Tito Ortiz: I’m the Last of the Mohicans

from espn.go.com/


I turned 36 years old in January, and training is a little harder than it used to be. I’ve been doing this for more than 14 years now, and almost from my very first fight, I’ve been doing this at the elite level. Check my record ... you won’t find any "gimmie" opponents anywhere on it, from my 1997 debut all the way up to my July 2 fight with top-5 contender Ryan Bader at UFC 132 in Las Vegas. I’ve fought the best of two or three eras: Guy Mezger, Evan Tanner, Wanderlei Silva, Ken Shamrock, Vladimir Matyushenko, Vitor Belfort -- all the way through Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, to the guys who are at the very top right now like Rashad Evans and Forrest Griffin. I’ve been at the very top and I stayed at the top for a lot longer than anyone before or since.

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I lost my UFC 205-pound belt in 2003; I last won a fight in 2006. These are facts. You can look them up; they are there in black and white. So you’ll see a lot of talk on the Internet and lots of articles that I am shot. Finished. That “Tito Ortiz is done."


Yeah, it sucks that I’ve not had my hand raised since 2006. I hate it. I can’t tell you how much I hate it and how bad it sucks. I’m used to winning. I'm used to dominating, walking through guys and feeling indestructible like I did when I was champion. To go this long without a win, when you are a winner who fought for everything he has in life -- it’s horrible.

But people need to look at the big details to know what’s been happening in these fights. I’ll never be someone who accepts second place -- never -- but, honestly, I feel I have won some of these fights.

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After Chuck Liddell beat me in December 2006, I took on Rashad Evans, who went on to be a world champion and has lost only once since. And I beat him. It was only a "draw" because I got a point taken off for the one, single time when I grabbed the fence. It was a draw, but I was the better fighter in the cage. I won.

Then I fought Lyoto Machida, a great fighter who also went on to win the world title. I almost caught him in a triangle and tapped him out. He admitted he thought he was going to pass out. I lost and it sucked, but I was competitive.

Next was a rematch with Forrest Griffin, whom I beat earlier in our careers. I didn’t get the decision this time, but a lot of people felt I won two rounds to one. Again, I was more than competitive with a top-5 guy.

My last fight, against Matt Hamill in October, I lost. It was totally my bad; I didn’t prepare for his takedowns because I didn’t think he’d be able to take me down. Real dumb, my bad, and I am still pissed at myself.

But, again, I am not getting dominated. I’m not getting knocked out like Liddell was late in his career. I am still competitive with the very best guys in the division and haven’t taken a step down in competition since the day I lost my belt in 2003.


Those guys writing me off need to look at the big details of these performances …

for the rest:
http://espn.go.com/blog/mma/post?id=2576

I completely agree with Tito. He has and will always be my favorite fighter. I felt he won the second Forrest fight too and the point taken away from his against Rashad was BS. Thats when Dana was trying to make Tito look like a dick and had Mccarythy f%*& with him for any little thing. Tito isn't as dominant as he once was but he's still not washed up either. Ill be a Tito fan forever.