UFC legend Tito Ortiz reflected on his career and spoke candidly about what fueled him. In tonight’s episode of Dark Side of the Cage, Ortiz reveals the reason for his brash persona.
VICE TV’s docuseries looks back at some of the sport’s most iconic legends, moments, and stories. Season two has not disappointed and tonight’s episode revisit ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’s career.
Ortiz was one of the UFC’s biggest stars, particularly during the ZUFFA era, when Dana White entered the fold. The former light heavyweight champion was involved in some of the promotion’s biggest rivalries with Ken Shamrock and Chuck Liddell.
Ortiz was also involved in a bitter feud with White, which famously spilled over into a press conference. ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ looked back on that period and explained his mindset at that time.
UFC Legend Tito Ortiz Reveals What Fueled Him in Latest ‘DSOTC’ Clip
UFC legend Tito Ortiz revealed that his upbringing played a pivotal role shaping his decisions during his career. Ortiz noted that he was unapologetic and driven to succeed.
‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’s antics were on full display during his heated rivalry with Ken Shamrock. After defeating Guy Mezger, one of Shamrock’s pupils at the Lion’s Den, he unveiled a t-shirt that added insult to injury.
“I just thought, ‘How can I dig at him even more?’ And I put that t-shirt on and it was iconic. Ken Shamrock lost his mind. I was a brash, cocky kid and I want people to love me or hate me, I really didn’t give a [expletive] about anything I said, anything I did. I was like the kid trying to prove myself,” Ortiz said in a clip from tonight’s episode of VICE TV’s Dark Side of the Cage.
“My biggest motivation was to win the world title. I’m going to be on top and they’re going to have a force to be reckoned with.”
Shamrock also appears in tonight’s episode and shares his side of the story. ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man’ noted that he was angry at Ortiz. However, he admitted that the former light heavyweight champion’s antics were effective.
“I jumped up in the cage, just started screaming and yelling. Pointing my finger in his face, [saying], ‘You know that’s disrespectful,’ Shamrock recalled during the preview clip. “I just thought that was so distasteful, but the fans loved it.”
Ortiz Clarifies Fight With Dana White
Ortiz also recalled getting into an altercation with Dana White. While they were in talks to compete in a boxing match, Ortiz revealed the two had already gotten somewhat physical with each other.
What began as lighthearted horseplay turned into a physical altercation.
“We were drinking and [White] said a couple of stupid things. And we used to do jiu-jitsu all the time, so I really neck cranked him and start squeezing,” Ortiz said during a preview clip for tonight’s Dark Side of the Cage episode.
An audio clip of White recounting what transpired plays along with B-roll footage reenacting the altercation as he described it. However, Ortiz refutes White’s claims and downplays the altercation.
“It wasn’t a fight. I went too far with Dana. He got really mad. We always played like that, we were really close friends,” Ortiz said.
UFC Legend Tito Ortiz Reveals What Fueled Him in Latest ‘DSOTC’ Clip