UFC President Dana White was a casual observer a few weekends ago at Bellator 170, where former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz submitted Chael Sonnen by first round submission. Shortly after the fight concluded, rumors started that the fight was fixed, something the UFC President states isn’t true.
“It was my first (time watching a) Bellator event,” White said on UFC Unfiltered. “I watched it, and both guys are 40-something years old. It was basically a retirement fight, and a lot of people were calling it a fix. There’s no way.”
White knows first hand just how strong Ortiz is and that’s why he thinks he submitted Sonnen with an improperly applied rear naked choke.
“Here’s one of the things a lot of people don’t realize about Tito Ortiz,” White said. “Tito Ortiz – this (expletive) guy is so strong. He put me in a neck crank one time and almost popped my (expletive) neck off my shoulders. This guy is physically very strong. And I think his ground game is very underrated because Tito would always get that top position and ground-and-pound people. I don’t think Chael has fought or won a fight since 2013, or that ballpark somewhere. … You take that much time off, and that’s what a fight’s going to look like. … There’s no way in hell that was a work. I’d love to come on here and (expletive) all over Bellator, but there’s no way that was a work. The thing you’ve got to remember, he’s a good wrestler, (but) never was Chael some big jiu-jitsu guy. And when Tito Ortiz is cranking your (expletive) head off, you’re 40 (expletive) years old … maybe I should tap out here.”
White will be seen next at UFC Fight Night 104, which takes place on Saturday, February 4 from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
