Tito Ortiz Discusses Text From Dana White and Late Sub Release
Tito Ortiz Discusses Text From Dana White and Late Sub Release
Tito Ortiz discusses his victory over Chael Sonnen in the main event of Bellator 170. The former UFC champion tells ESPN’s Brett Okamoto why he held on to the choke, and a text received from UFC President Dana White.
“He (Chael) tried to buck me off, my hips are strong. I threw a couple elbows and he gave his back. I saw the opportunity to go for the choke. I went for the lion’s kill and he grabbed the top of my hand so I went right for the Gable grip and I squeezed. I’m real strong, so I squeezed hard and I just thought of all the bad things he said about me in the pre-fight stuff and I was not gonna let go until the referee had to rip me off for sure.”
When asked about the interesting relationship Ortiz had with White over the years, Ortiz said:
“He actually sent my girlfriend a text message because she used to work for the UFC. They always talk back and forth. When I first signed with Bellator, Dana set me focused with his base line ‘if this doesn’t motivate you nothing will.’ So I guess it’s that Love-Hate relationship we got towards each other. But I guess thank you Dana for saying ‘that’s the way you should go out, on top.’ I love the guy you know? He was my first manager. I always just fought for what I wanted fr my career. No hard feelings. I’ve grown up a lot over the past four years.”
