UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz earlier this month hinted at a return to the cage, and now we know what he had in mind.
On Friday night, Ortiz, 44, signed a contract to fight for the Latino-focused Combate Americas promotion. Fansided’s Amy Kaplan, who was in attendance at “Combate Americas: Reinas” in Los Angeles, posted video of promotion CEO Campbell McLaren signing Ortiz to his deal. Ortiz also was present.
Terms of the contract aren’t known, though ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported it’s a “multi-fight deal.” Both Ortiz and MacLaren confirmed the news on their social media.
Ortiz has retired from MMA before, only to return. The former UFC light heavyweight champion seemingly retired for the third time in November after he knocked out Liddell (21-9) in the first round of their trilogy match. Ortiz (20-12-1) was adamant he had nothing left to prove in the cage. And yet, he’s back once again.
Over the past decade, Ortiz has fought for the UFC, Bellator and most recently upstart GoldenBoy MMA.
Who Ortiz’s first Combate opponent will be remains unknown, but Ortiz teased someone specific earlier this month when he caught up with TMZ.
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