Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz will return to action at UFC 132 on July 2nd. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” will face a tough test in top contender Ryan “Darth” Bader. MMAWeekly.com first reported the bout today, which was later confirmed by UFC President Dana White.
Ortiz, who finds himself in a must-win situation, has not won a fight in close to four and a half years. He had previously been scheduled to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC Fight Night 24 this Saturday, but was forced to withdraw after suffering a concussion and a bad laceration during training.
Ortiz (15-8-1) has fought just two times in nearly three years, losing decisions to Forrest Griffin in their 2009 rematch and to Matt “The Hammer” Hamill last October. The former 205-pound king is one loss away from unemployment, and was almost cut from the UFC following his loss to Hamill. Once known for his devastating ground and pound, Ortiz has struggled in recent years amidst injuries and improved opposition. He is now 0-4-1 in his last five fights and will not have an easy opponent in Bader, a fellow wrestler with a decided strength and power advantage.
Bader (12-1-0) was likely one win away from a title shot until he ran into new champion Jon “Bones” Jones at UFC 126 last month. Bader was unable to handle Jones’s takedowns and top control and eventually succumbed to a guillotine choke late in the second round. The loss was Bader’s first as a professional and he holds notable recent wins over former top UFC contender Keith Jardine and Ortiz’s original opponent for this weekend, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. With vicious punching power and solid wrestling, Bader should hold an advantage in most areas over the veteran Ortiz, and a victory could get Bader back into the title mix.
UFC 132 takes place on July 2nd at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC 132 Fight Card (to date; subject to change):
– “The Prodigy” B.J. Penn vs Jon Fitch
– Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard vs Shane Roller
– Dennis Siver vs “Handsome” Matt Wiman
– Ryan “Darth” Bader vs “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz
– Evan Dunham vs George Sotiropoulos
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)
Boring card.