Tag: Tito Ortiz

Most Influential Figures in the UFC Today

Mixed martial arts has exploded into mainstream America over the past decade. This intricate evolution of the sport has been elevated to monumental peaks by the influence and workings of a few pivotal pieces. Showcasing a variety of combat sport d…

Mixed martial arts has exploded into mainstream America over the past decade. This intricate evolution of the sport has been elevated to monumental peaks by the influence and workings of a few pivotal pieces. 

Showcasing a variety of combat sport disciplines, including boxing, kickboxing, judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the sport’s largest promotion and is now synonymous with the term MMA.

Available to millions of fight fans worldwide, the UFC hosts spectacular fight venues in a multitude of countries including England, Germany, Japan, Australia, Dubai, Canada and the United States, just to name a few.

The growth of the sport has equated to a syndicated reality television show, The Ultimate Fighter, video games for Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo, fighters gracing the front covers of global magazines, including Sports Illustrated and Men’s Health, as well as multi-million-dollar agreements with network television including Versus, and most recently Fox.

This foundation for growth and subsequent explosion has been the result of the hard work, dedication, devotion, and commitment to the sport by many people.

Those who have sacrificed and given their all to the UFC can be proud of their efforts. These dedicated individuals have aided in the sport’s global presence.

Of these diligent individuals, five key people have served as the most influential figures in the UFC today.

Thank you to these five, as well as the thousands who have provided us fans with the endless hours of enjoyment and awe-striking moments.

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UFC Sponsor Spotlight: Dynamic Watch Brand RITMO MVNDO Supports Tito Ortiz

Sponsorships in the UFC make all the difference for a fighter when it comes to how he’ll live for the following months until his next trip to the Octagon.Dynamic watch brand Ritmo Mvndo, which is the official watch of the Indy Racing League, has decide…

Sponsorships in the UFC make all the difference for a fighter when it comes to how he’ll live for the following months until his next trip to the Octagon.

Dynamic watch brand Ritmo Mvndo, which is the official watch of the Indy Racing League, has decided to show their support and sponsor in the Octagon.

Ritmo was founded by Ali Soltani in Italy in 2002 and is headquartered on Rodeo Drive.

Ritmo recently sponsored “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (16-9-1 MMA, 15-9-1 UFC) for his impressive fight at UFC 132 where he defeated Ryan Bader by first round submission.

Quickly after that performance, Ortiz stepped in on short notice to face number one contender Rashad Evans at UFC 133 and Ritmo stepped up to support Ortiz.

Ritmo’s innovative designs and place in the watch industry make them highly respected.

Their trendy brand is a perfect fit and welcome addition to the fastest growing sport in the world.

Ortiz returns to action against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and he’ll do so with Ritmo’s support.

For additional information follow Joshua Carey on  Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Matt Hughes and 5 Fighters Who Should Retire

In the co-main event of UFC 135, Matt Hughes was knocked out by Josh Koscheck at the end of round 1. While basically everyone and their mother expected Hughes to lose his 54th professional fight, some fans held out hope that the former welterweigh…

In the co-main event of UFC 135, Matt Hughes was knocked out by Josh Koscheck at the end of round 1. 

While basically everyone and their mother expected Hughes to lose his 54th professional fight, some fans held out hope that the former welterweight king could at least be competitive.  

Despite no such luck, Hughes said in the post-fight interview that he would ask the UFC “to put me up on a shelf,” but he is not retiring.  

The next day, UFC president Dana White said that he was very confident that Matt Hughes would retire after his recent loss.  

Hughes, already a UFC Hall of Famer, need to call it quits after being knocked out in his past two fights, and losing four of his past seven. 

If Hughes decides otherwise, White may need to “Chuck Liddell” him into retirement, or convince him that the risk is not worth the reward after several devastating losses. 

Here are a few other fighters who could benefit from the Chuck Liddell treatment. 

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UFC 135 Results: Jon Jones Isn’t Just Great, He’s Already the Best Ever

The main event at UFC 135 proved that Jon Jones is for real. The 24-year old phenom annihilated former champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for three full rounds before finally submitting him in the fourth. The dominance he displayed was jus…

The main event at UFC 135 proved that Jon Jones is for real. The 24-year old phenom annihilated former champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for three full rounds before finally submitting him in the fourth.

The dominance he displayed was just the latest in what is becoming a long run of fights where Jones hasn’t even truly been tested. Early in his career, we all thought that it was just because he wasn’t fighting top competition—but now he’s doing it against some of the very best fighters in the world.

There’s no doubt that Jones is the top light heavyweight right now, but there’s also a very real case to be made that he is the best ever at 205 pounds.

In order to determine that, though, we have to take a look back at the other top light heavyweights in history. These five fighters have secured their place in history among the elite in their weight class and are in the conversation of being the best ever.

