There was a Ricco Rodriquez sighting in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. The former UFC heavyweight champ participated in a four-round boxing match at the Las Vegas Hilton that resembled something closer to one of those old-school Toughman contests at a rodeo arena in West Virginia.
Rodriguez lost in a split decision to Chad Davis -- a Phoenix fighter who earned his first career win -- according to the Las Vegas Sun.
Ricco, to put it gently, didn’t look too suave. He weighed in at 270 pounds, his stomach toppling over the elastic band on his Throwdown shorts.
Xtreme Couture boxing coach Ron Frazier cornered the former champ.
Rodriquez won his last MMA fight on June 27 at something called Ultimate Combat Experience. That came after the Gods of War show in Charlotte, N.C., was canceled. Ricco was supposed to headline that arena show in a fight against Jeff Monson. He also participated in April’s YAMMA Pit Fighting event.
Since beating Randy Couture in 2002, things have been strange for Ricco. Bizarrely he attempted to sell his UFC belt online and appeared on VH1’s "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew."
Perhaps the most interesting part of the Ricco fight was former professional heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson watching from ringside. "Iron Mike" wasn’t impressed with the performance.
"Are you going to throw some punches or what?" he asked in round one.
And later:
"Come on," Tyson begged in his famous falsetto. "Try to hurt each other."
It didn't happen.
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