UFC 132 is about the rebirth of a great fighter
Tito Ortiz has been a great fighter in his career, but ask anyone who knows him and they’ll tell you he’s been about a lot more recently than great fights. His very public relationship to adult film star Jenna Jameson was anything but pleasant. With legal issues and a rash of injuries, Tito Ortiz is back with one goal in mind: winning.
According to an interview he gave the Orlando Sentinel, he taken drama on the chin and is still standing.
25 Athletes Who Were Terrible Actors
Ortiz says:
Any attention I get, I want it to be positive reinforcement, no more than that. On my twitter @titoortiz, of course, I stopped talking about personal stuff. I no longer talk about that and no longer will talk about that stuff because I don’t think I should air out my dirty laundry ever and I made the mistake of doing that. Being alone and having no one to talk to, you fall into those mistakes. I’ve learned from those mistakes and I won’t let it happen again. Right now it’s strictly about my fight career.
It’s a little hokey to believe that a fighter as gifted as Ortiz can find inspiration from personal heartache, but it feels as if he’s got a sense of what is important.
His opponent at UFC 132 is Ryan Bader and there is no question that Ortiz will have plenty to deal with. Bader is a very vicious fighter, and years younger. Ortiz is 36, and in his twilight, so I’m not going to trust his ability to close out a quality fighter like Bader. The good news for Ortiz is that if he loses it won’t be because of injuries or outside distractions.
HE will have finally given himself a fair shot.