Tito Ortiz will carry his iconic Mexican-American flag towards the Octagon for the final time on July 7 as part of the UFC 148 fight card.
Since his UFC debut 15 years ago, Ortiz has had one of the most (if not the most) tumultuous careers of any UFC fighter. He has been a part of feuds, contract disputes and still has one of the most loyal fanbases in the sport.
The problem is, the buzz surrounding his last fight appears to be non-existent.
Ortiz’s fight with Forrest Griffin is one of those fights that a fan will say, “Oh yeah, that’s right, I forgot he was fighting on the card.” The UFC has done very little by way of promoting UFC 148 as the final chapter in the trilogy between Ortiz and Griffin.
To be fair, any fight on the undercard of Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen is going to be a second or third thought for that night. That’s quite a statement considering how stacked the UFC 148 card is (on paper at least).
In addition to being on the undercard of a heavily anticipated main event, the lore of Ortiz as a dominant fighter has faded quite a bit. Aside from his win over Ryan Bader, in what many considered a fluke, Ortiz has not been victorious since 2006.
Over those six years, “The People’s Champ” is 1-6-1. Most other UFC fighters would have been cut from the promotion after a run like that.
Personally, I’ve long been a fan of Ortiz. Here’s hoping to him changing his name back to “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” and bringing an edge into the Octagon for one final show.
Who am I kidding? Chances are he will collapse due to a body shot, lose the fight and then tell Joe Rogan that he tore his ACL in training camp but had to go on and fight for his fans.
Thanks for the memories, Tito.
Joe Chacon is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a Staff Writer for Operation Sports.
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