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wgs2005 · 07-19-2007, 02:55 AM

MMANews.com: Assuming that you defeat Rashad in the rematch and you resign with the UFC, how long before you see yourself back in the title hunt?

Tito Ortiz: You know after I beat Rashad who I feel is the number one contender in the UFC or maybe number two, I think it would be one more fight after that so I'm thinking like [Mauricio] Shogun or Wanderlei or even Chuck and then I'll be getting a world title shot.

MMANews.com: How do you feel you rank in the UFC in the light heavyweight division with some of the new fighters they have brought or seem to be bringing in like Shogun and Wanderlei?

Tito Ortiz: I still see myself as number one or number two right there with Liddell man. These new guys still have to fight in the UFC. It's like Rampage, Liddell, than me I think in my eyes. You have to fight in the UFC to be at the level of fighters in the UFC. You watch the last fight between Minotauro [Nogueira] and Heath Herring and he almost was knock out by Herring. That could happen to anybody. It's just whoever has the right fighting style that night is going to win the matches. To me rankings don't really matter the main thing is winning fights.

MMANews.com: Does it excite you that they have been bringing in some of the big guns out of Pride?

Tito Ortiz: For sure I'm excited. It brings in a new challenge. It's all one big company now. It kind of sucks money wise because it's like a monopoly and if you don't fight there you might not fight anywhere else. I guess we'll just have to see what happens in the future.

MMANews.com: What kind of plans do you have coming up for Punishment, such as autographs signings that you may want to let your fans know about?

Tito Ortiz: Yeah actually I have an event coming up this week in Reno, NV, then August 15th I'm going to be in Winnepeg, Manitoba, then September 2nd I'll be in Chicago and September 28th I'm in Washington. At the end of this month I'm going to Iraq for the USO and it'll be really nice to meet the troops and give back.

MMANews.com: So you are looking to have the rematch with Rashad around October or November. How do you see the rematch going since you were in there and had a chance to feel him out and such?

Tito Ortiz: In the rematch I'm going to have to either knock him out or submit him because I don't see the judges giving me the decision. I'm going to have to make sure I finish it. I think I'll dominate just like the first time.

MMANews.com: Do you feel like you were screwed over by the judges or do you feel like you may have lost the third round and it was the point deduction in the second that took it from you?

Tito Ortiz: Yeah, I watched the fight yesterday and I can go along and say it was a pretty even fight. I want to see where I actually grabbed the fence though. They showed where I grabbed the fence the first time but they didn't show where I grabbed the fence when they took the point away and if you watch the replay they show where I get taken down then defend and get back to my fight. They said it was similiar to when it happened but they never showed it. I want to see where I grabbed the fence or if I even really grabbed the fence in the fight to even get the point taken away.

MMANews.com: There was the time you grabbed the fence and got the warning then you grabbed the fence and got the point taken away. I'm even pretty sure there were a few other times where you may have grabbed the fence before the warning early in the second and even in the first round.

Tito Ortiz: No I didn't grab the fence in the first at all. I got the warning then the point taken away almost at the exact same time. In the first round I was dominating and I was on top the whole time so there was no reason to grab the fence. I was the one doing the takedowns. When I grabbed the fence McCarthy said, "Let go of the fence", which was just a reaction on my part and then the second time he tried to take me down and I kind of skimmed my hand on the fence and McCarthy said I grabbed the fence again which there is a rule saying you can place your hand on the fence but you can't grab the fence to help your position. I just kind of skimmed my hand across the fence when I was sliding down the cage. He got a takedown for that anyway right so it was a point for him.

MMANews.com: Did he impress you with his wrestling and takedowns?

Tito Ortiz: Umm no, he didn't impress me at all. He was fast like I expected. I defended a lot of shots and any of the shots he did take me down with he was getting choked then he got swept and mounted. The last takedown my legs just weren't there. My back was giving out and he picked me up and dumped me. He said he felt me give up but he didn't even hit me with any hard punches and he says he won the fight based on one takedown at the end of the third round? Give me a break. You don't win a 15 minute fight in the last ten seconds with a takedown.

MMANews.com: I see what you're saying.

Tito Ortiz: Yeah man, I had a takedown at the first of the third round so...

