Who is Tito Ortiz?

Tito Ortiz is cited by film producer Jeff Most as "The next Vin Diesel" and delivers the audience as well as the sheer acting talent. The most electrifying Ultimate Fighting competitor alive today, as intimidating as Tito is in the ring, outside he is an unparalleled fan favorite. A dynamic speaker, Tito's popularity with the fans made for a natural move into other media. He frequently appears on talk shows and in magazine articles and stars in the popular video game, "UFC: Tapout" on Xbox. Having made a cameo appearance in Jet Li's Cradle 2 the Grave (2003), Tito recently delivered a breakout performance with his first starring role, opposite Edward Furlong, David Boreanaz, and Dennis Hopper, in The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005), scheduled for release in early 2005.

But life for "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" wasn't always this good, and even as he soars to the top, Tito has never forgotten his roots. In high school Tito chose wrestling over drugs and gangs, and excelled. He went on to compete at the college level and earned two consecutive titles as California State Wrestling Champion before making the shift to Ultimate Fighting...where he became the world champion less than two years after entering the sport.

Today, as he balances his time between fighting, acting, running his clothing line, "Punishment Athletics", and developing his new game for Xbox, Tito also regularly prioritizes working with inner city children; motivating kids to stay in school, to stay away from drugs and gangs, and to pursue their dreams, no matter what their current situation; and, through his foundation, Tito supports children's charity initiatives and raises money to establish better after-school athletic programs in neighborhoods like the one he came from.

Overview

Nicknames
'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' Tito Ortiz, Bad Dude Tito

Trivia

  • Pro Wrestling Referee.
  • Was the 5x defending UFC light heavyweight champion before losing to Randy Couture.
  • Had an on-going feud with former best friend and training partner, Chuck Liddell. The two met in UFC 47 where Liddell KO'd Ortiz in the second round.
  • Won the light heavyweight title by defeating Wanderlei Silva.
  • Two-time California Community College state wrestling champion for Golden West Community College at the 190-pound weight class in 1995 and 1996.