SEATTLE — UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz has taken to Twitter in recent weeks to float the idea of a comeback.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion, who retired after his loss to Forrest Griffin last July, made a point of tweeting photos of his visit to Bellator’s corporate headquarters in Newport Beach, Calif.
Asked about Ortiz’s potential return, the boss with whom he frequently butted heads over the years, UFC president Dana White, was dismissive.
“Who gives a s—?” White asked reporters Saturday night. “Does anyone want to see Tito Ortiz in a superfight with who? I mean, Tito’s lost every fight that he’s had over the last three years or something. He won one fight in the last three years. Tito hung in there and made some more money. He was a guy who was around in the early days, and, you know, time for Tito to move on.”
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White, who said that he does not know offhand whether Ortiz is under any contractual obligations to the UFC, speculated on why Ortiz might want to return.
“Tito’s going to have to do whatever Tito’s gotta do,” White said. “Tito is the guy who back in the early days was like ‘I’m going to retire young from this sport and I’m going to become and actor, and my Punishment clothing line is going through the roof, and I’m not going to be that guy who hangs around in this sport too long’ … now Tito’s like, yeah, I want to come back. I haven’t won a fight in three years and I’m old and obviously Tito needs money. He needs money.”