Tito Ortiz has confirmed he is done with politics.
In June, the former UFC light-heavyweight champion announced his resignation from his position as Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem.
The abrupt end to Ortiz’s short-lived political career has allowed him to get back to fighting. He’ll square off against Anderson Silva in a boxing match scheduled for September 11.
During the Triller press conference to announce his fight with ‘The Spider’, Ortiz explained why his political career is over.
“That part of my life ended,” Ortiz said “I got a taste of how dirty that stuff is and I just tried to help my city.
“At the end of the day, with what our country’s going through right now, people say don’t talk about politics but the future of my children is my No. 1 [priority]. That’s all I tried to do was help here in Huntington Beach and I couldn’t let it happen.”
Ortiz explained that the constant attacks on his character combined with the fact he only made $1,200 per month for the role led to his resignation.
“I got attacked non-stop, every single week, it was either in the news or the newspaper,” Ortiz said. “When they started attacking my character, assassinating my character, that’s when I knew I needed to walk away. I was making $1,200 a month to sit there and make decisions for the city.
“It wasn’t worth my time and I apologize for all the people who did vote for me. I had almost 45,000 people who voted for me, the most in Huntington Beach history but once again I’m an honest man trying to do an honest job and politics, you can’t be an honest man and do those things. Cause when you keep your word, other people don’t like that.”
Now that his political career is over, Ortiz is glad to get back to fighting.
“When you’re not a part of the agenda, you get cancelled out and is what it is. It’s behind me now,” Ortiz said. “Once again, I’m just thankful for Triller giving me this opportunity to let me showcase my skills as the athlete I truly am.” (Transcribed by MMA Fighting)
Do you think Tito Ortiz will ever get back into politics?