*New Tito Interview* - Fight Forum - MMA - UFC - Boxing - K1

wgs2005 · 07-18-2007, 02:09 AM

This is part 1 ill post part 2 soon as guys
MMANEWS.COM | Exclusive: Tito Ortiz In-Depth On Rashad Evans Fight [Pt. 1]
TITO ORTIZ INTERVIEW - PART ONE
Chris Howie of MMANews.com: Okay, this is Chris Howie of MMANews.com and today I'm speaking with the one and only "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz. Tito, how are you doing today?

Tito Ortiz: Good, thank you for taking the time out today. I appreciate it.

MMANews.com: So, what have you been up to man?

Tito Ortiz: Just taking a little rest time off and pretty much just letting my body recover, man. It's been a week and a couple days now - my back actually is getting a little bit better. Last week I was in some serious pain because I had a bulging disc in my L4-L5 in my back. Other than that, everything is fine. The cut healed under my eye and my eyeball itself healed, so I'm just trying to rehabilitate my back now and then get back into training.

MMANews.com: And the back injury was something that was suffered before the fight or during the fight?

Tito Ortiz: Well, it happened before the fight and I thought I could do physical therapy to make it right, you know? Then in the second round of the fight itself, I kind of re-kinked it again and the disc was kind of aggrivated and I really, really felt it. So now I'm just looking to rehab it and make it 100 percent.

MMANews.com: Now are there talks to have the rematch between you and Rashad [Evans]?

Tito Ortiz: Yes, of course there is. At the press conference Dana [White] said it was good to go. Right now it is just a matter of signing the contract and getting it done. So let’s do it.

MMANews.com: When do you see the fight happening?

Tito Ortiz: I'm not too sure. I've heard some talk about it being in Cincinnati but I'd love to fight in [Las] Vegas. I'd like to go back to Vegas to fight because I'm in Southern California. I feel a little cheated from the last fight so I guess we'll just see what happens with the contract and I'll fight Rashad.

MMANews.com: What do you feel went wrong for you in that fight? There was the point deduction in the second and in the third it seemed like you may have been gassed. Were you feeling tired in the third?

Tito Ortiz: Well I was still coming forward and I don't see how you can win a fight by getting a takedown at the end of the fight. I think I was pressing the action throughout the whole fight. I watched the fight and they show on the replay where I grabbed the fence the first time but they don't show where I grab onto the fence and get the point deducted. I don't think they showed the replay of the second time because it didn't really show that I grabbed onto the fence. It's fine. Either way there is going to be a rematch and I'm going to be able to shut him up once and for all. I'll get the rematch over with and worry about my next opponent.

MMANews.com: Did you find that Rashad was fighting tentatively throughout the fight?

Ortiz talks Rashad Evans fight with MMANews.com ...

Tito Ortiz: Yeah, he was fighting tentatively. He wasn’t as strong as I thought he was going to be and he actually seemed kind of weak. He was as fast as I had already known. It was a good fight for me but I had taken seven months off and I think it kind of showed. My next fight will be better.

MMANews.com: In the post-fight press conference you said that it seemed like he had vaseline on his body. What was your reasoning for that?

Tito Ortiz: Well, in the first round when I got the first takedown I was trying to feed his left hand behind his back to my right hand and my hand started slipping off of it and then my grip basically slipped off too. When I tried to grab it again it slipped off again and then it happened again and again. If you watch the fight again it took me a good 30-to-40 seconds before he stepped up out of it. I was holding onto his wrist and I felt that there was vaseline there. His corner may have put it on his head and he wiped it off so he might have done that but it was something that I noticed right off the bat when we fought.

MMANews.com: So it was a problem for you when you were trying to gain position on him?

Tito Ortiz: Yeah, when I was trying to ground and pound him and try to get his hands behind his back it was a problem. I don’t think there was vaseline in any other places but I did notice it in that area, so he may have wiped his face or something.

