Huntington Beach, CA. – For over 15 years, Tito Ortiz dedicated his life to the sport of mixed martial arts, becoming a UFC superstar, champion, and hall of famer in the process. But for the recently retired “People’s Champ,” the journey is just beginning, as he has now teamed up with renowned boxing and MMA promoter Roy Englebrecht to help groom the next generation of stars in the world’s fastest growing sport.
Beginning Saturday, October 6th, and continuing on Friday, December 7th, Ortiz and Englebrecht will launch the Fight Club MMA “Rising Stars” series in The Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in Orange County. The shows, coming on the heels of Englebrecht’s highly successful Fight Club OC series, will feature California’s best young amateur MMA fighters, and serve as a developmental stage for future pros in an environment where they are evenly matched and treated like athletes.
“I have always wanted to develop talent and make a positive influence, from the days of wanting to be a wrestling coach to coaching on The Ultimate Fighter,” said Ortiz. “I know what it takes to help scout these kids and take them to the next level, so along with my partner, Entertainment and Sports Attorney George Prajin, we have teamed up with Roy to build a developmental league to the pros. We want to give credibility to the amateur division and rank the fighters, kind of like the Golden Gloves has done for boxing.”
“We are not looking to compete with the UFC,” Ortiz continued. “In fact we couldn’t even if we tried, as the UFC is the major leagues. We want to be the equivalent of college football to the NFL. We are looking to scout out the fighters that we feel can make it and prepare them for that major step to the next level.”
“There is no one in Southern California mixed martial arts that I would rather partner with then Tito Ortiz,” said Englebrecht. “Fight Club OC is already a successful MMA promotion in Southern California, in the best small venues in the country, so with Tito’s expertise in MMA training, as well as his business acumen and marketing savvy, we will be able to take Fight Club OC, as well as other “Rising Stars” shows around the county, to a new level of success.”
For Ortiz and Englebrecht, the goal of the “Rising Stars” series is to make sure aspiring MMA fighters learn proper techniques and styles and that they get to compete on reputable shows so that they will always have a positive experience. To show his dedication to this cause even further, Ortiz also announced “Training With Tito” an element of the series where the fighters in each corner, on each show, are invited to a private training session with Tito one week prior to each show. This unique session with one of the icons of MMA will give fighters a chance to learn the game both in and out of the cage.
Tickets for the inaugural 10 bout “Rising Stars” show on October 6th, and priced at $50 and $40 and are available online at www.fightcluboc.com.