MMANews.com: Do you feel he came out more agressive in the third?

Tito Ortiz: Yeah, but I feel it has a lot to do with my back giving out in the second. With a buldging disc I just wanted to stretch my legs man but I really couldn't because I was in the middle of a fight. What am I suppose to do call time-out so I can stretch my back a little? You have to fight through it.

MMANews.com: Does this go back to the back problems you had in the past?

Tito Ortiz: Yeah, I first had back problems when I fought Randy Couture. It's been reocurring throughout the years.

MMANews.com: Is it something you have considered having surgery on?

Tito Ortiz: Honestly man I'm just really scared to get surgery because there is a chance of getting paralyzed and I don't want to mess around with that. So I'll just let the doctors figure it out so I don't have to take any chances.

MMANews.com: After the fight with Rashad who would you like to fight next?

Tito Ortiz: Anyone in the top five or six. Definitely Shogun, Minotauro's brother is still ranked highly so I'd like to fight him, Ricardo Arona. I'd love to fight any of the guys from Pride.

MMANews.com: Do you think they'll bring in Lil Nog or Arona?

Tito Ortiz: I'm not too sure I guess it'll be who will fight for the cheapest amount of money will come to the UFC.

MMANews.com: Do you feel that with the influx of fighters they will change their PPV formats and such considering it could come down to having a card that is stacked from top to bottom with names?

Tito Ortiz: I think it would be better if they just had two big name fighters on the top and then some lower names on the bottom and try to build them up. UFC is shown every month, a couple times a month so hopefully people don't start getting sick of it. I'm not overly sure on that side of it to be honest.

MMANews.com: Ok, Tito is there anything you would like to say to your fans?

Tito Ortiz: Yeah of course. It sucks about the draw but the next time will not be a draw and I'll do what I do best and finish off my opponent. Let the punishment begin and thanks for the support.

MMANews.com: Ok Tito. Well it was nice speaking with you again and if I don't happen to talk to you before your next fight I'll wish you luck now.

Tito Ortiz: Thank you Chris. I appreciate it man.

