Former UFC stars Tito Ortiz and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson left UFC on three-fight losing streaks, but that hasn't done much to dampen their drawing power. Ortiz and Jackson are slated to headline Bellator's first ever pay-per-view card, and are pulling out all the stops in promotion.
The two ex-champs in UFC made an appearance on TNA Impact pro wrestling, along with Rampage, in a cool move that could boost pay-per-view numbers with fans of TNA's show.
The relationship between Bellator and TNA seems very natural. Both are brands that are struggling to compete with a giant; Bellator faces off against Dana White's UFC goliath, while TNA must do battle with Vince McMahon's WWE.
Also, just as Ortiz and Jackson are former UFC legends-Ortiz is a UFC Hall of Famer-TNA also has been home to ex-WWE stars such as Jeff Hardy, Ric Flair, Mick Foley and the Dudley Boys tag team. Ortiz and Jackson have always carried on cartoonish, showy feuds with their opponents leading up to fights, much like pro wrestlers do.
Jackson even howled on his way to the octagon, while wearing a thick chain around his neck, in what appears like a wrestling heel getup.
Rumors had swirled prior to the announcement of Ortiz vs. Jackson that Rampage would be pitted against former multi-division boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing match. Clearly that arrangement, no advantage to Jackson although his boxing skills are considered top notch in the MMA community, were proven untrue. This boxing exhibition was thought to be scheduled opposite UFC's big-time card pitting Anderson "The Spider" Silva in a rematch against Chris Weidman who recently knocked Silva out.
The Ortiz-Jackson bout is set for November 2nd, at the Long Beach Entertainment and Convention Center in California.
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