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UFC 135 Results: Will Jon Jones Surpass Tito Ortiz’ Title Reign?

Tito Ortiz, was, technically, the most dominant UFC light heavyweight champion in history.Frank Shamrock had four title defenses, Chuck Liddell had four, Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida each had one.Tito Ortiz had five. He is tied for the most consec…

Tito Ortiz, was, technically, the most dominant UFC light heavyweight champion in history.

Frank Shamrock had four title defenses, Chuck Liddell had four, Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida each had one.

Tito Ortiz had five. He is tied for the most consecutive title defenses in UFC history.

Ortiz also had three first round stoppages, and four stoppages total during that time.

Could Jon Jones tie, or even surpass Tito as the most dominant light heavyweight champion?

Yes, but difficult won’t come close to describing it.

Jones took the first step on Saturday night, by defeating Rampage Jackson via fourth round submission.

Next up is Rashad Evans, and should Jones defeat him, he will be the first man to successfully defend the light heavyweight title twice since 2005 and Chuck Liddell.

Getting through Rashad is easier said than done, but after him is likely to be the winner of Mauricio Rua and Dan Henderson. For argument’s sake lets say that it’s Henderson.

If he beats Henderson, it will be his third title defense. One more to tie him for second all time in the light heavyweight division.

Lyoto Machida is also likely in the mix, and could be in line after Hendo.

If he is able to defeat all four of them—five counting winning the title—he will have faced some of the stiffest competition in UFC history.

Who will have faced, and defeated, more dangerous competition consecutively?

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, a former UFC light heavyweight champion.

Rampage Jackson, a former UFC light heavyweight champion.

Rashad Evans, a former UFC light heavyweight champion.

Dan Henderson, a former Pride welterweight (183) and middleweight (205) champion, along with the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion.

Lyoto Machida, a former UFC light heavyweight champion.

If he defeats all of them, he’ll be one win away from tying Tito.

Aside from a rematch with one of the aforementioned fighters, likely candidates are Phil Davis, Gegard Mousasi, Muhammed Lawal, and Alexander Gustafsson.

If he gets through Rashad, Hendo and Machida, he is almost certain to pass Tito with the most consecutive defenses of the light heavyweight title.

Be sure to check out Bleacher Report for all things UFC 135. B/R is your home forMMA, from pre-fight predictions to in-fight coverage, and post-fight analysis…which you can check out at our event hub.

Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow me on twitter @tmt2393.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Strange Video of the Day: Tito Ortiz Asks Victor Ortiz Awkward Question at Post Fight Presser

(Video courtesy of YouTube/FightHype)

If you happened to catch the Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz post-fight press conference Saturday night, you may have done a double take when you heard Tito Ortiz take the mic and ask the challenger a question. Not sure if Tito pretended to be a journalist so he could score ringside seats to the fight or maybe he was forced to get a part-time job after taking a substantial pay cut for his last two fights, but judging by his work, maybe he shouldn’t quit his day job.

We all know that Tito is a linguistics expert and an expert on the anatomy of deaf people, but let’s just say that he makes us *other* reporters look good when he tries his hand at journalism. His was longer and more incoherent than the answer given by the guy who just got knocked out.

Check out the transcription of the awkward exchange after the jump.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/FightHype)

If you happened to catch the Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz post-fight press conference Saturday night, you may have done a double take when you heard Tito Ortiz take the mic and ask the challenger a question. Not sure if Tito pretended to be a journalist so he could score ringside seats to the fight or maybe he was forced to get a part-time job after taking a substantial pay cut for his last two fights, but judging by his work, maybe he shouldn’t quit his day job.

We all know that Tito is a linguistics expert and an expert on the anatomy of deaf people, but let’s just say that he makes us *other* reporters look good when he tries his hand at journalism. His was longer and more incoherent than the answer given by the guy who just got knocked out.

Here’s the awkward exchange between Ortiz and Ortiz:

Tito Ortiz: Victor, Tito Ortiz.

Victor Ortiz: What’s up, bro?

Tito Ortiz: What’s up, man. Hey, good fight.

Victor Ortiz: Thank you.

Tito Ortiz: What would you do next time, differently than for this fight? I saw little small mistakes with you backing up and not really throwing punches off it. I think you would have done better throwin’ better shots. What would you do for the next fight to showcase your skills a lot better?

Victor Ortiz: You know, every fight has its game plan. I was just listening to the corner, simply. Whatever they said, I was just executing little by little, you know? I’ll be fine.

Tito Ortiz: You did a great job, man. Decent job.

Victor Ortiz: Thank you, brother.

FYI Tito: a question like that would get you slapped where Nick Diaz is from.