By the way, I had signed with the UFC around this time. So, he needed some time to get into shape. "The problem was he was 37 years old and he was living the life of a UFC president. "Dana being a lover of the sweet science, loved this idea," Bisping said in a YouTube video recently. ![]() But he felt that he had the boxing ability and had proven such in light-hearted sparring sessions with Ortiz previously to beat the California native after having had multiple unsanctioned fights.įormer UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping was new to the promotion at the time having just won the Ultimate Fighter, and recalls how seriously White took the planned fight. Of course, White admitted that he would be comfortably beaten in a full MMA contest by Ortiz, having done minimal grappling during his athletic peak. Ortiz was at loggerheads with White over a number of issues, but agreed to coach The Ultimate Fighter's third season alongside Ken Shamrock, so long as he could have a three-round fight with his boss. He started sparring seriously, losing weight, and even forced the commission in Nevada to sanction him so the bout would be legitimate.īoxing world champion breaks TV star's ribs and leaves him "fearing for his life" Ortiz had asked in an outlandish contract negotiation that one stipulation be a boxing match with White.Īnd the promotion's boss was confident enough in his abilities that he would have the skills to beat Ortiz that he was willing to accept the challenge and fight him in the ring. Ortiz came from a wrestling background to become one of the most feared men on the planet during his initial UFC run, while White claims to have boxed on smoker shows before moving into coaching in Boston. And at the height of their bitter feud, White went as far as agreeing to a boxing match with the former light-heavyweight champion. The UFC president and his former management client Ortiz were once best of friends, but their relationship soured to a point where the pair could hardly work together. The Premier Boxing Champions Fonfara vs Cleverly card will be airing live on SpikeTV and Sky Sports 1 tonight.Dana White almost had a boxing match with Tito Ortiz during the height of the pair's rivalry, even go so far as to weigh in for the clash. Who are you picking in Fonfara vs Cleverly? Will Fonfara walk through the Welshman? Or will Cleverly do the business, claiming his first marquee scalp on American soil? Get discussing in the comments below, fight fans! GarnekSports cameras were at the Fonfara vs Cleverly weigh-in to catch the action: Kono will climb through the ropes with 30 wins, 13 knockouts, 8 defeats, 1 defeat, and Kameda 33 wins, 18 knockouts, 1 defeat. This 12-rounder looks to be dividing opinion, and will be welcomed by most fans of boxing’s lighter men. And I’d be surprised if it’s very little.įor the intriguing co-feature, WBA Junior Bantamweight champ Kohei Kono weighed in at 114.5 lbs, while challenger Koki Kameda came in at 115. We’ll just have to see what former WBO champion Cleverly has left in the tank. And he’ll be one of the best boxers Fonfara has shared the ring with. Cleverly may have suffered career setbacks against Sergey Kovalev and Tony Bellew, but he’s still a skilled operator. Some see this as an easy fight for Fonfara, but I’m not subscribing to that opinion. Coming in, Poland’s Fonfara holds 27 wins, 16 knockouts, 3 defeats, while Wales’ Cleverly brings 29 wins, 15 knockouts, 2 defeats. Fonfara came in at 174.75 lbs, while Cleverly came it at 174.5.įonfara is of course looking to keep his steady momentum building after a bold showing against Adonis Stevenson in May 2014, and an unforgettable drumming of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in April. ![]() Both men looked in great condition, not showing any signs of struggling to boil down to make the 175 lb weight. ![]() At the UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Light Heavyweights Nathan Cleverly and Andrzej Fonfara both weighed in successfully ahead of their 12 round headliner tonight.
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