07-19-2007, 02:55 AM	#31 (permalink)
wgs2005 Banned Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Wales Posts: 1,364 Points: 15,324 Bank: 1,149 Total Points: 16,473 Donate	MMANews.com: Assuming that you defeat Rashad in the rematch and you resign with the UFC, how long before you see yourself back in the title hunt? Tito Ortiz: You know after I beat Rashad who I feel is the number one contender in the UFC or maybe number two, I think it would be one more fight after that so I'm thinking like [Mauricio] Shogun or Wanderlei or even Chuck and then I'll be getting a world title shot. MMANews.com: How do you feel you rank in the UFC in the light heavyweight division with some of the new fighters they have brought or seem to be bringing in like Shogun and Wanderlei? Tito Ortiz: I still see myself as number one or number two right there with Liddell man. These new guys still have to fight in the UFC. It's like Rampage, Liddell, than me I think in my eyes. You have to fight in the UFC to be at the level of fighters in the UFC. You watch the last fight between Minotauro [Nogueira] and Heath Herring and he almost was knock out by Herring. That could happen to anybody. It's just whoever has the right fighting style that night is going to win the matches. To me rankings don't really matter the main thing is winning fights. MMANews.com: Does it excite you that they have been bringing in some of the big guns out of Pride? Tito Ortiz: For sure I'm excited. It brings in a new challenge. It's all one big company now. It kind of sucks money wise because it's like a monopoly and if you don't fight there you might not fight anywhere else. I guess we'll just have to see what happens in the future. MMANews.com: What kind of plans do you have coming up for Punishment, such as autographs signings that you may want to let your fans know about? Tito Ortiz: Yeah actually I have an event coming up this week in Reno, NV, then August 15th I'm going to be in Winnepeg, Manitoba, then September 2nd I'll be in Chicago and September 28th I'm in Washington. At the end of this month I'm going to Iraq for the USO and it'll be really nice to meet the troops and give back. MMANews.com: So you are looking to have the rematch with Rashad around October or November. How do you see the rematch going since you were in there and had a chance to feel him out and such? Tito Ortiz: In the rematch I'm going to have to either knock him out or submit him because I don't see the judges giving me the decision. I'm going to have to make sure I finish it. I think I'll dominate just like the first time. MMANews.com: Do you feel like you were screwed over by the judges or do you feel like you may have lost the third round and it was the point deduction in the second that took it from you? Tito Ortiz: Yeah, I watched the fight yesterday and I can go along and say it was a pretty even fight. I want to see where I actually grabbed the fence though. They showed where I grabbed the fence the first time but they didn't show where I grabbed the fence when they took the point away and if you watch the replay they show where I get taken down then defend and get back to my fight. They said it was similiar to when it happened but they never showed it. I want to see where I grabbed the fence or if I even really grabbed the fence in the fight to even get the point taken away. MMANews.com: There was the time you grabbed the fence and got the warning then you grabbed the fence and got the point taken away. I'm even pretty sure there were a few other times where you may have grabbed the fence before the warning early in the second and even in the first round. Tito Ortiz: No I didn't grab the fence in the first at all. I got the warning then the point taken away almost at the exact same time. In the first round I was dominating and I was on top the whole time so there was no reason to grab the fence. I was the one doing the takedowns. When I grabbed the fence McCarthy said, "Let go of the fence", which was just a reaction on my part and then the second time he tried to take me down and I kind of skimmed my hand on the fence and McCarthy said I grabbed the fence again which there is a rule saying you can place your hand on the fence but you can't grab the fence to help your position. I just kind of skimmed my hand across the fence when I was sliding down the cage. He got a takedown for that anyway right so it was a point for him. MMANews.com: Did he impress you with his wrestling and takedowns? Tito Ortiz: Umm no, he didn't impress me at all. He was fast like I expected. I defended a lot of shots and any of the shots he did take me down with he was getting choked then he got swept and mounted. The last takedown my legs just weren't there. My back was giving out and he picked me up and dumped me. He said he felt me give up but he didn't even hit me with any hard punches and he says he won the fight based on one takedown at the end of the third round? Give me a break. You don't win a 15 minute fight in the last ten seconds with a takedown. MMANews.com: I see what you're saying. Tito Ortiz: Yeah man, I had a takedown at the first of the third round so... MMANews.com: Do you feel he came out more agressive in the third? Tito Ortiz: Yeah, but I feel it has a lot to do with my back giving out in the second. With a buldging disc I just wanted to stretch my legs man but I really couldn't because I was in the middle of a fight. What am I suppose to do call time-out so I can stretch my back a little? You have to fight through it. MMANews.com: Does this go back to the back problems you had in the past? Tito Ortiz: Yeah, I first had back problems when I fought Randy Couture. It's been reocurring throughout the years. MMANews.com: Is it something you have considered having surgery on? Tito Ortiz: Honestly man I'm just really scared to get surgery because there is a chance of getting paralyzed and I don't want to mess around with that. So I'll just let the doctors figure it out so I don't have to take any chances. MMANews.com: After the fight with Rashad who would you like to fight next? Tito Ortiz: Anyone in the top five or six. Definitely Shogun, Minotauro's brother is still ranked highly so I'd like to fight him, Ricardo Arona. I'd love to fight any of the guys from Pride. MMANews.com: Do you think they'll bring in Lil Nog or Arona? Tito Ortiz: I'm not too sure I guess it'll be who will fight for the cheapest amount of money will come to the UFC. MMANews.com: Do you feel that with the influx of fighters they will change their PPV formats and such considering it could come down to having a card that is stacked from top to bottom with names? Tito Ortiz: I think it would be better if they just had two big name fighters on the top and then some lower names on the bottom and try to build them up. UFC is shown every month, a couple times a month so hopefully people don't start getting sick of it. I'm not overly sure on that side of it to be honest. MMANews.com: Ok, Tito is there anything you would like to say to your fans? Tito Ortiz: Yeah of course. It sucks about the draw but the next time will not be a draw and I'll do what I do best and finish off my opponent. Let the punishment begin and thanks for the support. MMANews.com: Ok Tito. Well it was nice speaking with you again and if I don't happen to talk to you before your next fight I'll wish you luck now. Tito Ortiz: Thank you Chris. I appreciate it man.