Ortiz is defiant to finish
Retiring legend has fitting farewell
Tito Ortiz was the defiant face of the UFC when it emerged from pay-per-view banishment. The fiery, mouthy light heavyweight champion was developed entirely in the UFC, and his fights did numbers that proved there was a heartbeat in what seemed like a faded enterprise.
So it was surprising — to longtime fans and Ortiz himself — that when it came time to hang up the gloves, it wasn’t in a UFC cage.
“I thought it was going to be in the UFC,” Ortiz told the Herald, “but it got to a point where UFC was getting so big that ...I wasn’t getting respected the way I should have. And it was time for me to move on.”
Instead, the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” waved adieu in Bellator MMA on Jan. 21, choking out
Chael Sonnen before a Spike TV audience of 2 million, a poignant salute to the 42-year-old Ortiz’ career.
“I’m thankful the way they sent me away,” he said. “That’s the way fighters that have given their life to something for 20 years should be respected.”
Ortiz’ career was marked by triumph and tumult. Managed by
Dana White before White became UFC president, Ortiz pushed back brashly and publicly when negotiations soured. He made a mortal enemy, the feud with White one of the most heated in the sport for years.
“Dana was my manager, so I learned everything from him. I thought I could make the same decisions that he was making for me against him, which was not the right way to do it,” Ortiz said. After marrying porn star Jenna
Jameson, with whom he has twin sons, Ortiz’ public perception morphed from bad boy to gossip fodder. The two had a violent and tumultuous home life, including an ugly drug-related domestic incident that made headlines, and Ortiz cites the day of their 2013 separation as a turning point.
Ortiz was battling an almost unbelievable slate of injuries and became known for ticking off a list of surgeries he underwent, many on his neck, and at least 26 concussions.
“I watched the movie ‘ Concussion’ . . . and it scared me, it scared me a lot,” Ortiz said. “I think I got out at the perfect time. I watch a lot of fighters that have slurred speech, a lot of them can’t really concentrate, they get frustrated really, super quick.”
Ortiz — often matched with the toughest fighters in his division — retires at 19-12-1 after winning three of his four Bellator fights. His vaunted ground-and-pound attack vaulted him to a three-year title reign that started at age 23, just a year and a half after he started as little more than a wrestler.
Now he’s focused on raising his three sons, whom he has plans for. Ortiz walked to the ring for his final fight with his 14-year-old Jacob, a first.
“I told him if he wants to be a fighter, he’s got to get his master’s degree. He doesn’t realize after he gets his master’s degree, he’ll be about 25, so he’ll be a little bit too old,” Ortiz joked. “I’ve already set these goals for all my kids. I only have one chance to do it, and I want to make sure I do it right.”
Sounding off at critics
This being Ortiz, his last fight had to come with some controversy. Some saw evidence the Sonnen fight was a put-on, harping on two moments: One where they think Ortiz tapped to a choke only to see it released, and questioning if Ortiz’ fight-ending choke was secured.
A peeved Ortiz offered this response:
“I was the underdog, a 2-1 underdog, and I made it look so easy that people doubted what was the truth, man. . . . It’s all baloney, man, I gave 14 weeks of my life for this camp . . . And why would it be a fixed fight if the person who’s retired is the one who won? I put a choke on him and people see how purple his face was, I was trying to rip his head off.
“For someone to call it fixed, they’re not a fan, those people are looking for an easy way out in life . . . I was not tapping, I was trying to grab his hands off my neck.
“People are ignorant and they can’t accept facts and truth. It’s like people now that are protesting against (