“THE HUNTINGTON BEACH BAD BOY” ON THE UFC, THE VALUE OF CELEBRITY, AND THE CRITICS WHO HAVE TAKEN HIM TO TASK.

	Tito Ortiz (right) slams into Ken Shamrock with a furious right at UFC 40.
	His belt retained at UFC 40, Tito Ortiz gloats in his submission (via fatigue) victory over Ken Shamrock.
	Tito Ortiz (top) pounds on Evan Turner at UFC 30.
	Tito Ortiz at UFC 40, victorious over Ken Shamrock and proudly displaying his championship belt.
	Tito Ortiz checks out the scene at UFC 40 before his bout against Ken Shamrock.
	As the UFC has evolved in terms of exposure and budget, so has the pageantry and the financial stakes, as Tito Ortiz has come to find out.

NO FIGHTER OUTSIDE OF ROYCE GRACIE has had the impact on the mixed martial arts in the United States enjoyed by Tito Ortiz. As the UFC light-heavyweight champion from April 2000 to September 2003, the 28-year-old with the bleached-blond hair, Spartan work ethic and ferocious ground-and-pound technique has been the face of the “new” UFC in the Zuffa era. His victories over the likes of Vanderlei Silva and Ken Shamrock have proven that the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” has the stuff to back up the hype. FightSport checked in with Ortiz at his Big Bear training camp (where, at press time, he was preparing to face Randy Couture at UFC 44) for his thoughts on his past, present and future in the
sport.

FightSport: It’s 2003—the UFC’s 10th anniversary. What was Tito Ortiz doing in 1993?

Tito Ortiz: [In] 1993, Tito Ortiz was just graduating high school. I watched the Ultimate Fighting Championship and I was like, “These guys are crazy.” I just couldn’t believe the stuff they were doing inside the octagon. I was a huge fan of the movie Bloodsport and thought, Wow, it finally came to America. It kinda surprised me. I watched a smaller man choke out bigger men left and right, and that was Royce Gracie. He introduced jujutsu to the United States, and it was amazing. I didn’t understand some of the stuff he was doing, but it caught my eye really quickly.

FS: You made your UFC debut in 1997 against Wes Albritton. How were you initially approached to appear in the UFC?

Ortiz: I was a training partner of “Tank” Abbott. They [created] the weight class of lightweight, which was 199 pounds, and that was my weight class in wrestling. So there was the factor of, Hey, these guys are my size now. It was all about learning the techniques. I knew how to wrestle really well; I was still a little wet behind the ears when it came to boxing, but I learned a little bit through Tank (Abbott) and Jesse Reid. So when they came up with the weight class, I was like, I think I can do this. I want to try this. And I asked Tank if he thought he could get me into the UFC. He made a couple of calls and said, “I’ve got this young kid; he’s really, really tough. He’s a 199-pounder and I think he’ll do really well.”

My first chance was May 30, 1997, and I fought Wes Albritton. I was scared. I was really intimidated, and I wasn’t sure exactly what could happen. He was a second-degree black belt in karate, and I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought, What do I need to do to become the victor in my fight? Well, he was a stand-up fighter and I’m a ground fighter, so I used my wrestling to [the best of my] ability.

From then on, I was hooked. That fight lasted 22 seconds and I think it was the building of a star. I set my mind to it, tried to achieve as much as possible, and kept working and working.

FS: After that fight you went on a roll. When did you think that this could become something big?

Ortiz: I believed it could become something big because of what Royce Gracie brought it to, but I think it had to go through an evolution just like boxing did. Boxing took 100 years to get where the UFC has gone in the last 10 years. People are noticing that ultimate fighting is becoming a sweet science. It’s like a chess match in there. You’ve got to make sure your stand-up’s great; you’ve got to make sure the wrestling and jujutsu are really good; and, of course, there’s cardio and weightlifting. In my mind, I thought the sport was gonna be huge. It was going to be something new, and all the extreme sports were starting to come out. Look at snowboarding. Nobody knew what snowboarding was 10 years ago. This was a new combat sport coming out for the new millennium.

