Anderson Silva Knocks Out Tito Ortiz in First Round

Posted on September 12, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Anderson Silva has knocked out a fellow MMA legend…

The 46-year-old Brazilian mixed martial-artist-turned-boxer stopped fellow MMA legend Tito Ortiz via knockout at 1:21 of the first round on Saturday night in Hollywood, Florida.

Ortiz had Silva trapped in the corner, throwing punches. But Silva ducked an Ortiz shot and landed a huge counter right hook. Silva followed up with a left as Ortiz slumped against the corner to put him down for good. Ortiz appeared to be completely unconscious.

Silva defeated former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. via split decision on June 19 in Guadalajara, Mexico. That was Silva’s first pro boxing match in 16 years.

The Silva-Ortiz bout — Ortiz’s pro boxing debut — took place on the undercard of the Evander Holyfield–Vitor Belfort boxing match under the Triller Fight Club banner at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

“I trained hard to show my respect for boxing,” Silva said in his post-fight interview. “I continue to work every day to prove my respect for the martial arts and for Wing Chun and for Bruce Lee.

“The grandmaster Bruce Lee said, ‘Be water, my friend.’ That’s what I do today.”

Both Silva and Ortiz are 46 years old. The bout was contracted for eight, two-minute rounds and at 195 pounds. Ortiz weighed five pounds over that catchweight limit on Friday, coming in at 200 pounds.

Silva is the former longtime UFCmiddleweight champion and considered one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. He holds the longest winning streak in UFC history (16) and has the most knockouts ever in UFC title fights at seven. Silva asked for and was granted his release from the UFC in November. “The Spider” had just one win in his past nine UFC fights. Silva has said he is effectively retired now from MMA.

Ortiz, meanwhile, is one of the best UFC light heavyweight champions of all time. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” had five successful UFC 205-pound title defenses, the second-highest total in division history behind only all-time great Jon Jones. Ortiz, a California native, is also considered one of the biggest financial draws for the UFC over the years, with notable rivalries against Chuck Liddell and Ken Shamrock.

Ortiz most recently fought in December 2019, an MMA bout against former WWE champion Alberto Del Rio under the Combate Americas banner. Ortiz won that bout via first-round submission.

Tito Ortiz to Fight Alberto El Patron in December

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Tito Ortiz is heading back to the octagon before year’s end…

The 44-year-old half-Mexican American former mixed martial artist will be coming out of retirement to fight a former World Wrestling Entertainment champion later this year.

The Ortiz vs. Alberto El Patron, a 210-pound catchweight fight, will take place on December 7 in Hidalgo, Texas, and it will air live on pay-per-view, according to Combate Americas. The time and location of the fight were first announced on Monday’s episode of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show.

El Patron, 42, formerly known as Alberto Del Rio in WWE and born Jose Alberto Rodriguez, hasn’t competed in MMA since 2010. He stopped fighting with a 9-5 pro record but did win six of his past seven fights. Following his MMA run, he turned his attention to a career with WWE and eventually became a multiple-time heavyweight champion. He has not worked for WWE since 2016.

The fight is expected to cost $39.99 on pay-per-view.

Ortiz (20-12-1), a former UFC light heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer, announced his retirement following his November 2018 victory over his long-time rival Chuck Liddell. However, in April, Ortiz signed a multi-fight deal with Combate. The El Patron fight will mark his first for the promotion.

El Patron is most known in MMA circles for his 2003 knockout loss to Mirko Cro Copat Pride Bushido 1, where he competed under the moniker Dos Caras Jr.while wearing a luchador mask. He’s currently training for this fight with former Bellator fighter Javier Torres, current Bellator heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Ryan Baderand UFC veteran CB Dollaway, among others.

The event, which will take place at the Payne Arena in Hidalgo, will also feature Combate’s first women’s strawweight title fight.

Tito Ortiz Signs Multi-Fight Deal with Combate Americas

Posted on April 28, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Tito Ortiz is heading back to the cage…

The 44-year-old half-Mexican American UFC Hall of Famer has signed a multi-fight deal with Combate Americas, according to ESPN.

Ortiz is expected to debut in the fall, though his opponent isn’t finalized at this time. It is also unknown which weight class he’ll initially compete in.

Ortiz said after his win over Chuck Liddell in November that he was done fighting, though he seemed to change his mind shortly thereafter. Ortiz has come out of retirement before, so this isn’t anything new for the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy,” who is considered one of the all-time greats in MMAhistory

A former UFC light heavyweight champion, Ortiz will enter Combate Americas with a 20-12-1 record and riding a two-fight winning streak. This will mark the fifth promotion he has fought for.

Mendiola Named President of mun2

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Ruben Mendiola is taking the helm at mun2…

The Latino business executive has been named president of NBCUniversal’s cable network aimed at a young Latino audience.

Mun2 is the first cable network for young Latinos with shows and music videos in Spanish and English, including I Love Jenni, Welcome to Los Vargas, Combate Americas and Reventón.

Mendiola will report to Joe Uva, chairman of Hispanic Enterprises and Content at NBCUniversal.

Mun2 had been without its top executive since EVP and general manager Diana Mogollon departed at the end of February.

Mendiola comes from Comcast Cable where he was SVP and general manager of Multicultural Services.

Before that, he served as the general manager of Latino Programming and Spanish Business Development at Dish Network, VP of Programming and Operations at Fox Sports Latin America and programming director for Pay TV at Grupo Televisa.

Mendiola is a graduate of Universidad Iberoamericana A.C. in Mexico City where he earned his degree in Corporate Law.

Rodriguez Lands Development Deal with BMP Latin for Unscripted Projects

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It looks like Adam Rodriguez could be developing television content in the near future…

The 38-year-old Puerto Rican/Cuban-American actor has signed a development deal for unscripted projects with Bunim/Murray Productions’ BMP Latin.

The CSI: Miami and Magic Mike star has been slated to develop and executive-produce numerous unscripted series, some of which will highlight his personal interest in social and philanthropic issues.

BMP Latin is currently producing Combate Americas, the first Spanish language Mixed Martial Arts competition reality series for mun2.

The company also has development deals with former The X Factor judge Paulina Rubio, multi-platinum reggaeton singer Daddy Yankee and the Leonardo Lopez family, a successful Mexican-American family living the dream in Encino, CA.

Bunim/Murray produces The Real World, Project Runway and Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

Calle to Host Mun2’s “Combate Americas” Competition Series

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Andrea Calle will soon be hanging with some of tough Latinos…

The Colombian model and on-air personality has been tapped to host Mun2’s brand new Spanish-language competition series Combate Americas.

The 10-episode series will follow 10 Hispanic pro Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters as they compete for a spot in the titular MMA franchise.

The show is created by UFC co-founder and Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren and BMP Latin, the Hispanic division of Bunim/Murray Productions.

In addition to Calle’s appearance as the show’s host, radio personality Piolin will serve as a color commentator.

The competition series will bow early next year.

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