In a recent interview, UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz opened up about his long and often turbulent history with UFC CEO Dana White.
On the subject of mending fences, Ortiz revealed that he had already tried to take a step toward reconciliation, even reaching out to a high-profile mutual connection to help broker peace.
“I talked to Donald Trump probably about a month ago and I said maybe he can get me and Dana back together,” he said. “I know life’s too short to ha te you, buddy. I don’t dislike Dana. I know sometimes he says bad things about me, but at the end of the day, business is business. It’s behind us now. It’s time to improve in life and be a better person.”
When asked whether the proposed boxing match between White and promoter Eddie Hearn would actually take place, Ortiz expressed skepticism. He pointed to a previous conversation with former UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta that suggested there might be a serious physical limitation preventing White from competing.
“No, I don’t,” he said when asked if he believed the matchup would happen. “I remember when Jake Paul competed against Tyson, I called Lorenzo and I said, ‘Why don’t you put the Dana-me bout back on?’ He goes, ‘No, Dana can’t do it.’ And I was like, ‘Why?’ He goes, just some kind of serious things that he just can’t get back into shape like that for a compete. I’m not sure the details of it, but if he does compete against Eddie Hearn, I think he would not get here now.”
Despite doubting that the bout would materialize, Ortiz was quick to defend White’s toughness and boxing ability, drawing on their personal sparring history from years earlier.
“People got to understand Dana’s tough,” he said. “Dana’s a good boxer. I used to box with him when I was a world champion, and I just got to a point where I got too big for him. I started learning too much in such a quick amount of time that he just was like, ‘You’re too big for me to start boxing with anymore.’ That’s why we stopped sparring with each other.”
Ortiz also reflected on the matchup that was once scheduled between himself and White, framing it as a strategic business decision rather than a personal grudge.
“The match is supposed to happen between me and him,” he said. “It was strictly business. It was something that was a buildup for him and everybody got to see how tough Dana truly is. He’s behind us now, so I don’t got to worry about it.”
When asked if he would be willing to train White for a potential bout against Hearn, Ortiz responded without hesitation and even sounded enthusiastic about the idea.
“I’ll spiral,” he said. “That’d be cool. Get him ready for it. There you go, Dana. Here’s the opportunity.”