FS: Your fight with Frank Shamrock at UFC 22 is still considered one of the greatest fights in UFC history. When did you feel you were a part of something special?

Ortiz: It was right after the fight—just competing against a fivetime defending champion the way I did. I almost beat him, and I almost brought what it took to be the champion. I was completely hooked then. In my mind, losing to somebody was the worst thing that could ever happen. It was worse than the Guy Mezger loss; it was the worst loss I ever had. But I learned how to push myself to the limits, and I’ve got to thank Frank Shamrock. He helped me to become the champion I am today, because after losing to him I never wanted to lose again.

FS: Were you nervous being the one who had to sell the UFC’s return to pay-per-view—becoming the “face” of the UFC?

Ortiz: I was nervous as hell. I don’t think I could ever be any more nervous. It seemed like my first fight was my biggest fight, but now every time I compete to defend my belt, each fight is bigger than the [last one]. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger, but I think I’m taking it in stride. I don’t really think of it as being a huge fight or everything being on my shoulders. I just go out to entertain and compete. You want to give people what they paid for.

FS: Why do you think you were the one chosen to lead the UFC in this new era?

Ortiz: I guess people saw a lot in me the first time I competed and the first time they met me. I think I’m a lot different from everybody else because of the hard work and dedication I put into it and what I believe the whole game plan is behind fighting and being a champion. And that’s not just winning money or winning belts, it’s about being an inspiration in kids’ lives. When I leave fighting, I want to make sure people remember me for who I really am—and that’s not just as a fighter, but as a person who always gives back. I believe the kids are our future.

FS: Recently you took a hit media-wise for your contract negotiations with the UFC. What were you trying to accomplish, not only for yourself, but also for your fellow fighters?

Ortiz: What I was trying to accomplish was: What does it take to make Tito Ortiz wake up every morning to train the way I do? Of course, compensation, but also owning my likeness and image— that’s a million-dollar company alone. As this sport grows, I want to make sure I own that stuff. It just seemed that I was different from other fighters with everything I did. I was the first with fighter cards, I was the first fighter to have T-shirts and I made my own clothing line. I believe in marketing and pushing myself as much as possible, and I had my hands tied [in a lot of situations], so I had to make sure I freed a lot of that stuff up. I took a lot of hits from the media and they tried to shut Tito Ortiz down, but it wasn’t happening. I made sure I did other things. Getting into Hollywood is my main future now, and I’m going to use fighting as a vehicle to get into Hollywood. I’ve talked to a lot of producers in the last nine months, and they think I’ve got what it takes. Once again, it comes down to hard work and dedication. Presidents don’t become presidents overnight. It takes a lot of work and you’ve got to dedicate yourself to your job. I had to fight for what I believed in.

FS: What’s been the highlight of your time in the UFC so far?

Ortiz: It would have to be the Ken Shamrock fight. There were so many people saying how close the fight was gonna be, and that Ken was really tough and strong. They were just saying so much stuff and giving him so much credit that they didn’t realize how hard I worked and how good I had become. At UFC 40, people saw a whole different side of mixed martial arts. They said, “Man, you really dominated. You picked him apart.” If he wanted to be the champ, he had to earn it. That night he sure wasn’t going to be the champ, and he was not going to earn it because of all the work I put into it.

FS: What one fight would you like to have that you didn’t have already?

Ortiz: Chuck Liddell. Just because there are so many people out there talking smack, saying I’m afraid of him and I’m a coward. You know what, that’s all hype and people have got to stop believing in all that stuff. I’m a true champion and I’ve got to stand up for what I believe in, but the next person on my mind is Chuck Liddell. I’ve got to shut some people up—and I’ve got to shut him up and get that thought out of his mind that he could ever beat me, because he never can. That’s the fight I really want, and I want that fight more than Frank Shamrock because I’ve got a lot of people to shut up.
FS