UFC legend Tito Ortiz is a massive betting favorite to beat rival Alberto Del Rio at their upcoming matchup in the Combate Americas promotion.
Ortiz is scheduled to meet Del Rio at Combate Americas: Hidalgo, which takes place on December 7 at Payne Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. The fight will be contested at a catchweight of 210lbs.
It is by far the biggest fight in the history of Combate Americas.
The oddsmakers released the odds for the bout a few weeks ago, with Ortiz opening as a -750 betting favorite and Del Rio opening as a +450 underdog. Since then, bettors have been all over Ortiz. The former UFC light heavyweight champion has swelled to a -1100 betting favorite, while the comeback on Del Rio as the betting underdog is +700. Those odds are according to BestFightOdds.com.
Those odds mean that an $1100 bet on Ortiz would win you $100, while a $100 bet on Del Rio would win you $700. In other words, the bookies and the betting public aren’t giving Del Rio much of a chance to win this fight.
As far as MMA experience goes, it’s lopsided in the favor of the 44-year-old Ortiz. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” has a 20-12, 1 NC record during his legendary MMA career. He is currently riding a two-fight win streak, with stoppage wins over Chuck Liddell and Chael Sonnen in his last two fights. Ortiz has won four of his last five fights overall.
As for the 42-year-old Del Rio, the former WWE superstar doesn’t have much experience in MMA, having accumulated only a 9-5 record inside the cage. He actually hasn’t fought since 2010, which was the last time we won a fight. Del Rio is most fondly remembered for his stint in PRIDE, where he famously fought Mirko Cro Cop at PRIDE Bushido 1 back in 2003, losing via head kick. Although Del Rio does have a winning record in MMA, Ortiz is a massive step up in competition from some of the fighters that he has wins over.
Would you take a shot on Alberto Del Rio as a big underdog against Tito Ortiz?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/25/2019.