These last five years have not been too kind to Tito Ortiz. He hasn’t scored a victory since defeating Ken Shamrock in 2006 and has gone 0-4-1 since then.
It’s safe to say that Ortiz is fighting on borrowed time. Heading into his bout versus Ryan Bader at UFC 132, Ortiz understands his role and accepts the consequences that will follow should he suffer another loss, but his mindset remains the same.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, Ortiz said he is confident and excited to compete again. Despite what critics and fans may think, Ortiz knows his career is at stake, but he doesn’t intend on retiring anytime soon.
“Dana (White) said it, if I don’t win he’s gonna retire me,” Ortiz said.
Not the one to hold back on his true feelings, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” said he still has what it takes to compete against the elite fighters in the UFC light heavyweight division. And one of those fighters is his opponent, Bader, who Ortiz feels he can beat and remain relevant in the UFC.
“Ryan Bader is a top-tier guy and I’m going to compete against him, and when I get my hand raised, I’m going to show everyone I’m still here as a force to be reckoned with,” he said.
UFC 132 is live this weekend from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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