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| Tito Ortiz at his HoF induction ceremony. Photo by MMAJunkie.com |
Tito was once the most polarizing person in MMA. From his
comical rivalry with Ken Shamrock to his confusing stand off with Dana, Tito
was always himself. He was always loudmouthed and was in your face when he
wanted to be, making him a love or hate figure in the sport.
He entered the sport in the UFC at the age of 21 in the year
of 1997. He made an immediate impression after dismantling Wes Albritton in 31
seconds, pairing him up with one of the UFC’s top guys at the time in
Guy Mezger, sparking one of the most well known rivalries in MMA history (aside
from him and Chuck) between him and the Lion’s Den. He would lose the fight by
guillotine but that wouldn’t stop him from defeating Jerry Bohlander to get
another crack at Mezger, defeating him in under ten minutes by TKO.
A 3-fight win streak gave him a crack at Frank Shamrock for
the light heavyweight belt. Tito Ortiz pushed Frank Shamrock like no one else
had in the UFC but eventually succumbed to strikes very late in the fourth
round. Due to his impressive performance before this stoppage, he received an
immediate title shot again after Frank retired. This was against Wanderlei
Silva. The dynamic Brazilian didn’t have the tools to defeat Ortiz and lost a
decision to the wrestler.
This was the beginning of the hall of fame chapter in Tito’s
life.
He ended up defending his title to Yuki Kondo, Evan Tanner
with a brutal slam in 20 seconds, Elvis Sinosic, Vladimir Matyushenko, and Ken
Shamrock. That was two and a half years of one of the most dominant champions
in UFC history and the most dominant champ in the UFC’s light heavyweight
division. He would end up losing his title to Randy Couture and losing again to
Chuck in their first chapter of their famous rivalry, but their isn’t much disappointment
in that.
He would rebound his career with wins over Patrick Cote,
Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin, and Ken Shamrock twice. Although his wins over
Forrest and Vitor are highly disputed, he still won those fights.
Although he only won one in his last nine fights, his early
career is anything short of spectacular and he is one of the few who deserves a
spot in the UFC’s hall-of-fame.
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