In June 2021, former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz abruptly resigned from his position as Mayor Pro Tem of Huntington Beach, California—just six months after being sworn in. Ortiz, who ran on a “Make Huntington Beach Safe Again” platform, said he left due to what he described as relentless “character assassination” by the media and political opponents.
But while Ortiz’s resignation speech painted him as a target of hostility, the timeline of events shows a much messier picture—one involving pandemic relief filings, unemployment claims, and an anti-mask stunt that put his kids in the spotlight.
On June 1, 2021, Ortiz read from a prepared statement at a council meeting:
“I am resigning from my position as Mayor Pro Tem and City Councilman with the City of Huntington Beach, effective June 1, 2021. I ran for this position with hopes to better my community… To be so focused on character assassination each and every week with multiple news stories and leaked personal information, all in hopes to slander and defame my name… the attacks against me have now involved my family. I now feel their safety is in danger.”
Ortiz closed by thanking city staff and insisting that he “did the best I possibly could do” before stepping down.
From his own account, the resignation came down to three main points:
1. He Said People Were Mean to Him
Ortiz claimed he faced “hostility and judgment” from the moment he was sworn in, saying he thought the role would be bipartisan. In reality, Ortiz had campaigned as a polarizing figure, loudly voicing anti-mask, anti-lockdown, and pro-Trump views—positions almost guaranteed to bring backlash in California politics.
2. He Denied Allegations About Pandemic Relief and Unemployment Claims
Ortiz was repeatedly questioned over multiple Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and unemployment filings tied to his name. Some details include:
PPP Loan #1: $32,292 – addressed by Ortiz (link)
PPP Loan #2: $11,800 – unaddressed (link)
PPP Loan #3: $20,800 – unaddressed (link)
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Filing #1: Claimed as a self-employed contractor – addressed by Ortiz
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Filing #2: Listed the City of Huntington Beach as his employer – never addressed. NBC Los Angeles aired copies of the documents; Ortiz has never confirmed or denied their authenticity.
Ortiz has maintained that all his filings were “legal and legitimate,” but critics argue that his unwillingness to respond to specific documents raises questions.
3. He Claimed His Kids’ Safety Was at Risk After a Mask Protest Backfired
Just weeks before resigning, Ortiz and his partner, Amber (a former UFC Octagon Girl), attended “The Great Mask-Off,” an event hosted by the anti-mask group Informed Parents of California.
Another speaker, Peggy Hall, promoted “religious exemption” cards for mask mandates. The next day, Ortiz’s children were sent to school with the cards instead of masks. Predictably, school officials rejected the exemptions and sent them home.
Footage of the stunt spread across news outlets, identifying Ortiz’s children. Ortiz argued that the media coverage endangered them—though critics note that he knowingly made them part of a public political protest.
Tito Ortiz’s short-lived political career imploded under the weight of his own controversies. While he publicly framed his resignation as a matter of protecting his family from “media attacks,” the unresolved unemployment filing, unanswered PPP loan questions, and his own willingness to use his kids in an anti-mask stunt all made the scrutiny inevitable.
For a man who made a career competing inside a cage, the political arena proved to be a very different kind of match—one Ortiz ultimately walked away from.
Ortiz has since relocated to Florida where he opened up Tito’s bar and grill and is trying to cozy up to sitting president.
