Tito Ortiz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tito Ortiz
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Ortiz in 2008
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| Mayor pro tempore of Huntington Beach, California |
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| In office December 7, 2020 – June 1, 2021 |
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| Member of the Huntington Beach City Council | ||||||||||||||
| In office December 7, 2020 – June 1, 2021 |
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| Personal details | ||||||||||||||
| Born |
Jacob Christopher Ortiz
January 23, 1975 Huntington Beach, California, U.S. |
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| Political party | Republican | |||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Kristin
(m. 2000–2005)Amber Nicole Ortiz
(m. 2022) |
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| Domestic partners | Jenna Jameson (2006–2013) |
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| Children | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Occupation | Mixed martial artist | |||||||||||||
| Other names | The Huntington Beach Bad Boy | |||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | |||||||||||||
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Division | Light Heavyweight (1997–2018) Heavyweight (2019) |
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| Reach | 74 in (188 cm) | |||||||||||||
| Fighting out of | Huntington Beach, California | |||||||||||||
| Team | Team Punishment RVCA Training Center |
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| Years active | 1997–2012, 2014–2017, 2018–2019 (MMA) 2021 (Boxing) |
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| Professional boxing record | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Losses | 1 | |||||||||||||
| By knockout | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 34 | |||||||||||||
| Wins | 21 | |||||||||||||
| By knockout | 10 | |||||||||||||
| By submission | 5 | |||||||||||||
| By decision | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Losses | 12 | |||||||||||||
| By knockout | 5 | |||||||||||||
| By submission | 2 | |||||||||||||
| By decision | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Draws | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||
| University | California State University, Bakersfield | |||||||||||||
| Notable club(s) | Punishment Training Center | |||||||||||||
| Notable school(s) | Huntington Beach High School | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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last updated on: September 15, 2011
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Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz (born January 23, 1975) is a famous American mixed martial artist who is now retired. He is best known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). There, he was the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion for over three years. He was one of the first big stars in the sport.
Ortiz was also a politician for a short time. He was the Mayor pro tempore (a temporary mayor) of Huntington Beach, California. He also owns a company called Punishment Athletics, which makes MMA gear and clothing.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Tito Ortiz is of Mexican descent. When he was 19, he met a wrestling coach named Paul Herrera. Herrera encouraged Ortiz to go to Golden West College. There, Ortiz became a California junior college state champion in wrestling for two years. He then went to California State University, Bakersfield and continued wrestling.
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Starting in the UFC
Ortiz began his professional mixed martial arts career at UFC 13 in 1997. He was still in college and fought as an amateur. He won his first fight. Later, he lost a fight to Guy Mezger by a guillotine choke (a type of hold).
After that, Ortiz won a few more fights. He beat Jerry Bohlander and then got revenge on Guy Mezger by winning their rematch. These wins led to a big rivalry with Ken Shamrock, another famous fighter.
Ortiz has said that UFC Heavyweight Champion Bas Rutten inspired him a lot when he was starting out.
Becoming a Champion
In 1999, Ortiz fought Frank Shamrock for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Even though Ortiz controlled most of the fight, he lost. After Shamrock retired, the championship became open. Ortiz then fought Wanderlei Silva and won the vacant Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 25 in 2000.
Ortiz defended his title five times over the next three years. This was a record at the time! He beat fighters like Yuki Kondo, Evan Tanner, Elvis Sinosic, Vladimir Matyushenko, and his rival Ken Shamrock.
Challenges and Comebacks
In 2003, Ortiz lost his title to Randy Couture at UFC 44. This ended his long championship reign. He then lost to Chuck Liddell at UFC 47. After these losses, Ortiz took some time off from the UFC.
He returned to the UFC in 2005. He became a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 3, a reality TV show, along with Ken Shamrock. Ortiz fought Forrest Griffin at UFC 59 and won. He then fought Ken Shamrock two more times, winning both matches.
In 2006, Ortiz had a rematch with Chuck Liddell for the Light Heavyweight championship but lost. He then fought Rashad Evans in 2007, and their fight ended in a draw. His last fight in his first UFC contract was a loss to Lyoto Machida in 2008.
Returning to the UFC (Again)
After leaving the UFC, Ortiz had back surgery. He later made up with UFC president Dana White and signed a new deal to return. He fought Forrest Griffin again at UFC 106 in 2009, losing a close fight.
Ortiz continued to fight in the UFC. In 2011, he had a big win against Ryan Bader at UFC 132, winning by guillotine choke. This win saved his UFC career at the time. He then lost to Rashad Evans and Antônio Rogério Nogueira.
Ortiz announced he would retire after his next fight, which was against Forrest Griffin for a third time at UFC 148 in 2012. Before this fight, Ortiz was honored by being put into the UFC Hall of Fame. He lost his final UFC fight to Griffin.
Fighting in Bellator and Beyond
After a short retirement, Ortiz decided to fight again in another organization called Bellator MMA. He won his first fight there against Alexander Shlemenko in 2014. He also beat Stephan Bonnar and Chael Sonnen in Bellator.
In 2018, Ortiz came out of retirement again to fight his old rival Chuck Liddell for a third time. Ortiz won this fight by knockout in the first round. He later signed with Combate Americas and won his debut fight there in 2019.
Professional Wrestling
Tito Ortiz also made appearances in professional wrestling. In 2005, he was a special guest referee for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He helped decide the winner of championship matches.
He returned to TNA in 2013 and joined a group called Aces & Eights. However, he left TNA soon after because of his fighting commitments with Bellator MMA.
Boxing Career
Ortiz tried professional boxing in 2021. He fought against former UFC champion Anderson Silva but lost by knockout in the first round.
Acting and Appearances
Tito Ortiz has appeared in several movies and TV shows. He had small roles in films like Cradle 2 the Grave and The Crow: Wicked Prayer. He also appeared in Boo 2! A Madea Halloween.
On TV, he was on shows like MADtv and Hell's Kitchen. He also played an MMA fighter in an episode of CSI: NY. He was even a playable character in the video game Razor Freestyle Scooter.
Huntington Beach City Council (2020–2021)
Election and Role
In 2020, Tito Ortiz ran for a seat on the city council in his hometown of Huntington Beach. He won the election and was sworn in as Mayor Pro Tempore (a temporary mayor) on December 7, 2020.
Time in Office
During his time on the city council, Ortiz led a protest against COVID-19 rules in November 2020. He resigned from the city council on June 1, 2021, after less than six months.
Political Views
Ortiz has supported former President Donald Trump. His campaign slogan for the city council election was "Make Huntington Beach Safe Again." He has shared his doubts about COVID-19 and has supported law enforcement and the Second Amendment (the right to bear arms).
Personal Life
Ortiz has three children. He was married to his first wife, Kristin, for five years. He later had twin sons with his partner, Jenna Jameson. In 2014, Ortiz started dating model Amber Nichole Miller.
Ortiz also enjoys playing poker as a hobby. He has competed in some poker tournaments.
Achievements and Awards
Mixed Martial Arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Hall of Fame (Class of 2012)
- UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)
- He successfully defended his title five times.
- He received "Fight of the Night" awards four times.
- He received "Knockout of the Night" and "Submission of the Night" awards once each.
Submission Grappling
- Abu Dhabi Combat Club
- He won a bronze medal in the 2000 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships.
Amateur Wrestling
- California Community College Athletic Association
- He was a state champion and All-American in 1995 and 1996.
Images for kids
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Ortiz in 2008
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Ortiz in June 2008
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Ortiz with girlfriend Amber Nichole Miller and two of his sons in November 2014
