Boxing legend Oscar de La Hoya is no stranger to mixed martial arts (MMA), having hitched his wagon to the now-defunct Affliction MMA brand roughly 10 years back.
I suppose it was only a matter of time before the retired pugilist followed Floyd Mayweather’s tease and announced plans to promote MMA fights, though unlike “Money,” he seems to have a recognizable name in his corner.
Who just so happens to be looking for a fight.
“I’m making a comeback for sure,” UFC hall-of-famer Chuck Liddell told TMZ. “Tito [Ortiz] is always my favorite. One, he’s easy. Two, I never get tired of hitting the guy and people never get tired of seeing it.”
Liddell has been trying to finagle a fight with Bellator MMA, but promotion president Scott Coker was lukewarm to the idea, probably because “The Iceman” is now 48 years old, hasn’t competed since 2010, and got starched in his final three fights.
That doesn't seem to faze De La Hoya.
”We’re talking some business,” he said. “It’s no secret that I love what MMA fighters do. I want to get into the MMA business. I want to start Golden Boy MMA. Imagine Tito and Chuck once again, it would be huge.”
Liddell already holds two wins over Ortiz from the glory days of UFC, back when both combatants were the two biggest names in MMA. They tried for a third time under the guise of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) reality show, but it fell apart midway through the season.
If at first you don’t succeed...