In June, UFC legend Anderson Silva returned to the boxing ring for the first time in more than 15 years, defeating former middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Silva is now set for his next boxing bout, just not against the level of opponent many thought. The Brazilian will face former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz in a 195-pound catchweight fight. The fight was first reported by MMA Fighting and confirmed by MMA Junkie.
The bout will take place on Sept. 11 as part of the undercard for Oscar De La Hoya’s return to the ring against Vitor Belfort, yet another former UFC star. The card, which takes place at Staples Center in Los Angeles, is being presented by Triller, the social media company that has put on several “unique” fight cards mixing odd matchups and musical performances.
Silva, 46, UFC career ended in October 2020 after a loss to Uriah Hall. The Hall loss closed a stretch of Silva’s career that saw the Brazilian superstar hit a 1-7 skid after winning his first 16 fights in the Octagon and setting records during his reign as middleweight champion. He returned to boxing to face Chavez and picked up a split decision win in a fight Silva clearly should have won on all three scorecards. The fight was Silva’s first in boxing since August 2005, when Silva picked up his first win in the sport after having lost his debut in 1998.
Ortiz, 46, last fought in the UFC in July 2012, going on to fight for Bellator, Combate Americas and one fight in the short-lived Golden Boy Promotions attempt at running mixed martial arts events. Recently, Ortiz was elected to the Huntington Beach, California city council, briefly serving as mayor pro tempore before resigning after less than six controversy-plagued months in office.
In between various anti-mask and anti-vaccine rants on social media, Ortiz has tweeted about his intention to fight in 2021 and angling for a fight with social media star-turned boxer Logan Paul.
