Tito Ortiz walked out victorious after the main event of “Bellator 170” where he submitted Chael Sonnen with the greatest of ease, but fans and fighters alike were quick to point out some bizarre moments in the fight. While fans cried “fix” almost immediately, fighters were somewhat apprehensive to claim that the fix was in. It took all of twenty-four hours for UFC’s Dan Hardy to open up about the fight, claiming that it looked choreographed.
“When [Sonnen] got in there, he did a very, very basic single-leg takedown, which even me with awful takedown defense could have stopped, and I’ll allow Tito’s the bigger man, but Chael’s been watching him his whole career. He’s been planning on fighting Tito for his whole career, so surely he would have prepped for that. Second of all, just the progression that he allowed Tito to get to mount, and the lack of defense of the arm. I mean, there was no hand fighting at all. And then the finish of the choke, it wasn’t even around his neck.
“If you put your own head in that same position when you watch the fight, it’s silly to believe that…there’s a space, on the right side of his face, between the right side of your face and your right shoulder. And anybody who’s been in that situation and that position knows that it’s uncomfortable, yes, but it’s not a choke and it’s not a tapping position.”
