Former UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tito Ortiz will meet at a Triller Fight Club event on Sept. 11.
Longtime former UFC middleweight king Silva has agreed to take on ex-UFC light heavyweight titleholder Ortiz in a 195-pound boxing bout, which takes place at Staples Center in Los Angeles and airs on pay-per-view. The professional bout is slated for eight rounds and is to be contested in 10-ounce gloves.
MMA Junkie verified the news with a person with knowledge of the booking after an initial report from MMA Fighting. The person requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official annoucement
Silva, 46, made a successful return to boxing when he defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. via split decision in the main card of Tribute to the Kings. The scorecards read 75-77, 77-75, and 77-75 in favor of Silva, who improved his pro boxing record to 2-1.
It was the first combat sports bout for “The Spider” after a UFC tenure that lasted more than 14 years. He fought out of his promotional contract with an October 2020 loss to Uriah Hall, and while UFC president Dana White encouraged the Brazilian to move on from combat sports for good, Silva still had more to do.
Ortiz, the UFC Hall of Famer who recently resigned from his role as Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem, hasn’t competed since submitting Alberto El Patron in the main event of Combate Americas 51 in December 2019. Ortiz’s win was momentarily overturned to a no decision by the Texas State Athletic Commission, but later restored after Ortiz claimed that the disqualifying substance that appeared in his urine sample was prescribed by a physician.
Ortiz has won his past three MMA fights, and hasn’t suffered a defeat since September 2015.
The bout between Silva and Ortiz is part of the undercard for the Triller Fight Club event headlined by boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya vs. former UFC champion Vitor Belfort.