Tito Ortiz is 40 years old and he’s sensing that the end is near, but that isn’t stopping him from making one more run at a title.
Ortiz isn’t desperately cloning to a fading career, he’s had two pretty dominant wins in a row, and he isn’t just making a quick money grab. Ortiz wants to be the bed one more time and Bellator is willing to give him that chance.
“You never know what times can tell, but right now that’s my goal,” Ortiz told MMAFighting.com. “That’s what I want to do. I’m 40 years old. In 17 years, I’ve done everything in the sport. Retiring as the champion and being the only athlete to ever do that, I think goals like that are set in the mind. I want to make that happen. I’ve done so much in the sport that no athlete has ever done in mixed martial arts and I want to continue doing it.”
He may not be in line to hold the UFC title ever again but to Ortiz the Bellator championship is just as special:
“I love to compete,” Ortiz said. “I want to be a world champion and Bellator is gonna give me the opportunity after coming off of two wins. I’m thankful for it.”
He will have to work fast if he plans on becoming champion because he says that he only has enough in the tank for a few more fights:
“I have a couple more fights left in me,” Ortiz said. “I want to go on to bigger things. I have kids. I don’t want the chance of being paralyzed or something like that. I want to get my last two fights the best I can and that’s for a world title, get that world title, defend it and retire as the world champion.”
Tito is planning on the title fight occurring in June against whomever holds the title at that point.