Tito Ortiz says Goodbye to "The Bad Boy of Huntington Beach," Hello to "The Peoples Champ"

Categories: Sports
Move over, "Huntington Beach Bad Boy."

It's "The People's Champ."

That's the new nickname the UFC's Tito Ortiz says he now prefers over his old one.

"I signed over 15,000 autographs last weekend at the UFC fan expo," Ortiz reportedly told ESPN's Jon Robinson. "The first day I stood there for seven and a half hours. The second day I was there for over six hours. They had to kick me out. It was a lot of fun."

One way "The People's Champ" is proving to be a true people's champ? Going on Twitter (@tittoortiz) and letting MMA fans know he's about to play Call of Duty: Black Ops so they can join him. "A lot of people talk trash to me while we play and we just have a great time," Ortiz tells Robinson.

Of course, the person "The People's Champ" still must impress--other than Jenna Jameson, his girlfriend depending on how the wind's blowing (easy . . .)--is UFC president Dana White. After beating Ryan Bader at UFC 132 for his first victory since October 2006, Ortiz agreed to serve as a last-minute substitute to meet Rashad Evans a month later at UFC 133, where Ortiz lost the bout despite an impressive showing.

White, who'd said Ortiz should retire from the octagon if he lost to Bader, was asked if Ortiz should do the same if he loses to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 140.

"Yeah, I don't know," replied White (via 5th Round). "Again, I don't like answering those questions before a fight. I was impressed with Tito's last fight-he goes in and he beats Bader, he puts on an awesome showing against Rashad. But, we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens."

Not exactly a ringing endorsement for "The People's Champ."

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter: Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.

Privacy Policy

Most Popular Stories

Sign up for free stuff, news info & more!

Tools

General

Links

Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places

    Voice Places

    Discover restaurants, nightlife, travel, shopping...

  • VOICE Daily Deals

    VOICE Daily Deals

    Get 50 to 90% off every day on restaurants, movies, massages...

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    More than 10,000 of the BEST things to eat, drink, and experience

  • My Voice Nation

    My Voice Nation

    Join the Village Voice community and get exclusive deals and info

  • Happy Hour

    Happy Hour

    Your local Happy Hour guide at your fingertips

or

Log in or Sign up

Social Connect:

Use your favorite account to access My Voice Nation.


Use your My Voice Nation account to log in:





Forgot password?
or

Sign Up or Log in

Social Connect:

Sign up for My Voice Nation with your preferred network.


Sign up for a My Voice Nation account:



Privacy policy