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Alberto El Patron, AKA Alberto Del Rio, returned to the cage for his first MMA fight in over 9 years at the recently concluded Combate Americas event held at the Payne Arena in McAllen, Texas.
If you were one of the many fans who actually expected the former WWE Champion to pull off an upset against UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz, then you would certainly be disappointed with what you're about to read next.
Tito Ortiz submitted Alberto El Patron with a rear-naked choke in the very first round of their 210-pound catchweight fight.
The event also witnessed popular pro wrestluchadora Dulce Garcia, AKA Sexy Starr of Lucha Underground fame, notch up her second MMA victory.
Before we analyze the main event in detail, here is a summary of the results of the show:
- Tito Ortiz def. Alberto El Patron via submission (RNC) (3:10, Round 1)
- Melissa Martinez def. Desiree Yanez via split decision to become the first-ever Combate Americas Women's World Strawweight champion (27-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Dani Barez def. Joao Camilo via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-8)
- Levy Marroquin def. Enrique Gonzalez via submission (guillotine) (4:53, Round 1)
- Dulce Garcia def. Anali Lopez Hernandez via submission (guillotine) (2:47, Round 1)
- Gaston Reyno def. Rey Trujillo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jose Flores def. Clarence Brown via submission (RNC) (3:16, Round 1)
- Victor Martinez def. Luis Luna via TKO (1:39, Round 1)
- Elias Urbina def. Mike Tobar via KO (3:14, Round 1)
- Edmilson Freitas def. Raymond Banda via majority decision (28-28, 28-28, 29-27)
Alberto El Patron (9-5) vs. Tito Ortiz (20-12-1) - As it happened
There was a lot of bad blood between El Patron and Ortiz in the build-up to the fight. Whether the heat was fabricated for the sake of marketing the fight is a debatable topic, but it helped the event get a lot of mainstream coverage.
When the time finally arrived, Ortiz proved to be too big a test for the 42-year-old El Patron.
The former WWE Superstar came out wearing a pair of red gloves that matched the red trunks that he was sporting. Ortiz made his entrance to Hulk Hogan's Real American theme song with his twin sons by his side.
The hostility from the weigh-ins poured over to the fight as both men refused to touch gloves before the main event got underway.
The fight was instantly taken to the ground and Ortiz managed to assume side control, however, El Patron wriggled his way out and got up on his feet.
Ortiz dumped El Patron down to the mat after connecting with a few right-hand strikes. Ortiz softened Del Rio up with a series of lefts and rights. He then took the former WWE Superstar's back, got in the back mount and slipped in the rear-naked choke to force a tap.
El Patron submitted to the RNC at 3:10 of the first round.
Ortiz also posed with an old version of the WWE Championship after his win and lived up to the pro wrestling presentation of the much-hyped MMA showcase.
It gets weird. The fight was apparently for Del Rio's WWE Championship as well as Ortiz's UFC OG BMF title. No, we're not making this up!
Owing to his satisfactory MMA record, there may have been a glimmer of hope when it came to EL Patron's chances of taking down a former UFC Champion.
However, The Huntington Beach Bad Boy was on a different level despite being in the twilight of his career. The 44-year-old MMA legend couldn't have asked for an easier payday.
As for El Patron, what's next for him? Will he enter the cage for another fight? Only time will tell.
