Tito Ortiz walked away from the UFC in 2012 leaving behind the glitz, the glamour, the adrenaline rush, and the money of being a superstar UFC fighter. That is why it should be of no surprise that the former champion is considering a comeback.
BloodyElbow.com talked with Ortiz and snagged a fascinating interview with the former champion. Ortiz talked at length about his injuries and the toll that MMA has taken on his body. That wasn’t a surprise. What was surprising is what he said after running down a laundry list of war wounds.
“Right now, I’m only four weeks out of neck surgery, and then I have to get the ACL surgery. I still need to recover from that before I start thinking about anything, and if I’ll compete again. You never know, I may come out of retirement. It’s all about how my body recovers.”
Ortiz goes on to say that it was Frank Shamrock (talk about irony) that has inspired his thoughts of a comeback. He also tells Bloody Elbow that a comeback wouldn’t necessarily happen in the UFC octagon. Ortiz doesn’t appear delusional about his comeback plans when he tells the interview that the chances of a comeback are “one in a million.”
What would the UFC do if Ortiz called, said he was healed, and wanted to come back? The easy answer is that the UFC would decline. Dana White tries to come off as a compassionate promoter but let’s take a look at his history. He has promoted Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Royce Gracie, and Mark Coleman well past their primes. Ortiz is still a draw and the attention he would draw on a comeback may be too much to pass up. In other words I think if he is medically cleared he’d get another UFC fight if he wanted it.
Nevertheless, leave it to Tito to get the talk going.
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