47-year-old Tito Ortiz calls for UFC return, retirement bout vs Shogun

At 47, Tito Ortiz is thinking about an MMA return for one final time. And he wants it in the UFC against a fellow OG veteran.

At 47 years old, Tito Ortiz is thinking about returning to MMA. And he doesn’t want it to be with just any other organization; he wants it in the UFC against a fellow veteran.

In a recent conversation with Helen Yee, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” spoke about possibly taking one final fight in the Octagon against 40-year-old Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

“It’s never over and I think I made that mistake with the UFC when I said I’ll never fight for the UFC ever again. And now I think about it, that’ll be an amazing last fight for myself and for Shogun Rua,” he said.

“Shogun has his last fight with the UFC, we’re in kind of the same era, so it would be nice to see a Tito Ortiz vs. Shogun. I would like that.

“I have a lot of respect for Shogun, I think he’s an amazing former champion, an amazing fighter. I watched his last fight. I thought he won the fight, but they ended up giving it to OSP. Let’s see what happens in the future.”

Ortiz, of course, has his long-standing contentious relationship with UFC president Dana White, and both men have been vocal about their dislike for each other. It would definitely be interesting to see how this one pans out.

Ortiz (21-12-1), who resigned from the Huntington Beach City Council in June 2021, last fought in 2019 against WWE talent Alberto Del Rio and won via submission. His last UFC appearance happened in 2012 at UFC 148 in a trilogy against Forrest Griffin. He lost via unanimous decision but won Fight of the Night honors.