For one night at least, the clock turned back for Tito Ortiz.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion tore down the house at Bellator 120 with a quick submission victory over Bellator middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko in Ortiz’s first bout in nearly two years. Referee John McCarthy waved off the fight at 2:27 of the first round.
After the bout, a fired-up Ortiz (17-11-1) took on his detractors.
“People who counted me out, people who told me to get out of this sport, no. Bulls—,” Ortiz said. “I’m here for a long time.”
In the fight’s early moments, Shelmenko, who weighed in at 201 and looked tiny compared to Ortiz, managed to parry Ortiz’s takdown attempts. But Ortiz finally managed to overpower Shlemenko before working his way into an arm-triangle choke. Shlemenko went out rather than tap and the crowd at the Landers Center in suburban Memphis gave him a huge ovation.
The victory was Ortiz’s first since his 2011 upset of Ryan Bader. In his postfight interview, Ortiz took aim at his former employers.
“UFC, take me off your list,” Ortiz said. “Take me off your Hall of Fame, each and everyone one of these people will remember this the rest of their MMA life.”