MMANews.com: Did you have any problems with your bad knee?

Tito Ortiz: No, not at all. About four months ago I banged my knee up pretty seriously and it was giving me problems in training but then about a week and a half before the fight - they went away and my knee has been 100 percent. ever since. So I’m feeling good with it and looking forward to training for my next fight.

MMANews.com: So you're thinking the rematch will be in Ohio? That show is supposed to take place around October or November, isn’t it?

Tito Ortiz: Yeah, that’s what they are saying. So it’s just a matter of getting the contract signed and making it happen.

MMANews.com: Was this your last fight with the UFC or will the rematch be your last fight on your current contract?

Tito Ortiz: The next fight will be my last and then I’m a free agent. Then I’ll make the decision with to stay with the UFC or go elsewhere.

MMANews.com: What are your feelings on that?

Tito Ortiz: My gut feeling is to stay with the UFC, but negotiating with Dana [White] is such a hassle that it could be a waste of my time. It’s such a headache. The guy lies all the time. It’s non-stop. I don’t know. I talked to Lorenzo Fertitta a week or so ago and things went well so I may just work with him and hopefully create a big business venture with him and get it done.

MMANews.com: So you are still having problems with Dana?

Tito Ortiz: Yeah, it’s just one of those things you know? Dana just wants to be a superstar.

FightFan76 · 07-18-2007, 10:29 AM

I am not a Tito fan but I got all the respect in the world for him, but I do get sick of how he talks about how he was hurt or injured b/4 the fight after the fight was concluded. It almost seems like a built in excuse for a poor performance or a loss. I would like it much better if he just kept it to himself if he truly was hurt.

LinvilleGorge · 07-18-2007, 10:34 AM

Funny how he says that he doesn't know how you win a fight by getting a takedown at the end when that is essentially what happened for him in the Forrest Griffin fight. That fight was really up in the air until Tito secured that late takedown.

GSPALLTHEWAY · 07-18-2007, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LinvilleGorge

Funny how he says that he doesn't know how you win a fight by getting a takedown at the end when that is essentially what happened for him in the Forrest Griffin fight. That fight was really up in the air until Tito secured that late takedown.

thats 2 completely different things... the griffin fight had tito completely dominate parts of the fight... what tito is saying here is that rashad ONLY got 1 takedown the whole fight, and that wasnt until 10 seconds left... beyond that he did NOTHING... the tito\forrest fight had far more action from forrest

DirtyChuckRulz! · 07-18-2007, 10:42 AM

Tito is totally lame. everyone saw him grab and HOLD the fence, i guess he didnt learn anything from Tim Sylvia's mistake of mentioning an injury after a fight.

Cas2910 · 07-18-2007, 11:15 AM

good interview. The rematch will be another boring fight but i think Tito will get the job done. I want Tito to stay in the UFC, he is a ticket seller and a good fighter. Hes entertaining and his fights are usually good too.

p19101 · 07-18-2007, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FightFan76

I am not a Tito fan but I got all the respect in the world for him, but I do get sick of how he talks about how he was hurt or injured b/4 the fight after the fight was concluded. It almost seems like a built in excuse for a poor performance or a loss. I would like it much better if he just kept it to himself if he truly was hurt.

It doesn't take a genius to see he was injured late 2nd and 3rd round. When people ask if he was gassed should he speak the truth or should he come up with some BS. If he was injured of course he should say so. Always when speaking of injuries post fight it can be taken as excuses, and it should. He is merely explaining why he wasn't performing in 3rd round.

p19101 · 07-18-2007, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cas2910

good interview. The rematch will be another boring fight but i think Tito will get the job done. I want Tito to stay in the UFC, he is a ticket seller and a good fighter. Hes entertaining and his fights are usually good too.

I agree, Tito will win the rematch. Hopefully he will shut Rashad up good. I hope Tito will heal up completely before they fight again.

