.@titoortiz thanks the fans who've supported through his 20 year career. #Bellator170 pic.twitter.com/XqOqRWWZND
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) January 22, 2017
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz had his retirement fight last night (Jan. 21) at Bellator 170. Sharing the cage with him was former UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” locked in a rear-naked choke in the first round to earn the submission win.
Ortiz didn’t let go of the choke right away.
Instead, referee “Big” John McCarthy had to use some extra force to get Ortiz to let go of his hold. McCarthy was seen during the broadcast confronting Ortiz about what he had done. Ortiz apologized to McCarthy for what had transpired.
During Bellator 170’s post-fight press conference, Ortiz admitted Sonnen got under his skin in the buildup for the fight. He said he didn’t let go of his grip due to the trash talk:
“When he was tapping, I thought he was trying to grab my hands. But I kind of held on to it, because I have ill will towards him. But that’s just me. When someone talks about my family, my character, I have bad will towards the person. I have never done it like that before.”
“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” reiterated his “ill will” towards Sonnen. He said nothing was going to stop him from leaving the sport with a win.
“I apologize to the athletic commission for holding on a little longer. I did hold on to it longer. I just had that ill will. I felt like an animal. I felt like a lion, and this lion roared, how I said I was gonna. This was my fight no matter what.”
No official word has been said on whether or not there will be repercussions for Ortiz’s hold. Regardless, a fine would probably be the only thing Ortiz has to worry about as he has hung up his gloves.
