Ortiz (photo) wants to retire soon. Photo: Disclosure/Bellator
During the first decade of MMA as a sport, when the name of the sport had not even established itself, two stars monopolized the attention in the Octagon: Royce gracie, champion of the first editions of the UFC, and Tito Ortiz, star and champion of the initial period with unified rules. Assuring that his next fight under his Bellator contract will be the last of his career, Ortiz hopes he can face Royce before hanging up his gloves.
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“I only have one more fight left on my contract, and it will mark my farewell as a fighter. I used to say that I would be retired and out of the fight business by the age of 40, 19 years of career is enough for me. And it has to be like this, we are going to put on a great fight. I want to face one of the biggest names in MMA history. Royce gracie It's here, it's active. He just knocked out Ken Shamrock in quick fashion. I think it will be a fun fight. I was submitted by Liam McGeary, who is a jiu-jitsu black belt and Royce is a black belt too. Can he finish me? That's the question. We are two pioneers of the sport, two legends. I think our names will sell this fight well. Why not give the fans something really exciting?” said Ortiz, to the North American website MMA Fighting.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion, Tito Ortiz He is 41 years old and has a professional record of 18 wins, 12 losses and one draw. After winning his first two fights in Bellator, against Alexander Shlemenko and Stephen Bonnar, the “Bad Boy from Huntington Beach” was defeated by Liam McGeary in the light heavyweight title fight in his most recent appearance in the cage Circular. Already Royce gracie, 49 years old, has a record of 15 wins, two losses and three draws in MMA. The champion of three of the first four editions of the UFC made his Bellator debut in February and, as a bonus, achieved his first knockout victory in his career, closing the trilogy with a triumph against Ken Shamrock.
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