Former UFC champion Tito Ortiz claims he is a better fighter now than he was in 2000
Tito Ortiz may seem to be way past his prime, but the 46-year old believes he still has smoke left in his hands.
Reminiscing about his UFC light heavyweight title win against Wanderlei Silva at UFC 25, Ortiz took to Twitter to say he is a better fighter now than he was back in 2000.
Tito Ortiz quickly emerged as the name to beat in the 205-pound weight class after securing wins over noteworthy opponents in his five successful title defenses.
Born in 1975, Tito Ortiz made his MMA debut with the UFC in 1997. Showing immense promise, Ortiz suffered only a single loss in his first five fights with the promotion.
Ortiz quickly earned a shot at UFC gold against legend Frank Shamrock. While Shamrock's experience proved to be a significant factor in the bout, Ortiz was quick to brush off the fourth-round submission loss.
Following Shamrock's subsequent retirement from the sport, the UFC's light heavyweight championship was once again up for grabs.
UFC president Dana White set up a bout for the vacant title at UFC 25 between Ortiz and Brazilian MMA phenomenon Wanderlei Silva.
How did Tito Ortiz beat Wanderlei Silva at UFC 25?
In the third UFC event held in Japan, UFC 25 featured a mouth-watering card and a blockbuster headliner between Ortiz and Silva.
While a decision and a couple of submission victories on the main card kept the eager fans entertained, the anticipation for the final fight was all too apparent.
Dominating the fight from the get-go, Tito Ortiz consistently took Silva to the ground. After successfully landing heavy ground-and-pound strikes for the majority of the fight, Ortiz influenced the matchup right down to the wire.
The judges then scored the contest in favor of Ortiz, crowning him as the UFC's new light heavyweight champion.
Following his win over Silva, Tito Ortiz amassed five more consecutive victories before being dethroned by Randy Couture at UFC 44. While he did manage to work his way back up to championship contention, two severe losses at the hands of Chuck Liddell proved to be his downfall.
Desperate for a rubber match against Liddell, Ortiz's revenge came twelve years later in an unexpected and largely forgettable event held by boxing firm Golden Boy Promotions. The fight ended after Ortiz finished Liddell in the very first round.
After his trilogy against Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz went on to compete again. Fighting against Mexican-American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist Alberto El Patron, Ortiz secured a submission victory with a rear-naked choke. The win was Ortiz' 21st victory in professional MMA.
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