A MMA bout between Kurt Angle and Tito Ortiz never happened, but if it did, Ortiz is confident that he would have been the victor.
Speaking to Hannibal TV, Ortiz discussed a hypothetical bout with the Olympic gold medalist.
“He’s an amazing athlete. He ended up going to professional wrestling,” said Ortiz. “If he went to MMA, he might have been a World Champion. It would have come down to him learning how to punch, kick and do submissions. I was the champion at the time and I would have beat him. He’s done great as a professional wrestler. It’s hard work, dedication and perseverance. He’s shown it through his career with all the injuries.”
Angle won Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling in 1996 and entered the world of professional wrestling in 1998. Ortiz was coming up through the ranks at the time and UFC was still in the Dark Era. Angle was in talks to compete on season 10 of the Ultimate Fighter, but failed the medical requirements. He signed with Bellator in 2015 and teased fighting for the company, but a bout never came to fruition.
The paths of Ortiz and Angle did cross in professional wrestling during Angle’s time in TNA. Ortiz was first brought to TNA in 2005 and returned in 2013 as part of an Aces & Eights angle.
“Dixie Carter helped me a lot with coming in,” said Ortiz about his time in TNA. “I got an opportunity to talk with Hulk Hogan for four hours. He’s an amazing man. One of the other guys who helped bring me in was Jeff Jarrett. He’s an amazing guy. I got to do a match with him. It was fun being on that side of the ring.”
You can view the entire interview with Ortiz in the video above.
