Former UFC light heavyweight champion, Tito ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ Ortiz has labelled UFC colour-commentator, podcaster, and comedian, Joe Rogan a “quitter” amid the latter’s decision to move to Texas from California.
Ortiz, a UFC Hall of Famer last competed professionally in mixed martial arts in December of last year against Alberto El Patrón at Combate Americas 51, where he secured his third-consecutive victory with an opening-round rear-naked choke win.
The 45-year-old Huntington Beach-born veteran is currently running for the city council of his native city, where he commented on the citizen’s needs to help protect the area, before lambasting Rogan for packing up and leaving California following his recent deal to move his podcast to streaming service, Spotify – in a deal which is reported to have netted him upwards of a cool $100 million.
“It’s important that we protect this city, because this city is powerful to me and I’m not leaving,” Ortiz said to a crowd during a speech. “You know Joe Rogan and a bunch of other Hollywood guys, they left. You know what? I can’t say the word because my children are here, but they’re quitters. I refuse to be a quitter.
Rogan was recently forced to halt production of his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, after his producer, Jamie Vernon had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The longtime UFC commentator detailed why he chose to relocate to Texas following an extended stay in California, pointing to the fact that the state is starting to become rather over-populated.
“When you look at the traffic, when you look at the economic despair, when you look at the homelessness problem that’s accelerated radically over the last six, seven, ten years, I think there’s too many people here,” Rogan explained. “I think it’s not tenable, I don’t think that it’s manageable.” (H/T BJPenn.com)
Ortiz, who’s been an avid supporter of incumbent United States president, Donald Trump ahead of his bid to win a second term in office opposite Democratic party nominee, Joe Biden – claimed the undisputed light heavyweight championship at UFC 25 in April of 2000, taking a unanimous decision victory over the decorated, Wanderlei Silva.
The Californian would go on to score five straight successful title defences, with wins over Yuki Kondo, Evan Tanner, Elvis Sinosic, Vladimir Matyushenko, and Ken Shamrock.