Issue 095

December 2012

He’d lost his UFC title and been exposed by ‘The Iceman.’ Yet the ‘Bad Boy’ was back, and returned to his road to the Hall of Fame

Tito Ortiz looked calm and relaxed as he marched to the cage at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, and yet he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Waiting for him inside the Octagon was Vitor Belfort. And, although there was two title bouts on this UFC 51 card, this was the only possible choice as the headline fight for Super Bowl weekend 2005.

The two bright young things had smashed their way to the top of the rankings, before both running into the same pair of giants. Chuck Liddell unleashed a huge right hand that dropped Belfort on the way to a decision win, whilst Randy Couture painted the canvas Jackson Pollock-style with the Brazilian’s blood. And for Tito, the experience had been even worse. Chuck stopped him in the second round. More painfully, Randy ripped his belt from him, taking time out to spank him like a naughty little boy. 

Since those successive setbacks, Tito had managed only a decision win over late replacement Patrick Cote and there were real doubts about whether a fighter who relied so heavily on confidence would ever get his mojo back. The stakes were high. With no foreseeable route back to a title shot for the runner-up, it was pretty much a ‘loser leaves town’ match.

In the first round, Belfort let his punches go, breaking Tito’s nose. Most pundits had predicted Belfort’s boxing would overwhelm Ortiz, but ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ absorbed his best shots and fired back. Tito ended the round on top, working ground ‘n’ pound as his busted nose leaked all over his fallen foe. 

The second was another thrill-packed round, again ending with Tito delivering nasty elbows, but Belfort clearly had the better of the earlier exchanges. This was going to the wire.

Yet Tito’s superior gas tank paid dividends in the third. Weeks of running up the mountains at his beloved Big Bear training headquarters enabled him to push the pace. He dictated the terms; taking Belfort down and forcing him to concentrate on self-preservation rather than mounting any significant counter attack. 

Soon the nod for Ortiz from the judges was as inevitable as the final bell. The old aggression was back, and he had stuck to his game plan perfectly. The man himself was in no doubt about the outcome and Ortiz left the Octagon and ran up through the crowd, waving his prized customized USA-Mexico flag. He even went all the way to the top of the arena, encouraging the already hyped up fans to turn things up a notch.

Dana White looked on, exasperated. And this was going to become a theme, as the erstwhile friends would be at loggerheads in public regularly, to the extent they were scheduled to settle their differences in a boxing ring within two years. Ever the smart businessman, Ortiz no-showed, reasoning that punching his boss in the face was not a smart career move.

For the UFC president’s part, the scene must have crystalized his thoughts. The Belfort fight was the last on Tito’s contract. He had been back to his best; the belligerent, relentless warrior who will plant you on your back if you stand in his way. And immediately afterwards, he had demonstrated the unique bond he had with the all-important folks who buy the tickets.

Eventually, Ortiz was prized away from his adoring public to receive the verdict of the judges: a split decision in his favor. Vitor Belfort would not be seen in the Octagon for another four and a half years.

 In contrast, the minutes immediately after the announcement cemented Tito’s position at the core of the UFC’s roster and laid the foundations for future events that would be crucial to the success of the promotion.

Liddell crashed the cage; disputing the decision and demanding another fight with Ortiz. Meanwhile, old foe Ken Shamrock also called for a rematch, yelling that Tito needed to man up and sign the contract. The target of his abuse responded in typical style: “I’m going to sign your name, b**ch!” Right there, you had the set-up for what turned out to be three of the biggest fights ever staged by the UFC.

In aftermath of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, Tito was a key figure in the process of converting casual viewers into MMA fans. His 2006 fight of the year with original TUF guy Forrest Griffin led onto two fights against Ken Shamrock, with the tension stoked by their stint as opposing coaches on season three of the reality show. Next came the showdown with Liddell. ‘The Iceman’s KO power and the charisma of Ortiz was a match made in box office heaven. 

UFC 66 smashed the record for gate receipts and broke the magic million barrier for pay-per-view buys. But none of that would ever have taken place, without that initial revival of Ortiz. Tito went into the Belfort bout with his career and legacy on the line. But his performance on February 5th 2005 confirmed his position as one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s biggest stars and paved the road straight through the gates of the UFC Hall of Fame.