Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz is up among the big stacks at the end of Day 2 of the PokerStars Championship Panama Main Event.
Ortiz, who held the UFC light heavyweight title for over three years back in the early 2000s, has reportedly earned an eight figure sum from his UFC career and could now be heading for his first live poker tournament cash in Panama. He is currently fourth out of the 78 players remaining. The winner will get $293,860 with 71 players sharing the $1,775,100 prize pool; a min-cash is worth $7,720.
Next stop: PokerStars Championship Macau, March 30 – April 9.
Ortiz, who started Day 2 with 182,000 and was second in chips, now has 270,500. The current chip leader is Igor Yaroshevskyy who began Day 2 with 219,600 chips and has maintained his lead for Day 3, bagging up 745,500. The 31-year-old Ukrainian is one of his country's top players with nearly $2.4 million in live tournament winnings. He arrived in Panama fresh from a deep run in the WPT Bay 101 Main Event where he finished eighth for $106,520.
Pablo Gordillo (254,500) is also through to Day 3, as is Jason Wheeler (213,000), Steve O'Dwyer (184,000, Mark Radoja (177,000), Adrien Allain (118,000), JC Alvarado (103,000), Martin Finger (92,000), Daniel Dvoress (67,500), Ari Engel (58,000), Jason Koon (24,500), Davidi Kitai (20,000), and reigning GPI Player of the Year Byron Kaverman (78,000).
Here's the top of the overnight leaderboard:
1: Igor Yaroshevskyy - 745,500
2: Denis Timofeev - 569,000
3: Caufman Talley - 546,000
4: Tito Ortiz - 270,500
5: Vincent Allevato - 256,500
The PokerStars Championship is building a busy schedule, with four more events between now and August.
- PokerStars Championship Macau (March 30-April 9)
- PokerStars Championship Monte-Carlo(April 25-May 5)
- PokerStars Championship Sochi (May 20-31)
- PokerStars Championship Barcelona (August 15-27)
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