Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz notched his first win in three years on Saturday by defeating Chael Sonnen via rear-naked choke at Bellator 170. It was a sweet victory for him, being his retirement fight after almost 20 years of active competition.
There had been a back-and-forth war of words between Ortiz and Sonnen during the lead-up of the fight, which turned more personal towards the end. He did promise some violence against Sonnen, but nonetheless, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” is content with how he finished the fight.
“I didn’t get the opportunity to beat him down, I didn’t get the opportunity to cut his face open as I wanted to. But, a win’s a win,” Ortiz told TMZ Sports. “I’ll take the win how I get it. I did get the opportunity to almost choke him unconscious.”
“McCarthy actually had to put his hands on me, it’s the first time he’s done that in a long time, but I did what I said I was gonna do. I said was gonna dominate and make Chael look like a fool, and I made him look like a fool.”
Many were throwing accusations about the fight possibly being fixed, especially with how it ended. Insulted by such claims, Ortiz issued a personal challenge to all his doubters.
“I want to extend this out to all the people who thought that that choke was fake that I put Chael Sonnen in. I welcome you down to my gym and let me put you in that choke and let me show you what it feels like. All you got to do is sign a release saying that ‘it’s OK for Tito to choke me’, and see if you can get out of this choke,” Ortiz said. “That’s an invite for every person who thought that that fight was fake.”