Tito Ortiz has been forced to withdraw from his Bellator MMA main event fight against Quinton (Rampage) Jackson after suffering a fractured neck, according to the promotion.
Ortiz and Jackson, two former UFC light-heavyweight champions, were set to headline Bellator’s first pay-per-view event Nov. 2 at the The Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in Long Beach, Calif.
“I’ve said it since the day we announced the fight that Rampage vs. Tito was a fight I had wanted to see for years, and it’s unfortunately something I’m going to have to continue to wait to see,” Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said in a statement.
The 38-year-old, who has a long history of neck and back problems, announced his retirement from MMA following a UFC 148 loss to Forrest Griffin in July 2012. However, he signed a deal with Bellator in July after hinting a comeback might be in the cards. Ortiz (16-11-1) has lost seven of his last nine fights dating back to 2006.
On a conference call Friday, Bellator officials announced the event, Bellator 106, will now be headlined by a rematch between Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler and former champ Eddie Alvarez. And instead of it remaining a pay-per-view event, the organization said it will now take place on free TV.
The event also includes a featherweight title fight between Pat Curran and Daniel Straus and an interim light-heavyweight title bout Muhammed (King Mo) Lawal and Emanuel Newton.
