Tito Ortiz Wants Ronda Rousey, Cris ‘Cyborg’ Santos Superfight For NYE 2013

Tito Ortiz has called for a “super fight” between Ronda Rousey and Cris “Cyborg” Santos, and he wants it to happen on New Year’s Eve 2013, according to a recent interview with Fight Hub TV.

Ortiz, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, has taken over as manager for Santos, and, during the interview, he assured fans that his fighter is clean from performance enhancing drugs.

Many fans suspected that Santos was using PEDs — as did Rousey — prior to her testing positive in January 2012. Ortiz insisted on Wednesday that “the stuff she was taking” was to help the fighter cut weight.

“She made a mistake,” Ortiz admitted.

Rousey took a tougher line of criticism against Santos in an interview with Sherdog.

“I think she was a detriment to women’s MMA. I think that no little girl is going to watch Cris Cyborg fight and want to be like her one day. … I don’t think that she’s a good example. I think it was obvious all along that she was doping and I think it’s a really bad message to send to kids that you need to dope to be a champion,” Rousey said.

On Wednesday, Ortiz referenced the comments and said that Santos felt “disrespected” by Rousey, and is now eager to fight at a catchweight of 140 pounds when her three-fight Invicta FC deal expires later this year.

“She has three fights with Invicta, she will be the world champion and she will walk away a world champion,” Ortiz said. “Like I said, New Year’s Eve, let’s make a super fight. Forget the title. Champion versus champion, who cares about the title?”

Ortiz said he and Santos wanted the fight because it was what fans wanted to see and he added that the New Year’s Eve 2013 date is “why we didn’t sign with anybody else, with any competition against the UFC.”

“I want to work with UFC and I want to give fighters the opportunity to fight on the biggest stage in the world as I fought for 15 years,” Ortiz said.

That opportunity was one that Cris Cyborg had earlier this year, but she voluntarily left her contract because she did not wish to cut weight to 135.

Ronda Rousey has used the positive PED test as justification for making Santos come to her, but Ortiz said it would be “impossible” for Santos to drop the weight without going to “3 to 4 percent body fat.”

All that aside, the decision to leave UFC and fight at Invicta when UFC was prepared to keep Santos under contract and pay for her to fight at Invicta left UFC president Dana White confused.

“So instead of doing that, they chose to not do that — and fight in Invicta. If you can make logic out of that whole f***ing situation, you’re a better man than I,” White said.

Do you think Tito Ortiz should get his wish for a NYE 2013 super fight between Ronda Rousey and Cris “Cyborg” Santos? If so, should it be at 135- or a 140-pound catchweight?

[Image via Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com]