Oscar De La Hoya was the promoter for the event, but Bellator MMA fighter Chael Sonnen says De La Hoya has no passion for MMA and it showed at the event.
?Oscar is not passionate about mixed martial arts, and that was very clear and very obvious,? said Sonnen via a Twitter video. ?And when it comes to storytelling and building anticipation, you cannot just set up a ring, and the rest of it takes care of itself. I?ve heard fighters threaten that they were going to leave a promotion and start their own promotion. Go ahead. Go right ahead. That?s essentially what we saw here.?
The event of the show did feature the return of Liddell to MMA action, who hadn?t competed since UFC 115, over eight years ago.
Sonnen also believes that De La Hoya should stick to boxing in the future, while staying away from MMA.
?So, Chuck and Tito come together, go to Oscar, pitch him on an idea that Oscar was never passionate about, he was never behind, with a story that he simply did not know how to tell. It doesn?t make Oscar a bad promoter. The lesson to learn in this is: You got to stay in your lane,? says Sonnen.
There have been no plans announced by De La Hoya for a second Golden Boy MMA event, but Ortiz did retire after the fight, while Liddell?s fighting future remains cloudy at best right now.