Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Tito Ortiz has taken the high road and issued an apology to UFC champions Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier following his comments earlier this week.
In case you missed Ortiz’s ridiculous claim, he said he’d do better than the “shorter” Cormier in a matchup with Jones and actually defeat the UFC light heavyweight king with an 18-week fight camp. Ortiz was asked the question first by a reporter, but his answer still rubbed the MMA community the wrong way. After all, Ortiz is 44 years of age and likely 10 years past his prime.
After catching wind of Ortiz’s comments, Cormier reacted in hilarious fashion on Twitter. The reigning UFC heavyweight champion, who has lost to Jones twice before at 205 pounds, didn’t need to say much to get his point across.
No! Lmao https://t.co/rdQVX0T8jM
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) July 17, 2019
“No! Lmao,” wrote Cormier earlier this week.
Now, after receiving much backlash for his comments, Ortiz is digging deep and issuing an apology to Jones and “DC.” It is unlike “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” as he remains one of the most prideful names in the sport, but Ortiz is doing the right thing in taking a step back.
Here is what he had to say in a recent Instagram video submission:
“This message goes out to Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier,” said Ortiz. “I did an interview earlier this week and the reporter asked, ‘How would I do against Jon Jones in my prime?’ And my response was in a negative and disrespectful manner to both fighters.
“Jon Jones, you’re one of the greatest light heavyweight champions to ever grace the Octagon. Daniel Cormier, you’re one of the greatest light heavyweights and the greatest heavyweight champion to ever grace the Octagon. I respect both of you guys tremendously and for the first time in my career, I was in the wrong in this interview. So I hope you guys can take my apology because I respect both you guys like no other in and out of the cage.”
It’s probably best that Ortiz got this off his chest as he prepares for a MMA clash with former WWE champion Alberto Del Rio at Combate Americas this fall.