In a nostalgic battle of past-their-prime former MMA stars, Huntington Beach's Tito Ortiz (20-12-1) scored a first-round knockout victory over Chuck Liddell (21-9) in the third installment of their rivalry before 7,839 fans at the "Fabulous" Forum in Inglewood, California.
"Chuck, thank you for taking this fight," said Ortiz. "You pushed me so hard for all of these years and you made me work hard. I appreciate you. You are a real champ."
Ortiz, an accomplished amateur wrestler, managed to beat Liddell at his own game, as he dropped the striker with a right hand and landed several more unanswered punches before the referee eventually halted the light heavyweight fight at the 4:24 mark.
It was Ortiz's first victory over Liddell in their three fights.
"I wouldn't have made this comeback if I didn't feel like I was in great shape," said Chuck Liddell. "I made a mistake. I got caught. I came to give my best show. There are no excuses. I wanted to give my best performance, but I came up short. I'm going to have to sit back and really think about what's next."
In the co-main event, light heavyweight Deron Winn (5-0) went the distance and defeated Tom Lawlor (10-7) via a three-round unanimous decision. Winn won with three scores of 30-27.
"I just want to let LA know - mark your calendars. This is the day you witnessed a star be born. I really wanted to show off my power tonight," said Winn. "Tom is a vet -- he can run his mouth -- but he's a tough fighter. For a guy like me, I knew I had to connect my punches to knock him out. After I landed a couple, I realized I was going to have to rumble with him."
The card was the first MMA event promoted by boxing powerhouse Golden Boy Promotions.
By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services
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