Have Anderson Silva and Tito Ortiz ever fought each other in the UFC?
UFC legends Anderson Silva and Tito Ortiz never got the opportunity to share the octagon. Silva has largely fought at middleweight (185 pounds) his entire career, while the light heavyweight (205 pounds) division was Ortiz's home.
'The Spider' is considered to be the greatest UFC middleweight of all time, with an astounding 11 successful title defenses under his belt. Silva is also the record-holder for most finishes in the 185-pound division. The Brazilian legend reigned for seven long years, picking up notable wins against Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, and Vitor Belfort, just to name a few.
Tito Ortiz, meanwhile, captured the vacant light heavyweight crown against Wanderlei Silva at UFC 25 in 2000. He went on to defend the championship five times in the next three years to set the record for most title defenses at the time. 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' defeated Yuki Kondo, Evan Tanner, Elvis Sinosic, Vladimir Matyushenko and Ken Shamrock.
Anderson Silva vs. Tito Ortiz finally happening
Anderson Silva and Tito Ortiz will meet each other for the first time in their illustrious careers. However, the battle between the two MMA icons will not take place in the cage as they're set to clash in a pro-boxing bout on September 11.
The matchup is just the latest edition of the recent crossover boxing trends. Tito Ortiz vs. Anderson Silva will take place on the undercard of Triller's upcoming Oscar De La Hoya vs. Vitor Belfort event.
It will be the first time Ortiz will compete in a sanctioned boxing match. The last time Ortiz saw action in the cage was in December 2019 at Combate Americas. He dismantled former WWE superstar Alberto Del Rio to earn his third first-round victory in a row. Ortiz also defeated Chael Sonnen and Chuck Liddell under the Bellator banner.
Silva, meanwhile, recently reignited his career as a pugilist after defeating former middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in June 2021. The Brazilian dominated the son and namesake of Mexico's biggest legend and walked away with a split decision win.