UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz asked to be removed from the Hall of Fame “list” after his quick submission win over Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 120 last week and, not surprisingly, his old boss isn’t amused.
UFC President Dana White was rather blunt when asked by MMA Fighting what he thought about Ortiz’s post-fight antics.
““Who gives a s— what Tito wants?” White said. “Does anybody really give a s— what Tito wants? … Good for Tito,” White said about Ortiz’s latest win. “Let him stay over in Viacom MMA and make some money and try and stay relevant. I don’t care what Tito wants … Everybody’s honored, and Tito was all pumped up the day he went in. He showed up with his white suit and his white shirt and his white tie.”
Ortiz was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame shortly before his last UFC bout, a close decision loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 148 in July 2012.
The former “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” rattled off six straight wins inside the Octagon between April 2000 and November 2002, setting the UFC record with five successful light heavyweight title defenses.
That record lasted for over a decade before current champion Jon “Bones” Jones defended his strap for a sixth time when he won a razor-thin decision over Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in September.
Ortiz and White have always had a tumultuous relationship, with the self-proclaimed “People’s Champion” wearing a t-shirt that said “Dana is my b—-” back at the UFC 84 weigh-ins in May 2008.
Just over a year prior to that incident, White and Ortiz were scheduled to square off in a boxing match, though it never came to a fruition after Ortiz was a no-show at the weigh-ins, per MMA Junkie.
Ortiz does not currently have a fight scheduled for Bellator, but recently stated he would like to win the light heavyweight title before retiring again, per Yahoo Sports.
What’s more likely at this point: Ortiz and White burying the hatchet or Ortiz sitting atop Bellator‘s light heavyweight throne?
John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com
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