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Former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on Saturday (July 7) during the MMA promotion's Fan Expo in Las Vegas.
The 37-year-old UFC legend was honored during an induction ceremony held at the Mandalay Bay.
The same evening, Ortiz faced off against Forrest Griffin at UFC 148, losing via unanimous decision. It was his 27th and final UFC appearance, in which he delivered a solid performance, scoring two knockdowns and finished strong, but ultimately fell short.
The light heavyweight bout co-headlined Saturday's UFC 148 event, which featuring a headlining fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen -- Silva won via TKO in round #2.
Ortiz becomes just the ninth person inducted into the UFC hall, joining fellow UFC ex-champions (heavyweight/light heavyweight) Randy Couture, (light heavyweight) Chuck Liddell and (welterweight) Matt Hughes. Fighters Mark Coleman, Royce Gracie, Dan Severn and Frank Shamrock, and former TapouT co-founder Charles Lewis also are members of the Hall of Fame.
"Some of the biggest fights when this thing was getting started -- the Tito-Ken (Shamrock), the Tito-Chuck (Liddell), Tito-Randy (Couture), all the big fights had one thing in common -- Tito was involved," said UFC president Dana White.
Ortiz began his MMA career in May 1997, finishing with a 16-11-1 career, during which he became in a fight with Wanderlei Silva in 2000. He held the Light Heavyweight belt for three-and-a-half years, one of the longest title reigns in UFC history.
Despite his success, Ortiz has been plagued by injuries throughout his illustrious career, undergoing a range of surgeries including prodecures for his ACL, his back, and knee.
Ortiz promised control his emotions during the induction ceremony, but could not keep his promise.
"People ask, 'Tito why are you retiring?' " a tearful Ortiz said. "I'm retiring because it's time.
"It's time to walk away because I have done everything that is possible to do in this sport. And I've everything that I've wanted to do."
The 37-year-old UFC legend was honored during an induction ceremony held at the Mandalay Bay.
The same evening, Ortiz faced off against Forrest Griffin at UFC 148, losing via unanimous decision. It was his 27th and final UFC appearance, in which he delivered a solid performance, scoring two knockdowns and finished strong, but ultimately fell short.
The light heavyweight bout co-headlined Saturday's UFC 148 event, which featuring a headlining fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen -- Silva won via TKO in round #2.
Ortiz becomes just the ninth person inducted into the UFC hall, joining fellow UFC ex-champions (heavyweight/light heavyweight) Randy Couture, (light heavyweight) Chuck Liddell and (welterweight) Matt Hughes. Fighters Mark Coleman, Royce Gracie, Dan Severn and Frank Shamrock, and former TapouT co-founder Charles Lewis also are members of the Hall of Fame.
"Some of the biggest fights when this thing was getting started -- the Tito-Ken (Shamrock), the Tito-Chuck (Liddell), Tito-Randy (Couture), all the big fights had one thing in common -- Tito was involved," said UFC president Dana White.
Ortiz began his MMA career in May 1997, finishing with a 16-11-1 career, during which he became in a fight with Wanderlei Silva in 2000. He held the Light Heavyweight belt for three-and-a-half years, one of the longest title reigns in UFC history.
Despite his success, Ortiz has been plagued by injuries throughout his illustrious career, undergoing a range of surgeries including prodecures for his ACL, his back, and knee.
Ortiz promised control his emotions during the induction ceremony, but could not keep his promise.
"People ask, 'Tito why are you retiring?' " a tearful Ortiz said. "I'm retiring because it's time.
"It's time to walk away because I have done everything that is possible to do in this sport. And I've everything that I've wanted to do."
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