The 411 MMA Top 5 11.16.09: Week Twenty - Top Tito Ortiz Moments
Posted by Larry Csonka on 11.16.2009
From his battles with Ken Shamrock and his time on The Ultimate fighter to facing off with Chuck Liddell and even his brief stay in pro wrestling, the 411 MMA writers say that these are some of the best Tito Ortiz moments ever! Check out the full column to see what moments made the list and why!
Welcome:
Welcome back to the MMA Top 5! What we are going to is take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 MMA will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions. At the end, based on where all of these topics rank on people's list, we will create an overall Top 5 list. It's highly non-official and final.
For this week, since the guys wanted to pick some fun stuff, there will be no overall top five. But some of them have included some cool videos for your viewing pleasure. Thanks for reading!
This week's topic is
TOP TITO ORTIZ MOMENTS!
Jeremy Lambert
5. Ortiz on The Ultimate Fighter - I don't know about anyone else but I was very impressed with Ortiz as a coach on TUF. Maybe it's because Shamrock sucked so much but Ortiz really embraced the coaching experience, really embraced the fighters, and came off as a like able person. I was rather indifferent towards Ortiz before his coaching stint but I really warmed up to him after seeing him on the show and seeing how he handled the fighters and the threats of Shamrock.
4. Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3 - The Final Chapter - The outcome was never in doubt between these two and it was an impressive performance against a 40 year old man but the reason this makes the list is because at the time it was the most watched MMA fight in history. Say what you will about Tito Ortiz but there is no denying that he is one of, if not the, biggest MMA draw of all time.
3. Ortiz vs. Belfort - UFC 51 - This was arguably Ortiz' best performance against in top fighter in his career. Ortiz showed a lot of heart in this fight as he got caught early and Belfort looked on his way to a quick TKO victory but Ortiz was able to survive the first round. In the second and third rounds Ortiz took over with his wrestling, grinding out a close decision victory over Belfort. It kept Ortiz in the Light Heavyweight mix at the time and end the second UFC run of Belfort.
2. Ortiz vs. Shamrock 1 - UFC 40 - This was the biggest UFC fight in history at the time and a fight that brought a lot of new fans to sport. Shamrock was coming off a decent good run in the WWF while Ortiz was the biggest star in the company and the Light Heavyweight champion. The two had a feud that was building for years and it finally came to a head at UFC 40. The fight was rather one sided as Ortiz turned Shamrock's face into hamburger meat but the hype behind this fight was legendary and it led to the first big UFC boom.
1. Liddell vs. Ortiz 2 - UFC 66 - I'm probably the biggest Chuck Liddell fan on the site and while I have nothing against Ortiz, I obviously wasn't a fan of his heading into this fight. I won't talk about Liddell beating Ortiz in round three to retain the UFC Light Heavyweight title. Instead I'll just say that Ortiz was masterful in building up this fight and was obviously 50% of the reason why UFC 66 was the first UFC PPV to crack over one million buys. While he didn't win the fight, he lasted longer than he did the first time and I'm sure if he didn't have 5 million different injuries he would have won.
Daniel Bonnizzio
5. Tito vs. Chuck II - While it ended much the same way as their first meeting, Tito worked his way back up the ladder to earn himself another shot at then-champion Chuck Liddell. Sadly, he was not to win as he went on to lose another stoppage to Chuck, but the fact he managed to land another date with the Iceman in the Octagon, and the second fight was as exciting an atmosphere as I remember.
4. Tito Gets Spanked - Come on. Who else can you think of getting spanked in the midst of a fight, and while he was in the middle of a submission attempt no less? While it was his first loss since his dedication to his cardio training we saw Tito hang in there with Randy Couture long enough to lose a decision against the guy who had just KOed the KO artist Chuck Liddell.
3. Tito Almost Beats the Dragon - One slick triangle and a poorly set in armbar separated Tito from being the first man to defeat Lyoto Machida and continuing his lack of wins. Tito said it himself: Machida is a BJJ black belt, and for Tito to catch him in a triangle is immense. Tito was the closest (until Shogun) to beating Machida, which shows his dogged perseverance and his tremendous technique. Had he held onto that triangle instead of switching to an armbar, and we may have seen Tito's hand get raised instead. The WOW factor of him coming that close to beating Machida when nobody else had come even close is amazing.
2. Tito and Dana Make Up - When I heard that Tito was coming back to the UFC I was excited. Tito has always been an exciting fighter, and even though he isn't known as one to finish opponents, his dedication to securing the win no matter what really endeared me as a fan. He still has a lot to offer and when I heard of his return to the UFC's star division it lit my face up.
1. Ken Hates Tito - Their entire feud is legendary. Opposing coaches on TUF. A three fight series seeing Tito dominate Ken Shamrock all three times. The promos, the speeches, all the times Tito got under Ken's skin was what really made me a Tito fan, so their entire feud gets the number one spot here.
