Dana White Not Sold on Tito Ortiz’s UFC Future
Tito Ortiz sent shock waves throughout the hearing-impaired community when he professed Matt Hamill would be easy to knockout at UFC 121 because of his soft head – a predisposed flaw he claims ALL deaf people must manage. If that’s the case, Ortiz’s dome must be just as spongy because he can’t hear what his Octagon career is trying to tell him.
After dropping a convincing unanimous decision loss to his former “The Ultimate Fighter 3″ pupil, plummeting his record to 0-4-1 over his last five contests, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” claimed his career was far from over.
“No way I’m done. I’m not even close to the end of my career. Besides my face being a little sore, I have no problems,” Ortiz confidently stated. “I’ve got to hop back on the horse, get back to a college and start wrestling again. The hunger is there. My heart hurts, but my mind stays strong. It’s a challenge.”
Their 15 minutes of fighting wasn’t the most thrilling action of the night. However, when there were opportunities it was Hamill that found a way to capitalize the most.
“I was a few steps behind. I made a few mistakes. I didn’t defend his takedowns the way I wanted to,” claimed the soon-to-be 36-year-old. “My future is back in the gym. I have to do the work. I want to prevail. It sucks having losses, but I’m the type of person to suck it up and continue.
“I still have a lot more in me. I’ve got to get back to wrestling. I’ll be back 100 percent.”
It’s been over four years since Ortiz last sniffed a win, and that came against an over-the-hill Ken Shamrock on free television. Although the injury bug hasn’t done him any favors in the latter stages of his career, it could be a by-product of the pounding his body has endured over his 13-year Hall of Fame journey.
“These last few years, I’ve been through a lot. A lot of people would have quit. I don’t quit,” said Ortiz. “I’m going to continue on fighting. I let down my fans, the UFC, [company president Dana White].”
Speaking of the only voice that matters …
“Tito didn’t look absolutely horrible, but he’s lost four out of five,” White expressed. “So I don’t know. We’ll see.”
Not exactly a ringing endorsement from the UFC’s head honcho.
