Tito Ortiz Fined $2,500 for Acting Like a Jackass After Bellator 131 Win Against Stephan Bonnar


(Photo via Elias Rodriguez)

As if the fight itself wasn’t enough of a downer following the otherwise-fantastic Bellator 131 main card, Tito Ortiz ended his match with Stephan Bonnar by throwing double middle fingers behind his back, then spraying water at Bonnar’s prone body and giving him more middle fingers when the decision was read.

On some level, we respect Ortiz for not breaking kayfabe; most other MMA fighters would have hugged it out with Bonnar afterwards, then told the crowd that all the animosity and harsh words were just to promote the fight. Ugh. But the California State Athletic Commission did not appreciate Ortiz’s realness, and fined him $2,500 for his antics.

That $2,500 hit represents less than 1% of Ortiz’s reported $300,000 salary from the fight, so don’t shed any tears for the Huntington Beach Bad Boy. Bonnar’s reported salary was $100,000, according to figures released by the CSAC. You can see the rest of the Bellator 131 salaries here — though they list Melvin Manhoef and King Mo as making just $10,000 from their fights, so take those numbers with a grain of salt.


(Photo via Elias Rodriguez)

As if the fight itself wasn’t enough of a downer following the otherwise-fantastic Bellator 131 main card, Tito Ortiz ended his match with Stephan Bonnar by throwing double middle fingers behind his back, then spraying water at Bonnar’s prone body and giving him more middle fingers when the decision was read.

On some level, we respect Ortiz for not breaking kayfabe; most other MMA fighters would have hugged it out with Bonnar afterwards, then told the crowd that all the animosity and harsh words were just to promote the fight. Ugh. But the California State Athletic Commission did not appreciate Ortiz’s realness, and fined him $2,500 for his antics.

That $2,500 hit represents less than 1% of Ortiz’s reported $300,000 salary from the fight, so don’t shed any tears for the Huntington Beach Bad Boy. Bonnar’s reported salary was $100,000, according to figures released by the CSAC. You can see the rest of the Bellator 131 salaries here — though they list Melvin Manhoef and King Mo as making just $10,000 from their fights, so take those numbers with a grain of salt.