During the evening of May 30, 1997 the UFC introduced one of its newest fighters. Thirty one seconds after the opening bell rang, the world knew a new name Tito Ortiz. Bursting on the scene, The Huntington Beach Bad Boy quickly became the hottest new fighter in the mixed martial arts world.
A two-time California state wrestling champion in high school, Ortiz just happened to stumble across his initiation into the sport. His wrestling coach was Paul Herrera, a UFC veteran, who was looking for a sparring partner for his close friend, another UFC alumni, Tank Abbott. Interested in the cross training, Ortiz accepted and the rest is history.
Ortiz soon became known for his abrasive behavior inside and outside of the ring for antics such as giving the finger to his opponents and acting like he was digging their graves. Such taunts fueled a bitter rival between Ortiz and Ken Shamrock’s Lions Den. Ortiz went on to fight several fighters from the Lions Den corner including Ken’s brother Frank, and a bitter battle with Guy Metzger. During which, Ortiz continued to twist the knife into Shamrock by wearing personalized with slogans such as, “Gay Metzger is my bitch!”
In April, 2004, Ortiz faced Wanderlei Silva for the Light Heavyweight Championship title and won by a unanimous decision. He went on to defend his title and creating his unique style of MMA fighting, The Ground and Pound. Being very aggressive by nature, Ortiz would usually shoot an opponent to the ground and begin an onslaught of strikes and elbows, knocking his opponents senseless. He continued to defend his belt until he was stopped dead in his tracks by Randy Couture during UFC44.
The feud with Shamrock finally came to a head when both fighters agreed to be trainers for the UFC reality show, Ultimate Fighter 3. It was agreed that the two fighters would face each other once again in the octagon, the original confrontation ending in a TKO for Ortiz. Once again, Ortiz pummeled Shamrock during UFC61, but that didn’t stop Shamrock and he challenged Ortiz to another go. The highlight for this pay per view, Ortiz Vs. Shamrock: The Final Chapter, was yet another win for Ortiz, who entered the ring wearing one of his shirts stating, “Beat him into retirement.” And he did just that with a full knock out. Shamrock decided he had enough of the rivalry and buried the hatchet, shaking hands with Ortiz at the end of the match.
Today, Ortiz is back on the road to the championship. Having a few minor set backs with two losses to Chuck Liddell and a recent draw with Rashad Evans. Ortiz continues to prove himself in the mixed martial arts world. Fans can expect to see much more coming from the inventor of ground and pound. Whether in the octagon or outside being a coach, Ortiz is here to stay.
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