“Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) endured a three-hour surgery in Las Vegas Monday, 6 October to relieve pain in his lower back.
“My doctor was impressed with my quick recovery; and, an hour after surgery, I was on my feet and walking to the car,” Ortiz said today.
The surgery was similar to the procedure “Rock” Nathan Quarry (10-2) received in June 2006. Quarry recovered from his surgery and returned to fight in 15 months, going 2-0 since his return.
Ortiz is focused on a quick recovery.
“I will be back in the cage with a renewed outlook on fighting. I am a new Tito Ortiz. One with a bright fight future. One ready to power through the light heavyweight class and get the belt around my waist again. Mark my words. The best is yet to come.”
Since losing his final fight on his latest UFC contract by unanimous decision to Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked light heavyweight “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (13-0) in Las Vegas 24 May, Oritz has appeared at Affliction’s 19 July event in Anaheim, east of Los Angeles, and Saturday’s EliteXC event in Sunrise, north of Miami.
He has reportedly received contract offers from both promotions, but has recently mentioned the possibility of returning to the UFC.
Saturday at EliteXC in Sunrise, Ortiz commented that he was “maybe a week away from signing the deal [with EliteXC].”
But, subtle clues in Ortiz’s post-surgery statement hint at his mindset.
Affliction uses a ring, not a cage.
Neither Affliction, nor EliteXC currently have a light heavyweight belt, though EliteXC may offer a title at 205 when “Feijao” Rafael Cavalcante (7-1) and “Snake” Cyrille Diabate (12-6-1) fight in Reno 8 November.
Still, no one confuses EliteXC’s belt with “the belt”, the UFC’s belt that Ortiz previously held.
Though, Ortiz took the event of his surgery to criticize the UFC.
Ortiz claimed, “The kicker to this whole story is that the UFC denied my claim for coverage of my debilitating back injury oviously acquired in the Octagon. This was the last kick in the gut made by the UFC. After all of the battling and allegiance I pledged to them, they now have stooped so low as to not give me the medical care I so desperately needed. I am not surprised at their last effort to hurt me, so I took it upon myself to get my surgery in hopes that my fight career will jump back on track and I will be back to the explosive monster I always have been.”
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Comments
Enough about the lower back injury…is Jenna’s health coverage covering the Ghonnoreahsyphilaids?
I’d like to see him back in the UFC. He was a face of the UFC. Seeing him fight somewhere else is like seeing Patrick Ewing in Orlando or Robert Parish in a Bulls uniform.
It’s just weird. If he regains his explosiveness, he has a shot at reclaiming some of his prime form.He still could fight for a few years at the elite level if he stays injury free.
Regardless of what you think of him, he’s contributed alot to the exposure of the sport. He’s been in some wars and deserves respect for that.
Tito will NEVER fight in the UFC again. After bitter court cases over contracts, Dana White wants nothing to do him any more. Dana would never give him another chance to fight in the UFC and bash its ownership again. Tito is stuck up and needs to realize what made him famous….or infamous.
Ortiz never crossed the line at the UFC. He just made a nuissance of himself. If White feels like he can make money with Ortiz, he’ll put up with the nuissance again. It’s the fight business.