Bellator 170 Ortiz VS Sonnen

               

                Forget that Chael Sonnen hasn’t competed since a 2013 First Round TKO loss to Rashad Evans at UFC 167 and that he has lost three of his last four bouts to TKO. And pay no attention to Tito Ortiz going 3-7 in his last 10 fights. Both fighters are competing for Bellator now, with a new company brings new hope and possibilities.

Sonnen and Ortiz are resilient, both have had their shares of bad times throughout their respective MMA careers. Sonnen was suspended 6/28/14 for two years by NSAC for failing the second random drug test of his career for performance enhancers. Making matters worse, Chael was later terminated as a UFC analyst.

Likewise Ortiz has had his share of personal issues including domestic abuse accusations with former girlfriend and Porn Actress, Jenna Jameson and a 2014 DUI charge. The two have plenty of other skeletons in the closet as well, but somehow find a way to bounce back.

Chael Sonnen is now Thirty-nine years old and host of a successful podcast “You’re Welcome”. He enters the Bellator cage on January 21^st for his forty-third Pro MMA bout 28-14-1. The NCAA Division I All-American (University of Oregon) has won seven fights by KO/TKO and five more by Submission. Chael has competed for both the WEC and UFC Middleweight Titles and the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, despite being close he never wore a Zuffa belt. He has donned Gold for smaller promotions: Danger Zone, Gladiator Challenge and Hitman Fighting Productions in the LHW division.

Tito Ortiz is competing in his fourth fight with Bellator (2-1) and has stated he will retire following. In his last, Liam McGeary submitted Ortiz in the First Round (4:41) by Inverted-Triangle to retain McGreary’s Bellator LHW Championship at Bellator 142 (9/19/15).

Unlike Sonnen, Tito had a successful run as UFC Champion, he beat Wanderlei Silva at UFC 25 (4/14/00) in Tokyo for the vacant Title. Ortiz defended his belt five times before losing it to Randy Couture at UFC 44 (9/26/03) by Unanimous Decision. Ortiz began his Pro MMA career at UFC 13 (5/30/97) while opponent, Chael Sonnen began his twenty days earlier at Battle of Fort Vancouver (5/10/97).

Both fighters are polarizing characters, experiencing as much hate as love from MMA fans, but there is no denying the pair’s individual accomplishments in the sport. This fight is long overdue, but as the saying goes, better late than never.

Bellator 170 Jan 21^st, 2017 from the Forum in Los Angeles,

Airs Live on Spike TV check local listings.