Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Tito Ortiz’s submission win over Alberto Del Rio back in December has been officially reinstated as a victory after a temporary no contest, per a recent statement by Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) released to MMA Junkie.
Remember, Ortiz’s submission win over Del Rio in his Combate Americas debut was ruled a no contest by TDLR earlier in the week for undisclosed reasons “pending further investigation.” ESPN then released a report that Ortiz had failed an in-competition drug test for a unknown banned substance.
Ortiz, who has never been linked to performance-enhancing drugs in his entire MMA career, was obviously upset by the “BS claim.” The long-time MMA veteran now has some closure on the situation.
“A urine sample provided by Jacob ‘Tito’ Christopher Ortiz on Dec. 7, 2019, at the Combate Americas MMA event showed a potentially disqualifying substance that Ortiz claimed was prescribed by a physician,” read the statement released to MMA Junkie. “Pending the outcome of the TDLR inquiry into whether the substance was indeed prescribed by a physician, TDLR marked the fight results as ‘No Contest.’ TDLR confirmed with the physician that the item was prescribed to Ortiz. TDLR has reinstated Ortiz’s victory in the Dec. 7 bout.”
Crisis averted.
Ortiz, 45, inked an exclusive three-fight deal with Combate Americas in April of last year and made his promotional debut in his bout with Del Rio. It was the first fight for the former UFC light heavyweight champion since knocking out rival Chuck Liddell under the Golden Boy Promotions banner back in 2018.
The 22-year combat veteran currently has no bouts scheduled for 2020, but should be used as a main focal point for Combate Americas moving forward.