De La Hoya Not Done with MMA?

Despite the prevalent thought that Golden Boy MMA was a one-and-done, that may not be the case.

The first MMA venture for Golden Boy Promotions, a November 2018 card headlined by Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, sold approximately just 40,000 buys. In an interview with Ariel Helwani not long after signing to fight in Combate Americas, Ortiz proclaimed that Golden Boy MMA was dead.

But in an interview with Barstool Sports, CEO Oscar De La Hoya claimed that he is coming up with big plans for a sequel event.

.@OscarDeLaHoya responds to @danawhite calling him an asshole @BarstoolBrkfast pic.twitter.com/VXQN0RXEwj

— Barstool Radio (@BarstoolRadio) October 2, 2019

“I tried…actually I am getting into MMA and I am working on something very exciting and I am sure I am going to get a lot of heat from [UFC President] Dana White,” De La Hoya said. “But this creates opportunity. You have Bellator and UFC, who want to monopolize the whole industry with Dana White being the cheerleader. But there is always room for another player.”

And while the numbers for the first event were far from great, De La Hoya says he still considers the event a success based on interest and reception.

“We did an MMA show that was successful. A lot of people loved it,” he said. “It was two name fighters, over the hill, I believe, in Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. But it was just a great atmosphere and a great event. So I told myself, ‘We have something here.’ We know how to promote and we know the industry. So we are working on something big right now.”

Quotes via MMA Mania