Former UFC champion Tito Ortiz didn’t hold back when discussing California Governor Gavin Newsom during his appearance on the BE GREAT Podcast. He offered his a candid assessment of the state’s leadership and his decision to leave the Golden State.
When asked about Governor Newsom, Ortiz delivered a pointed critique: “Gavin Newsome is a person who’s being bought out and selling out the state and trying to confuse people. To me, it’s like looking at who is it from Batman? Two-face?”
The former Huntington Beach mayor continued: “That’s who it reminds me of because he says one thing and then he does another. It’s a money situation once again. He says one thing and he does another. But it’s being bought out. It’s selling out.”
The UFC Hall of Famer explained his decision to relocate from his hometown of Huntington Beach to Florida, where he had lived for 47 years. “It’s just it like makes me happy, but it bummed me out that I had to leave. But for what they’re doing in the schools there, they’re indoctrinating the kids. My children at the time, they were 13. I just couldn’t do that anymore. I literally had to get out.”
He added: “I couldn’t do what California was doing anymore as far as the taxes, as far as indoctrinating my kids in schools.”
Ortiz then discussed the personal cost of speaking his mind: “When I was in Huntington Beach, I come to realize how do you take over a country? Take over a country by making them weak. That’s where they’re easy to step on. And I got so much like negative reaction from people because I was speaking up.”
Ortiz revealed the consequences of his outspokenness: “All my social media on Instagram, you know, I had almost 500,000 followers. They took it away because I was speaking the truth.”
He expressed optimism about political changes in California: “In Huntington Beach, they’re actually fighting back because they are a chartered city where they’re able to make their own laws. And they’ve actually won a few huge cases there.”
Despite his criticisms, Ortiz maintained hope for his home state: “There’s a guy by the name of Michael Gates who’s running for city or general attorney of California, and there’s going to be a big change there. There’s a Sheriff Blanco that’s actually running for governor there. And I think there’s going to be some big changes.”
He concluded: “I think some people are going to actually going to wake up a little bit and seeing what Florida has done for the country right now of just being successful, you know, and giving people, you know, the freedom of what DeSantis has done.”
Throughout the interview, Ortiz emphasized his commitment to faith, family, and freedom, values he believes are essential for both Florida and the nation.
