A few short weeks ago, Bellator MMA went head-to-head against the UFC on a Friday night in Foxwood, Connecticut, and while they did not beat the leading promotion in terms of a live gate or television ratings, they arguably came out of the night with the most memorable moment on both shows – a bizarre brawl involving a masked man.
Stephan Bonnar, the promotion’s latest marquee signing who was interested in kick starting a light-heavyweight match-up against Tito Ortiz, hatched the plan. He arrived during the television broadcast of Bellator 123 and stepped into the cage alongside the masked man and proceeded to cut a wrestling-style promo on the former champion. When their words reached a feverous pitch, a brawl broke out that was quickly interrupted by Bellator officials.
While many fans and pundits were certain the entire incident was fabricated to spark interest in the rivalry and to create previously non-existent animosity, Ortiz reveals that he was certainly not expecting the setup that Bonnar had in mind.
“I really didn’t expect it,” Ortiz told Submission Radio. “I didn’t think of it, but I mean what has the guy done in the sport besides get his ass whipped for his complete career? I mean he’s known for getting his ass whipped
“I just kind of scratched my head like what is this guy thinking? I mean yeah he’s the American Psycho, I mean more like American Jackass.” “November 15th it’s going to be 15 minutes of torture. I’m not going to finish him quick. I’m not going to try and knock him out quick. I’m gonna torture him for 15 minutes and I’m literally gonna try to make him quit.”
Ortiz continued to pile up multiple reasons to dislike Bonnar, including his history with PEDs, having been caught twice before in his career, including following his match-up against Anderson Silva in 2012. He called into question Bonnar’s legitimacy as an athlete after his multiple failed drug tests.
“The fact of him getting burned for steroids not once but twice. I mean the guy is a phoney, the guy is a fake, the guy is, you know he’s just a cheater, and my whole career I stuck to the game plan of training hard and getting the best out of it. How someone could be so disrespectful and have such a shitty career and be a shitty person.”
Furthermore, Bonnar’s promo included comments on Ortiz’s family, which the former champion takes exception to and promises to inflict pain on him for considering such a tactless approach.
“He really ticked me off a lot. I mean, he got very personal Like I said, and I’m gonna take it out on him on November 15th. I can’t wait.”
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