Anderson Silva vs. Tito Ortiz preview and prediction
Former UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tito Ortiz square off against each other in the boxing ring on Sept. 11 for Triller Fight Club. Who wins and how?
Anderson Silva and Tito Ortiz are two of the greatest MMA fighters in history, but they will meet for the first time inside the boxing ring on Saturday, Sept. 11 as the primary undercard of the Evander Holyfield vs. Vitor Belfort Triller Fight Club pay-per-view event.
This is shaping up to be one of the oddest fight cards in recent memory. MMA fighters are flocking to the boxing ring in this one, along with some formerly retired pros, including Holyfield and David Haye.
On Tuesday, Sept. 7, Triller issued a press release stating that President Donald Trump would offer a live fight commentary for Holyfield vs. Belfort along with his son Donald Trump Jr. Having the 45th president of the United States doing play-by-play is a surprising and head-scratching move, but one that will generate buzz.
Silva vs. Ortiz is part of the strange Triller fight feature, but a bout that could be one of the most competitive.
Preview
Silva went 34-11 during his MMA career and registered 23 knockouts. Not all of those were with his hands. Silva is known for his striking ability with his fists and legs. During his prime in the octagon, Silva looked like the second coming of Bruce Lee.
The skilled martial artist reigned as the UFC middleweight champion from 2006-2013. He last fought in 2020, losing to Uriah Hall by TKO in round 4.
At 46 years old, Silva’s best days as a fighter are behind him, but he does possess some boxing experience. He’s 2-1 as a professional boxer. Silva was knocked out in 1998 in his boxing debut, but he has won two in a row since.
In June, he out-boxed badly faded former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for a split decision victory.
Ortiz went 21-12 throughout his MMA career and recorded 10 KOs. He’s known more for his wrestling than his striking, but ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ was the UFC light heavyweight champion from 2000-2003.
He’s also 46 years old and won his last MMA contest in 2019 via submission. Ortiz has no boxing experience, which puts him at a distinct disadvantage against Silva.
Prediction
Silva and Ortiz are evenly matched physically. They’re the same age and same height. Ortiz is the thicker-bodied fighter but needs to meet the cruiserweight limit of 199 pounds or less. Still, he will likely weigh more than Silva on fight night.
While Ortiz may have a size advantage, Silva is more athletically gifted. He’s lighter and quicker on his feet than Ortiz, which means he should box circles around his flatfooted opponent. Ortiz doesn’t have tremendous one-punch power, so Silva should easily take whatever Ortiz can throw at him.
This fight is set for 8 rounds, and look for Silva to pepper Ortiz’s face with jabs from the outside from start to finish. Silva has the endurance to go eight rounds of boxing. He proved that against Chavez Jr.
Ortiz doesn’t know what he’s in for. Boxing and MMA are two different worlds. His inexperience is going to cost him dearly. Ortiz doesn’t know how to pace himself over 8 rounds of boxing. Neither did Tyron Woodley, whose punch output was anemic against Jake Paul.
Ortiz will have a hard time getting his punches off and should be target practice for Silva. Expect Silva to break Ortiz down and win the fight by round 7 TKO. Ortiz’s corner may have to throw in the towel, or he may bow out on his own.
Next. 3 reasons to watch Holyfield vs. Belfort. dark