Just hours before his final fight on Saturday, Tito Ortiz was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Ortiz was inducted at the UFC Fan Expo at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas by UFC president Dana White, with whom he has had a contentious history.
Ortiz (16-10-1 MMA, 15-10-1 UFC) becomes the eighth fighter inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining Mark Coleman, Randy Couture, Royce Gracie, Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell, Dan Severn and Ken Shamrock. TapouT co-founder Charles "Mask" Lewis is also in the UFC Hall of Fame.
Ortiz on Saturday fights Forrest Griffin (18-7 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the rubber match of their trilogy in the co-main event of UFC 148, which takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The event's main card, including Ortiz vs. Griffin, airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.
Ortiz said the physical dedication he put into the sport was worth it
"Over the years I've put into this sport, I gave my heart, I gave my soul, I gave my body," Ortiz said. "I've had ACL reconstructive surgery, I've had back surgery and fought a year after that. I had neck surgery and fought six months after that. I've had some major surgeries.
"People say, 'Tito, why are you retiring?' I'm retiring because it's time. It's time to walk away because I've done everything I can possibly do in this sport. My No. 1 goal was to be the greatest UFC fighter to ever grace the octagon. And I think I can hold hands with many fighters who have done that same job in this sport."
White, who brought Ortiz onto the main stage at the Fan Expo to give him his Hall of Fame trophy, reiterated what he's said in the past – that despite many differences with Ortiz, the company owes much of its growth to "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy."
"The story of what went on with Tito Ortiz is really part of the history that helped build this thing to what it is today," White said. "All the big fights (as the company was growing), Tito was involved."
Ortiz made his UFC debut in 1997 at UFC 13. At 22, Ortiz competed as an amateur to preserve his college wrestling eligibility. He went 1-1 in the night's tournament, earning a win over Wes Albritton in an alternate bout before replacing an injured Enson Inoue and losing by submission to Guy Mezger.
After one fight outside the UFC, Ortiz returned to the promotion in 1999 at UFC 18 and went on to win eight of his next nine fights, claiming the UFC light heavyweight title in the process. Ortiz defended the belt five times before surrendering it to Couture in 2003.
Ortiz later would put together five straight wins, beating Ken Shamrock twice, Griffin, Vitor Belfort and Patrick Cote. He got another shot at the belt – and former friend Liddell – at UFC 66 in December 2006. He fell short in that bid, but the $5.4 million gate is the largest live MMA gate in Nevada.
Ortiz's five defenses of the light heavyweight belt is a record for that championship. But beyond his accolades in the octagon, he publicly feuded with White over the years, becoming almost just as known for those verbal battles as his fighting ability. Ortiz twice was a coach on "The Ultimate Fighter" and currently holds the career record for most UFC bouts with 26. Ortiz's rivalries with Shamrock and Liddell were key story lines in the early days of the UFC, and his tiffs with White always were a constant source of tension and news.
But regardless, Ortiz remains one of the most prominent, popular and polarizing fighters in history, and now is the latest member of the UFC Hall of Fame.
Source: Tito Ortiz inducted into UFC Hall of Fame on afternoon of final fight at UFC 148
