Tito Ortiz submitted Alberto El Patron this past December for his 21st career win – but as of now, in the eyes of the commission that licensed it, that win has been wiped off the books.
The current status of Ortiz’s rear-naked choke win over El Patron in the “Combate Americas: Tito vs. Alberto” main event is “no decision,” according to the official results paperwork (available here) from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which oversaw the Dec. 7 event at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.
“The results of the fight were changed pending further investigation,” TDLR public information officer Tela Mange told MMA Junkie when reached for clarification.
Combate Americas officials were informed of the no decision ruling by MMA Junkie on Tuesday. After promotion officials made inquiries with the Texas commission, a promotion spokesperson confirmed to MMA Junkie that as of now, the result of the fight is a no decision.
Given the fight initially was a win for Ortiz, changing it to a no decision indicates something amiss from the Ortiz side. But Mange said the TDLR could not elaborate on the reasons for the result’s change. “Pending further investigation” also presumably leaves open the possibility the decision could be reverted to the original submission win for Ortiz – if no wrongdoing is found.
Ortiz (20-12-1), a former UFC light heavyweight champion and a member of that promotion’s Hall of Fame, dominated his 210-pound contract weight fight against El Patron (9-5), who is best known from his WWE career as Alberto Del Rio.
Ortiz finished El Patron with a rear-naked choke at the 3:10 mark of the opening round. The event was Combate Americas’ first pay-per-view offering. The week after the fight, Combate Americas said the event “did not fare as well” as it had hoped in terms of pay-per-view buys, particularly compared to the ratings it did on Televisa Canal 5 in Mexico.
The 42-year-old El Patron hadn’t fought an MMA bout in nearly 10 years. In the early 2000s, he fought for the DEEP promotion in Japan before a pair of fights under the PRIDE banner in 2003 and 2004. There, he was the recipient of a famed Mirko Cro Cop head-kick knockout, then lost a decision to eventual UFC fighter Kazuhiro Nakamura.
He started his pro wrestling tenure for the WWE in 2010 as Alberto Del Rio. He became the WWE’s first champion born in Mexico in 2011 when he beat CM Punk, starting a brief rivalry with him in which they traded the title back and forth. After some time away from the WWE, he returned in 2015.
Ortiz, who turned 45 in January, lost to Forrest Griffin in a trilogy fight at UFC 148 in July 2012, then announced his retirement on a 1-7-1 slide over a five-and-a-half year stretch. But a year later, he announced his return for Bellator. He eventually made his promotional debut at Bellator 120, which was the promotion’s first pay-per-view event, and upset former middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko in the first round.
Ortiz went 3-1 for Bellator with his lone loss coming in a light heavyweight title fight against then-champ Liam McGeary. His resume there included wins over Stephan Bonnar and Chael Sonnen. After the Sonnen win, in January 2017, he again announced his retirement.
But yet again, he was lured back to active competition, this time by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions for a third fight against longtime rival Chuck Liddell. In November 2018, Ortiz knocked out Liddell in the first round for his first win against fellow former UFC light heavyweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer. That led to his contract with Combate Americas – a multi-fight deal. The fight with El Patron was his first on that contract.
