Following the controversial Reebok deal and the much-talked about firing of veteran cut man Jacob “Stitch” Duran, Tito Ortiz has resurfaced to throw additional fuel on the fire.
Ortiz, a UFC Hall Of Famer, spoke out at the Bellator: Dynamite media day about his former MMA fighting home.
“It’s just a matter of time,” Ortiz said.. “Rome crumbles from inside and that’s what they’re going to do. They’re going to crumble from inside. They’re their worst enemies. I could just sit back and nobody is gonna talk trash about Dana, talk trash about the UFC. I’ll let them do their own damage.”
Ortiz continued, “It’s sad for ‘Stitch’ Duran. He’s a guy that’s been in this business since Day One and he’s done a lot of great things, not only in mixed martial arts, but in professional boxing. He should be respected. It just shows, you say something against the company that’s trying to monopolize everything, you get thrown to the wolves — as I did, as many other fighters did. And that’s why they left.”
“I really think UFC has made it bored for MMA,” Ortiz said. “You just see the same stuff. It’s cookie cutter. The same stuff over and over. Now that Reebok has been a part of their sponsorship, it’s cookie cutter. Bellator has taken a step forward in giving the fans what they want to see and that’s exciting fights, not only in mixed martial arts and now kickboxing.”
“They want to see the spectacle,” Ortiz said of fans. “I remember from the very beginning when I walked out at UFC 140 when we had the big lights, the flames, everything. Fans want to see entertainment. That’s why they tune into professional wrestling. You get the reality with professional fighting. That’s what Scott Coker is bringing with Bellator.”
Ortiz concluded, “At the end of the day, us fighters, all we have is respect. If you’re a cutman, all you have is respect. We’re trying to feed our family. A company is making so much money. Cut us in on pieces of it. That business didn’t like to do that and that’s why I left. I wasn’t being respected. I wasn’t getting my piece of the pie.”