Jonathan Solomon
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Tito Ortiz Goes Pro Wrestling - You would think of all fighters, he would be a natural for pro wrestling. He wasn't. Here is video of Ortiz refereeing a TNA match from 2005 between 'ol Double J and AJ Styles.
5. Tito Laughs at Ken Shamrock - At a press conference to hype their first fight, Ken Shamrock cut a serious promo on Tito Ortiz, who was seated beside the podium. With Dana White between them, Tito Ortiz bursted out in a mocking laughter where infuriated Shamrock so much he kicked a chair into the air. Mind games were not his strong suit.
4. The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 - Arguably the only season of the show that could be considered as good as the original, it featured the first real coach rivalry that has been repeated so much. To think in 2006 that Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz would coach against each other on cable television for thirteen weeks, it was grand. Everyone expected Ortiz to act like the flashy cocky blowhard he depicted in interviews throughout his career and Shamrock to be the sound leader. Wrong. Tito Ortiz turned out to be a damn good coach and one of the best in TUF history as he led Michael Bisping to success and took Matt Hamill under his wing. Ken Shamrock's team imploded with infighting and bickering.
3. The Rematch - UFC 66 was historic for one reason, the rematch between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz and with Randy Couture of the way, it was for the light heavyweight championship. Both were mega stars and led the UFC to its first ever PPV buyrate over the one-million mark. The fight lived up to the hype as they slugged it out and tried to outwrestle each other. At the end, it was Liddell who defended Ortiz's attempts to take the fight to the ground and it was Liddell who landed more damaging strikes. If you would have said this fight in December 2006 would be the last time both men would fight like everyone was use to, most would not have believed you. Ortiz's record since then is 0-1-1 and Liddell's record since the fight is 1-4.
2. Tito Ortiz Destroys Ken Shamrock, Part 1 - This was a fight that even mainstream sports media wanted in on...and this was 2002 without television for the UFC. Hell, I wasn't a big fan of the sport at the time but I knew I had to watch Ken Shamrock finally fight Tito Ortiz. Sadly, this was the first sign that Ken Shamrock was not the same of old after a several year stint with WWE. Ortiz battered him en route to a corner stoppage. Shamrock's face was severely bruised and who knew, their rivalry was only getting warmed up.
1. Tito Ortiz fights Frank Shamrock at UFC 22 - One of the greatest fights in the company's history and Ortiz was on the losing end of it. Simply put, Ortiz gassed out in the championship rounds of this title fight and the smaller Frank Shamrock was able to choke Ortiz into submission. This fight would be a turning point in Tito's career as he never took cardio work lightly again and has been known to be one of the most fit fighters in the sport. They say when great fighters lose, they can learn to become greater fighters and that was true for Tito here.
Samer Kadi
5. Ortiz makes a fool out of Ken Shamrock - Which moment in particular? All of them. Really you can pick any Ortiz/Shamrock trash talking battle and it's pretty much the same outcome. Be it Ortiz repeatedly embarrassing him on season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter or Shamrock's infamous "Living death" comment, nobody could get under Shamrock's skin the way Tito does.
4. Ortiz and Liddell finally square off - Yes the fight wasn't that competitive and Chuck beat Tito pretty decisively early in the second round, but the fact remains, the atmosphere that night was something else. You could almost feel tension and electricity in the air as both fighters finally squared off. While their second fight gets talked about a little more, I still remember being more stacked for their initial encounter than any other fight up until that point.
3. Ortiz and Griffin go to war - I loved that fight. Yes it wasn't the most technically sound, or even the most exciting fight we've ever seen, but this was one of the most memorable fights in UFC history. Ortiz came out and absolutely dominated Forrest in round one. But then Griffin, in a star making performance, rallied back in rounds two and three and turned this fight into an absolute epic. Tito would get nod on two of the judges' scorecards, which was enough for him to earn the split decision victory. It is only fitting that we're finally getting the rematch.
2. Tito and Vitor go to war - Despite not having the reputation for being one of the most exciting fighters in the world, Ortiz has been in some of the most memorable bouts in UFC history. This bout, at least for the first two rounds, had everything. Each fighter had their moments as Belfort landed a big flurry on Tito against the fence, which Tito was able to absorb. Tito was able to take him down in the second round but got almost caught in an armbar. In the end, Tito's superior conditioning allowed him to dominate the final round to secure the victory.
1. Ortiz slams Evan Tanner through the mat - Tito's light heavyweight title defense against the late Evan Tanner lasted exactly thirty seconds. Ortiz was able to get a hold of Tanner and land a huge slam that knocked Tanner silly. For once, Tito's grave digging celebration was fitting (and no that's not meant to be a tasteless joke) as he really stopped his opponent decisively and in shocking fashion.
