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via Getty

via Getty

Tito Ortiz is gearing up for his boxing debut against former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva on the 11th of September. The fight will feature in the co-main event, alongside a bout between Evander Holyfield and Vitor Belfort, organized by boxing and entertainment promotion Triller.

The boxing match will be an eight-round bout, with both fighters having to weigh in at 195 pounds. This has been quite an issue for Ortiz, former UFC light heavyweight champion that isn’t used to making the drastic weight cut.

In fact, Ortiz seemed quite agitated with Anderson Silva asserting that the fight should be at 195 pounds, claiming ‘The Spider’ is afraid of his punching power.

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In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, a day ahead of the bout, Tito Ortiz gave the fans a seemingly skeptical update on his weight cut, making the following statement.

” Two days before I got the call, I was like, I better start working out right now. And literally, two days later they called me and asked me if I wanted to fight Anderson Silva and I said let’s do it. I lost 30 pounds in the last four weeks and it’s been just muscle memory. Right now I’m about 211. It shouldn’t be that much of a problem to get to 95. But if I don’t make 95, I guess ill make 98. But we’ll see, I mean I’m willing to give a little bit of money not to kill myself. I want to make sure I’m able to fight, make sure I’m able to perform at the capacity I know I can do.”    


While Ortiz seems fine giving up some of his money to avoid making the weight cut, Silva has made it clear he won’t tolerate Ortiz missing weight.

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Tito Ortiz vs Anderson Silva

Although both Tito Ortiz and Anderson Silva are well past their primes, they have been actively competing. Silva is coming off a split decision victory against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, in his boxing debut, earlier this year.

On the other hand, Ortiz has been undefeated in three of his last MMA fight, which includes a win against arch-nemesis Chuck Liddell and Chael Sonnen as well.

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Going into this bout, Anderson Silva will certainly have the upper hand considering his striking prowess. While Ortiz will hope to close the distance and force the fight on the inside.

Another key factor will be their cardio. On one hand, Silva seems well accustomed to going the distance. However, that might not be the case for Ortiz, who has been unable to compete since 2019.

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What do you think? Who will win this boxing match? Let us know in the comments.

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