Police are investigating a burglary at the home of UFC legend Tito Oritz, according to TMZ Sports. Officers responded to a call for service at Ortiz’s home in Southen California early Friday morning after alleged theft took place there, a spokesperson from the Huntington Beach Police Department said. Oritz was reportedly not at home during the burglary, and the investigation is ongoing.
Ortiz, 47, is one of the fighters that made UFC what it is today. A member of the pioneer wing of the UFC Hall of Fame, Ortiz won the Light Heavyweight Championship and had five successful title defenses, which is second on the all-time list. He is also tied for the second-most wins in the Light Heavyweight Division with 15. His last mixed martial arts match was in Dec. 2019 when he defended former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio. Some of Oritz’s most notable wins include Ken Shamrock, Forrest Griffin, Vitor Belfort and his arch-rival Chuck Liddell.
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In a conversation with Helen Yee, Ortiz talked about competing in one final fight against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. “It’s never over and I think I made that mistake with the UFC when I said I’ll never fight for the UFC ever again. And now I think about it, that’ll be an amazing last fight for myself and for Shogun Rua,” he said, per Body Elbow. “Shogun has his last fight with the UFC, we’re in kind of the same era, so it would be nice to see a Tito Ortiz vs. Shogun. I would like that. I have a lot of respect for Shogun, I think he’s an amazing former champion, an amazing fighter. I watched his last fight. I thought he won the fight, but they ended up giving it to OSP. Let’s see what happens in the future.”
Oritz has also gotten into politics as he was sworn in as the Mayor Pro Tempore of Huntington Beach in Dec. 2020. However, Ortiz resigned from the city council in June 2021 after a challenging six-month tenure. “From day one, when I was sworn in, I was met with hostility and judgment,” Ortiz said in his resignation statement, while also stating that he has been “the sole focus of character assassination each and every week with multiple news stories leaking personal information all to slander and defame my name.”