Jeffrey Harris
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Ortiz and Shamrock want to touch each other! - The third season of The Ultimate Fighter was awesome because Ortiz simply knew how to push all of Shamrock's buttons and Shamrock took all the bait.
Ortiz Returns To The UFC; Doesn't Want To Fight 2nd Rate Fighters - Take that Affliction, Strikeforce, and all the rest! After all the bad blood, insults, and back and forth arguing Tito Ortiz and Dana White apparently buried the hatchet. Tito Ortiz re-signed with the UFC and throws all the competition he was teasing to sign with under the bus. Way to go Tito!
5. Tito Ortiz Trolls Ken Shamrock - Man, Ken Shamrock worked for Vince McMahon for several years and he still doesn't get it. No one could tool, troll, and get a rise out of Shamrock like Tito Ortiz. Witness Dana White's silly hairdo and Ortiz making Shamrock angry! Shamrock murders a chair! Glorious!
4. Dana Is My *****! - At UFC 84, Ortiz's last scheduled fight with the promotion was to be against top light heavyweight prospect, Lyoto Machida. Ortiz's differences with UFC president and minority owner, Dana White, were well documented. In a war of words, Dana White said he was out of the Tito Ortiz business. Dana White used to manage Ortiz as well. So how does Ortiz strike back? He goes to the UFC 84 weigh-ins and takes off his hoodie revealing a t-shirt that says, "Dana is my *****!" But business is business, and they seemed to have sorted all that out. The Ortiz/White feud was truly the stuff of legends.
3. Tito Ortiz Destroys Evan Tanner And Digs His Grave (UFC 30) - Defending champion Ortiz faced off against the challenger, the late Evan Tanner. It would be a short night though when Ortiz knocked out Tanner just 30 seconds into the fight with a belly to belly suplex. Ortiz then did his trademark shooting off the guns and then pantomiming the digging of the grave. This made Tito Ortiz one of MMA's badboys and hottest, most popular, and controversial stars ever. Tito Ortiz became a huge star. And for some reason, people hate it when Lesnar does the same thing. Or they pretend when superstars in other professional sports that do similar things did not happen.
2. Tito Ortiz Vs. Wanderlei Silva (UFC 25) - After Frank Shamrock beat Tito Ortiz and promptly left the UFC, the UFC 205 lb title was then vacant. And so, the future living legends of MMA Tito Ortiz (longest reigning UFC light heavyweight champion of all time) faced off against Wanderlei Silva (the dominant beast and monster Pride Middleweight Champion). Ortiz and Silva went to a five round decision where Tito came out on top to take home the title while Silva went to Japan to have a hugely successful decade of destruction there.
1. Tito Ortiz VS. Randy Couture (UFC 44) - Ortiz was champion and never lost the belt. But he was away from the Octagon for a while and dodged Chuck Liddell, so Couture and Liddell fought for an interim belt which Couture won. So it was time for Ortiz and Couture to unify the belts and Ortiz once again talked a massive trash game. It would appear to backfire as Couture would yet again defy all the odds and beat down Ortiz and even went so far as spanking Ortiz in the fight. Ortiz who had become MMA's #1 bad guy was finally defeated and served his just desserts. Ortiz's run at the top was finally over.
Come back next week for another edition of the MMA Top 5~!
You don't mention the reason why Tito dies of laughter at Shammy ?
Shamrock told him "I'm gonna beat you into a Living Death"
Posted By: Vintage Shammy (Guest) on November 16, 2009 at 12:38 AM
Tito is entertaining in the ring and out, hopefully he can finish Forrest this time.
Posted By: MBD (Guest) on November 16, 2009 at 12:49 AM
Frank Shamrock didn't choke out Tito, he TKO'd him.
Posted By: Guest#6705 (Guest) on November 16, 2009 at 11:30 AM
I take issue with anyone who says that Tito "almost" beat Machida. What he did was almost get him into a submission hold. He never had it locked in. To say that anytime someone nearly gets a submission hold locked on is like almost winning a fight is like saying that anytime someone connects with a punch is like almost knocking someone out. That was a mouthful.
Anyway, to say that Tito was close to winning that fight is absurd. He did no damage to Machida at all. Indeed, the submission attempt may have been the first time Tito touched him all night. Even Tito knew it wasn't close. Watch his body language after the fight and it's clear.
Posted By: Victor (Guest) on November 16, 2009 at 01:11 PM
1. Tito ducking Chuck for nearly 2 years
2. Tito loosing to Randy
3. Tito getting pwn'd by Chuck - TWICE!!
4. Ken totally hustling Tito at Pool on TUF 3
5. Tito tapping out to strikes from Frank Shamrock
Posted By: Guest#9195 (Guest) on November 16, 2009 at 11:10 PM
