Tito Ortiz vs. Chael Sonnen in the Works for Bellator | MMAWeekly.com

Tito Ortiz claims he is fighting Chael Sonnen under the Bellator banner in January.

Ortiz staked his claim to a fight with Sonnen on Friday night’s episode of Inside MMA, the series’ finale.

“Chael Sonnen will be getting his ass whipped on, I believe, Jan. 21. I’m not sure on the date, but we are gonna fight,” said Ortiz. He noted the fight would be at light heavyweight.

Bellator officials indicated that the fight had not yet been signed, but that it was under consideration.

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If it gets signed, the fight would come as no surprise, as Sonnen, immediately upon signing with Bellator, took aim at a fight with Ortiz, whom with he shares some history. The two have competed against each other once before. While in college, they wrestled each other with Sonnen making quick work of Ortiz, who would like to avenge the loss.

“He pinned me in 30 seconds, on my birthday,” recounted Ortiz. “But now is an opportunity for me to get my payback and get a win against him.”

Ortiz (18-12-1) is a former UFC champion and a current UFC Hall of Fame member. He has fought three times under the Bellator banner defeating Alexander Shlemenko and Stephan Bonnar before failing to wrest the Bellator light heavyweight championship from Liam McGeary last year.

Ortiz has said that he is on the final fight of his Bellator contract. Although he hasn’t definitively closed the door on a fighting future, he has indicated that a win over Sonnen would be a perfect way to end his career.

The fight against Ortiz would be Sonnen’s (29-14-1) first in more than three years, after having spent much of that time serving a Nevada Athletic Commission issued suspension. He lost three of his final four fights under the UFC banner, and will be looking to resurrect his dormant career with Bellator.

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