Anderson Silva continued to make waves in the boxing world at the ripe old age of 46 last night as he quickly KO’d fellow UFC legend Tito Ortiz in the co-main event of Triller’s latest event.
A little under two-years since his last MMA fight, the also 46-year-old Ortiz’s move to make his pro boxing debut against Silva had always looked like an odd choice as he’s never been known for his striking ability on the feet.
However, while his boxing ability may have looked somewhat dubious even during his prime in the Octagon, it’s safe to say that it looked even worse last night, even although Silva gave him ample opportunities to let them go early in the first round as he backed up to the ropes on two occasions in a defensive shell.
Ortiz attempted to capitalize, throwing series of punches, but his punches appeared labored and he was struggling to find the target as Silva bobbed and weaved.
Essentially it appeared as if Silva was applying the classic ‘rope-a-dope’ strategy, but he didn’t need to wait long for it to pay-off as on the second occasion Ortiz was in the midst of letting his hands go, Silva suddenly countered with a clean right hook to the jaw that rocked ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’, who sagged against the ropes then lurched forward towards the turnbuckle, before a left hand from Silva behind the ear floored him for the knockout finish just 82 seconds into the fight.
Ortiz was rightly a huge underdog heading into the fight, but nonetheless few predicted that Silva would finish him quite so quickly given that Ortiz hadn’t been finished by strikes for almost 10 years and ‘The Spider’ tends to start slowly.
So, despite the fact that Silva’s time in MMA ended badly, with just one win in his last nine fights, he’s somehow managing to make a success of his foray into the world of boxing, having already turned heads with a slick decision-winning performance against former champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr back in June, followed by this highlight-reel stoppage win.
While it’s debatable how long he could and should keep this boxing run going given that he’s 46-years-old, it is heart-warming to see Silva being able to showcase some of the masterful striking ability that made him one of the all-time greats in the UFC.
It’ll be interesting to see what comes next for him now that he’s proven himself, whether it’s potentially landing a money-spinning fight with one of the Paul brothers, a chance to fight another big-name boxer, or perhaps even being talked into a rematch with his old Brazilian rival Vitor Belfort, who won by KO in the main event.
As for Ortiz, after failing to stick to his retirement plans multiple times over the years, hopefully this brutal finish will convince him to hang up his gloves for good this time.
