Tito Ortiz: Defining a Legacy

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As Tito Ortiz approaches the twilight of his career, mixed marital arts has transformed itself from a backwater niche attraction into a mainstream phenomenon. A multiplicity of factors has contributed to the sport’s explosion in recent years, but Ortiz’s legacy in helping it grow should not be overlooked.

With a record of 0-4-1 in his last five outings, Ortiz faces Ryan Bader at UFC 132 on Saturday in Las Vegas in dire need of a win. If beaten again, he likely will be released from the organization. If he pulls an upset over Bader, it injects life into a stalled career and could secure his future with the organization for a few more fights. Either way, life will go on for both Ortiz and the UFC.

Regardless of what happens, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” contributed to the archetype of the modern mixed martial artist in many ways, going beyond the basic template of mere fighter and creating the fighter-as-brand.

That revamped template is something many fighters employ today, creating clothing lines, pursuing interests outside fighting such as acting or endorsements and, essentially, striking while the iron is hot. A fighter’s shelf life is limited, but those select few who can transcend the sport and become a personality have turned the trick nicely. Few if any doing it today are not following in Ortiz’s groundbreaking footsteps, for the sheer fact that, in many cases, he was the first fighter to show that certain things could be said and done to tap into previously unexplored realms.

When Ortiz debuted in 1997, his arrival heralded an imposing figure on the sport, one badly in need of a fresh face with the appropriate menace. Still stumbling along amidst a crippling mix of negative public relations, pay-per-view obstacles, politicians -- many of them in bed with boxing, ironically enough -- ginning up the “bloodsport” argument, the sport was seemingly running on fumes.

Ortiz’s arrival came just in time. Bringing his trademark dose of personality, controversy and promotional panache, he stepped in precisely when the organization and the sport could use all three to sustain itself in a decidedly trying time.

Here is a closer look at the elements that comprise Ortiz’s legacy, one that can never really be imitated again, because, in most cases, doing something the first time is way cooler than anything that follows.

Self-promotion, Sponsor-Pimping, Smack Talk Made Cool

Remember when fighters used to rattle off an endless list of sponsors after bouts, during what was intended to be the post-fight interview? Ortiz started that. You can also credit him for taking it so far that everyone jumped on the bandwagon, creating a tidal wave of post-fight sponsor-thanking that eventually -- and thankfully -- got the move largely banned as a no-no during the post-fight interview. Ortiz doing this, however, showed that money was there to be made, alerting anyone and everyone watching of a fresh revenue stream for fighters.

Prior to Ortiz’s arrival, trash talk was part of the promotion, but nobody could really execute it on the multiple levels he did.

As a fan, Ortiz made what he was going to say about the other guy an interesting subplot in itself. In one classic Ortiz moment, he drives Ken Shamrock over the edge at a press conference heading into their first bout.

Coaching ‘The Ultimate Fighter’

There was no better glimpse into the likeable part of Ortiz’s personality than when he coached Season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

For all the bluster and noise he had created in the preceding years building fights and getting into verbal tiffs with opponents, it turns out Ortiz was a pretty good mentor and coach to young fighters. The contrast between he and Shamrock and how they interacted with their teams was glaringly obvious. It is never easy to take charge of a handful of young athletes and tell them how they should prepare themselves, but Ortiz managed to negotiate that line perfectly. Though his stint on Season 11 was cut short in the final weeks, he remains one of the best coaches the show has ever had.

Ken Shamrock and the Lion’s Den

When Ortiz was rising up the light heavyweight ranks in early 1999, taking out top Lion’s Den contenders in Jerry Bohlander and Guy Mezger, his rivalry with that camp and its leader, Ken Shamrock, was often as entertaining as the fights themselves. While rivalries between fighters were part and parcel of MMA promotion, nobody had figuratively and literally flipped the middle finger to an entire team before, particularly an established one by an upstart like Ortiz.

However, that is exactly what Ortiz did. After losing to Mezger in May 1997 in a bout where he was winning handily before being submitted, Ortiz returned in January 1999, this time better versed in submission defense and itching for payback.

After brutalizing and stopping Bohlander and then beating Mezger in a one-sided rematch, Ortiz made it clear that he was not there merely to win fights and work his way up the ranks. He wanted to make it personal. Whether it was flipping off the assembled Lion’s Den posse or putting on a shirt that said “Gay Mezger is my bitch,” Ortiz took promotional trash-talking to a relatively stratospheric level. The result? Fans got something immediate, red-hot and lively to pay attention to. Love him or hate him, you were absolutely not going to miss Ortiz’s next fight.

Ironically, Ortiz’s ultimate nemesis, the aforementioned Shamrock, met him in 2002, well after the cadre from the Lion’s Den had reached its peak. At UFC 40, Ortiz-Shamrock headlined a blockbuster event that was a success at the gate and a pay-per-view hit. Though it was one-sided, with Ortiz punishing Shamrock for three rounds, the duo apparently squashed the beef afterward.

Naturally, it was revived twice more -- once for the Season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” during which Ortiz got so far inside Shamrock’s head he could have driven an 18-wheeler through it. Ortiz went on to blitz Shamrock in 78 seconds at UFC 61. The stoppage was a blow or two too quick for Shamrock, and he was summarily rewarded with a third match. Thankfully, it was aired on Spike TV instead of on pay-per-view, as Ortiz repeated the quick trick again, knocking out the aging Shamrock in 2:23.

Frank Shamrock and the Aftermath: Lessons Learned

As a longtime boxing fan, I have always marveled at how brutally a boxer’s stock can fall when he faces a tough test in a bout and loses. Thankfully, in MMA, losses are seen as opportunities to grow, as learning experiences. Nothing defines that like Ortiz’s defeat to Frank Shamrock in a failed bid for the light heavyweight title at UFC 22.

Continue Reading » Tito Ortiz: Defining a Legacy -- Lasting Impact