Tito Ortiz is the former UFC light heavyweight champion. He’s also somewhat of a meme.
He recently stirred controversy during an appearance on a Florida radio show. Known for his outspoken conservative views and support for former President Donald Trump, Ortiz has faced ups and downs since leaving the UFC over a decade ago.
Ortiz garnered attention after getting elected on the Huntington Beach city council. Additionally, he faced repercussions for falsifying unemployment documents in California, resulting in the loss of his position on the Huntington Beach city council.
Continuing his reputation as one of the most disliked guys in MMA history, Ortiz engaged in an unsettling incident during his radio show appearance.
As seen in the video clip, Ortiz placed one of the hosts in a strangle and refused to release it even after the host tapped, signaling his submission.
Tito Ortiz has a history of holding on to submissions longer than necessary, as evident in a previous bout with Chael Sonnen in Bellator. After, Ortiz admitted to holding on to a submission past the point of his opponent’s tap, citing ill will and personal grievances as reasons for his actions.
Rrespecting the tap in BJJ is a fundamental principle that promotes safety, sportsmanship, and the values of mutual respect and camaraderie within the martial art. It is an essential aspect of training and competing that every practitioner should embrace and uphold.
It will be interesting to see if there’s any backlash against Ortiz for his actions against the host.
Some years back, UFC veteran Tim Kennedy subdued Steve O upon his request – but then didn’t hang on to him and let his passed out body drop like a stone on the stage.
This was universally condemned by the BJJ and MMA communities at the time.