Back in July, before UFC 132, the “People’s Champ,” Tito Ortiz, was going into what could have been the final fight of his career against heavy-handed Ryan Bader.
Ortiz had gone 0-4-1 in his last five fights and had not won a fight since he defeated Ken Shamrock back in 2006.
It was clear that Ortiz was past his prime, and it looked as if he would be forced to retire if he could not defeat Bader.
The former light heavyweight champion shocked the world with an upset victory over Bader that brought his career back from the dead.
It wouldn’t be long before Ortiz fought again, as he stepped in for an injured Phil Davis to face Rashad Evans.
Although Ortiz would go on to lose that fight, he looked good against Evans and almost pulled off another upset.
Ortiz has shown not only UFC president Dana White, but also the rest of the world that he will keep fighting with his back against the wall and will go out on his own terms.
Going into this weekend’s fight against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Ortiz has revealed to ESPN.com that he will fight two more times in the UFC, before he hangs up his gloves for good.
“Maybe it’s time. I don’t know,” Ortiz said. “I guess when I leave on my own terms—and I look at it as, when I don’t have fun coming in the gym anymore, sparring and pushing myself and running every day, maybe it is time. I’m not overstaying my welcome.
“My goal in my whole career was to do 15 years in MMA. May 30 will be my 15th year of fighting in the UFC and in MMA, in general. This’ll be fight No. 26 for me, I think. So I’ll have 27 and walk away. I think I’ve done good.”
Ortiz went on to say that he may continue his career if he can stay healthy, as well as agree with the UFC on the proper finances.
The 36-year-old has had several surgeries over his long career and stated that he did not want to jeopardize his future with his children to continue fighting.
“Is it worth it not being able to run with my kids or wrestle with my kids or throw a football with my kids when they get older? A million dollars ain’t worth it.”
Regardless of how many fights he has left in him, there is a guaranteed spot in the UFC Hall of Fame for Tito Ortiz.
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