Oscar de la Hoya is Creating his Own MMA Promotion and Wants to Make Chuck Liddell vs Tito Ortiz III… Dana White is Not Impressed…
Dana White and Chuck Liddell are good buddies. Dana White and Oscar de la Hoya are not. However, ‘The Iceman’ is ready to teaming up with ‘Goldenboy’ to create a new MMA promotion that will rival the UFC. The UFC president does not like competition and he especially doesn’t like the idea of Liddell getting hurt.
De La Hoya is already an established and incredibly successful boxing promoter. He led the negotiations of ‘Canelo’ Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin and has been involved in the business since retiring as a fighter himself. He wants Chuck Liddell to fight Tito Ortiz and finally complete their trilogy.
Needless to say, White is not impressed by de la Hoya’s total lack of consideration for Liddell’s health. You can see why: the man is 48. Of course, this has nothing to do with the fact that he’s trying to enter the world of boxing and now has a new MMA challenge. No of course not.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiU8iA9hysp/?hl=en&taken-by=chuckliddell
Serious Ambitions
For his part, de la Hoya is entirely serious about his ambition to promote MMA fights in the future. He spoke to TMZ and confirmed that he’s in talks with Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz to complete their mythical trilogy. Sure it’s about ten years too late, but it will sell. He said:
“We’re finalizing contracts, getting everything rolling, so I’m excited man!” he added. ”I’ve been talking to Chuck and Tito and they have a crazy history. Both guys are beasts, man, they wanna fight each other. Hey, I’m ready.”
Of course, he’s ready. He wants money and Canelo Alvarez’s failed drug test has cost him millions of dollars. Call me cynical but like come on… this is ridiculous. Should a pair of aging veterans be encouraged to fight in front of millions? That’s a tricky one.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf6wM6RFJWd/?hl=en&taken-by=chuckliddell
White Responds
Ortiz and Liddell are both UFC Hall-of-Famers. They’re part of that legendary generation of fighters that put the UFC on the map. White and Liddell are close friends, so needless to say he’s a bit protective of the Iceman. He told the UFC Unfiltered Podcast:
“If they are going to partner up in the MMA business, nothing will make me happier. That is awesome and I would love to hear if that is true for Chuck. If he plans on kicking off his MMA program with Chuck fighting, that would not be good and really, really bum me out. Chuck Liddell is almost 50 years old, he doesn’t need to be fighting.”
In fairness to White, that’s a reasonable reaction. We’ve all seen fighters who are way too old come back and it just leaves a bitter taste. Remember the embarrassment that was Kimbo Slice vs Dada 5000? Ok, it definitely wouldn’t be that bad. But it wouldn’t be great either.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgzFHs1Fs_d/?hl=en&taken-by=chuckliddell
Wait and See
In the meantime, there will need to be a lot of negotiations, while both men would have to get into shape. That’s not going to be easy either. Who knows where the fight would take place, because Liddell may struggle to get an MMA license. State athletic commissions can be difficult to deal with.
Also, it’s very difficult to break into the world of MMA promotion. The UFC is really out on its own in the west without any major competitor. Don’t say Bellator. They’re fun but there are levels in this sport. De La Hoya has a lot to think about if he wants to make this work. What do you think about this potential fight?
