By FCF Staff

Bellator has confirmed that Tito Ortiz has been forced to withdraw from the promotion’s November 2nd “Rampage vs. Tito” event in Long Beach, California. As a result of losing the card’s main event, which was supposed to mark Bellator’s pay-per-view debut, the entire show will air for free on SPIKE.

“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 Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney was quoted saying in a press release from the promotion. “After sitting down with our team and partners, the decision was obvious: Give the greatest MMA fans on earth this amazing show live and free on Spike. Our fans have been incredible to us and I’m thrilled to be able to give them this great card on the greatest network in MMA, Spike! Chandler vs. Alvarez II, Mo vs. Newton II and Curran vs. Strauss II are all unbelievable fights.  This is going to be a great, great night.”

The press release also disclosed that Ortiz has suffered a fractured neck while training. The bout would have been the former UFC champ’s Bellator debut, and his first fight since last July when he lost by decision to Forrest Griffin.