LinvilleGorge · 07-18-2007, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by p19101

It doesn't take a genius to see he was injured late 2nd and 3rd round. When people ask if he was gassed should he speak the truth or should he come up with some BS. If he was injured of course he should say so. Always when speaking of injuries post fight it can be taken as excuses, and it should. He is merely explaining why he wasn't performing in 3rd round.

I agree. I can't stand Tito, but his cardio training is legendary. No way he would've gassed that early; there was definitely something wrong. For anyone who's ever had a back injury, man they just suck. I've never had a bad back injury, but I have pulled a muscle in my back twice and it's damn near debilitating. Nothing you can do relieves the pain, any move you make is excruciating. I honestly think the pulled muscle in my back was worse than my two broken ribs. At least the ribs were fine once healed, but with that damned pulled muscle, I'd keep tweaking it. Seemed to last forever.

earvinarp · 07-18-2007, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Tito Ortiz: Yeah, it’s just one of those things you know? Dana just wants to be a superstar.

You got to love that. Right on the money.

I tend to think that, yes, Tito will win the rematch. They keep saying that Rashad was tentative, but so was Ortiz. Now that he knows for a fact that Evans is not all that dangerous, he will be able to come up with a better game plan.

It pissed me off to keep hearing Rashad in the PC, saying that he had made a mess of Ortiz's face, when the only thing he landed was... a nail! (that cut him under the eye)

OneBigThrow · 07-18-2007, 01:22 PM

hah we shall see who was more tentative

Rashad is gonna whip the blood out of tito and wring his butt out

Book It.

My GnP is Sick · 07-18-2007, 01:34 PM

He is a great money maker for the UFC so I don't see him going anyware after his contract is up.

earvinarp · 07-18-2007, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by My GnP is Sick

He is a great money maker for the UFC so I don't see him going anyware after his contract is up.

Specially if he can skip White and negotiate directly with the Ferrittas.

OneTwoPunch · 07-18-2007, 02:26 PM

Tito seems more mature. He's training hard and hopefully he can beat Rashad in the rematch in an exciting fashion.

jm1010 · 07-18-2007, 02:39 PM

I just dont like Tito. I think Rashad will win the rematch. The reason Rashad didnt get more takedowns was because Tito was grabbing his shorts and the fence. Anyways, good interview. I like how after the fight Rashad had vasaline all over him. Now it was just on his wrists.

earvinarp · 07-18-2007, 02:48 PM

Yeah, Rashad is the real deal... Wait, no... He isn't. His performance against Tito was one of the worst I have seen in a while. It reminded me of Sanchez against Koscheck. He did nothing for fifteen minutes. Terrible.

name goes here · 07-18-2007, 03:02 PM

Rashed is getting better with time. Tito is getting worse. The rematch will go in Rashed's favor. Tito used to be fun to watch but I place all blame on him for this dull fight.

OneBigThrow · 07-18-2007, 03:14 PM

just because he had a poor performance doesnt make him a chump or a sub-par fighter

the only thing wrongwith rashads performance was that he didnt school tito in the stand up like he was capable of...its tito man u can stand there and trade with him rashad will be prepared to do that next time and hell skip the takedowns

earvinarp · 07-18-2007, 03:58 PM

We will see. I bet you Rashad will go down to 185 lbs before the end of 2008.

An up-and-coming fighter, who cannot defeat Ortiz, has no chance in a division with Jackson, Liddell, Henderson, Shogun, Machida, (hopefully) Silva... Even wild cards like Houston Alexander, or TUF old timers like Griffin and Jardine look more dangerous. On the other hand, he may be able to over power most people at 185 lbs.

The whole Ortiz-Evans saga is just a pastime. IMO it says nothing about either of those fighters.

H@mmerM@n · 07-18-2007, 04:30 PM

Nice interview thanks for the read.....All I can say is if they do have a rematch hopefully its better than the last fight was.Why does it seem like the overhyped matchs are always boring?