Former UFC light heavyweight champion vows to make Cape Coral great after moving from Huntington Beach
A former UFC light heavyweight champion has decided to move from Huntington Beach, California, in favor of relocating to Cape Coral, Florida.
UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz opened up about his decision to move to Cape Coral after representing Huntington Beach throughout his MMA career and even as an elected politician. While speaking with FOX4 News, he shared that the relief efforts following Hurricane Ian factored into his decision to move from Huntington Beach, where he has been synomous with as even adopting it for his nickname, 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy,' to Cape Coral.
He said:
"I really didn't know what I was getting myself into...You could just see everyone was deflated. Everyone felt defeated."
Ortiz added that the way the community rallied together during a difficult time gave him hope. The former MMA fighter-turned-politician mentioned that it gave him more hope that the country as a whole is still capable of doing the same, saying:
"It gave me hope...It gave me hope, that you know what, America is still alive. America is still together. It's here in Florida, here in Cape Coral that opened my eyes to the situation."
It appears as though the 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' will be content with the move as his friendship and support for former US President Donald Trump is well documented.
Tito Ortiz done with politics after brief reign as mayor: ‘When they started attacking my character… I knew I needed to walk away’ (@DamonMartin) mmafighting.com/2021/8/16/2262… https://t.co/K2RRQXlzPg
How many UFC title defenses did Tito Ortiz have?
Apr14.2000
21 years ago today,
Tito Ortiz defeated Wanderlei Silva to become the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. https://t.co/ZBMTgvxxkT
Tito Ortiz was one of the most successful champions during his reign as UFC light heavyweight champion.
'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' successfully retained his title on 5 occassions and was regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters during his reign. He won the vacant light heavyweight championship in April 2000 after earning a unanimous decision win over Wanderlei Silva and held the title until September 2003, when he lost a unanimous decision to Randy Couture.
His title reign saw him earn decisive wins over Yuki Kondo, Evan Tanner, Elvis Sinosic, Vladimir Matyushenko, and Ken Shamrock. Although he challenged then light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell in 2006, he was unable to regain the title.