At 44 years of age, former UFC champion Tito Ortiz is still actively competing in mixed martial arts. Just a week ago, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” signed a deal with Combate Americas to face ex-WWE champion Alberto Del Rio later this year.
With a seeming resurgence of his career, Ortiz is optimistic about his future. So much so that he is liking his chances in a possible fight against current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
“I think I would do a lot better against Jon Jones than Daniel Cormier, because Cormier is just a shorter guy (with) bigger legs, bigger torso,” Ortiz said recently on the Domenick Nati Show. “He’s just a big, big guy.
“Jon Jones is long and lengthy. I’m going to get in the inside and try to overpower some of the positions.
“But if it would be Jon Jones, I would think I’d have a great chance against (him).”
And when asked if he could defeat “Bones” today, Ortiz is confident that he would, provided he would be given enough time to prepare.
“Yup, I think I could. If I have a camp like I did the last one of 18 weeks, 100 percent,” he said. “There really hasn’t been anybody to fight Jon Jones, to get in his face, and stay in his face. Everybody else, they want to strike on the outside with him. He’s too damn long, you cannot do that. You got to get in the inside of him. That’s the way to fight him.
“As a coach and as a fighter, that’s the way to beat him,” he continued. “Someone should be aggressive enough to keep the fight, pushing him around. Make him feel uncomfortable.”
Ortiz is coming off a first-round knockout win against rival Chuck Liddell last November, as part of Golden Boy Promotions’ debut MMA event.
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