streak of successes is about to crash as he’ll soon find out that his circus act does not extend to boxing.
Silva Could Be MMA’s Saving Grace in Boxing
Every time an MMA fighter crosses over into boxing, it’s usually a gory ending. Just ask the numerous prominent victims from Conor McGregor to Ben Askren. But Silva bucked this trend with his win over Chavez Jr.
The former UFC middleweight champion, long considered MMA’s greatest fighter, dazzled fans for over a decade using his deft counter-boxing and trolling skills. The former translated well into his foray in boxing.
Silva should be able to handle his fellow UFC alum then hopefully move on to bigger things. He once hinted he wants to fight Roy Jones Jr. and the sportsbook may have even opened betting lines on this tantalizing matchup.
After beating Chavez Jr., Silva signaled to the world that he isn’t some chump any boxer can simply beat to raise their profile. Nope. Silva is here to make any fight competitive and that’s likely why Jake Paul won’t be calling him out.
But as far as former MMA fighters crossing over into boxing, Silva can carry that torch and make his brethren and sistren proud. Now get the man a legitimate high-profile opponent next.
