Well it looks like the date that Hell will freeze over has been announced. Tito Ortiz will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame during the UFC Fan Expo due to take place in Las Vegas next month. And whether he goes in as the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” or the “People’s Champion,” Ortiz will be one of the most polarizing individuals inducted into the Hall. He will join Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, Randy Couture, Mark Coleman, Chuck Liddell, Charles “Mask” Lewis, Jr., and Matt Hughes. And if you look at this grouping, you may not find the “best fighters of all time,” but more of a collection of historical personalities that have graced the sport at important points in its history. If you look at Ortiz’s career, his record can easily be considered subpar, but we’ve seen that isn’t all that goes into the making of a Hall of Fame nomination. Record aside, this is an accolade earned by putting together a career that has been important for many different reasons.
With a 16-10-1 record, Ortiz should be happy that win-loss stats are not the only numbers that matter when it comes to being placed in the UFC’s Hall of Fame. Whether or not he had his hand raised as often as some would like, Ortiz has had an impactful career. The moments that he has played a part in creating are some of the more important points in the development of mixed martial arts as a whole.
His fight with Frank Shamrock at UFC 22 in 1999 was a “passing of the torch” of sorts, as he took the mantle of the face of the company. Though he was defeated in the outing, he and Shamrock put on one of the best MMA fights of that time, as they battled over the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Less than a year later, he would defeat Wanderlei Silva for that same title. Over the next two years, he would defend that title five different times, which is still the record for title defenses in the 205-pound weight class. While Ortiz may not have fought the best competition of his time, he still did so in a way that created a massive fan following.
Though the fight with Frank Shamrock was a major milestone, it was his rivalry with a different Shamrock that became one of the more interesting rivalries that MMA has known to this point. The image of Ken Shamrock hanging on the top of the Octagon screaming at Ortiz has become one of the most famous pictures in the sport’s history. The famous “Gravedigger” motion, and the way Ortiz completely disrespected Shamrock’s “Lion’s Den” team, have since become the stuff of legend. This feud culminated in three bouts between the two fighters: the first in 2002, and the last two in 2006. Ortiz dominated all three of the fights, none of which were extremely exciting, however what happened at UFC 61 inside of the cage wasn’t as important as what happened outside of it. At a time when Pay-Per-View and live gate numbers were a fraction of what they are today, this event drew 775,000 buys and a live gate of $3.4 million dollars, which ranks it as one of the biggest events in UFC history.
Yet even with these accomplishments under his belt, no one would have been shocked if Ortiz was kept out of the UFC’s Hall of Fame due to his unpleasant history with UFC President Dana White. Other than Ken Shamrock, most of the individuals inducted into the Hall had a “positive” relationship with the organization leading up to their induction, and much of Ortiz’s career has been the exact opposite. How many people get the opportunity to fight their boss, who was once their manager, on national TV and then duck out of the match? Over the years, comments from White have painted a negative picture of Ortiz time and time again — quite the contrast to where other inductees have stood when it was time for each of them to hoist the plaque above their heads.
Some will debate whether or not Ortiz should be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but the question needs to be asked correctly. Ortiz belongs in the UFC’s Hall of Fame because of what he’s done for that company, but when it comes to a “Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame,” you could easily question his accomplishments compared to other fighters across the sport. Leaving him out of a Hall of Fame dedicated to the entire sport of mixed martial arts would not be a travesty, like Bill Parcells and Cris Carter being kept out of the NFL Hall of Fame. It would be more of a testament to what’s truly important when it comes to athletic performances, and growth of the sport as a whole. Ortiz did a lot to build his brand, carrying the UFC when the company needed him to, and talking his way to big bucks. Yet his performances against the best fighters the sport had to offer were never great.
Days before his final appearance in the Octagon at UFC 148 against Forrest Griffin, Tito Ortiz will take his place in the UFC Hall of Fame. No one will make an argument that he’s the greatest of all time, but this is one of the last moments he will have to shine as an active fighter, and he’s earned it.
