Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz recently shared a conspiracy theory about the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by a police offer in Minneapolis, Minnesota in late May.
Ortiz voiced this conspiracy theory, which is equal parts baseless and toxic, on social media. In short, he suggested the killing of George Floyd is part of some elaborate scheme by the Joe Biden presidential campaign, rather than the result of deep-rooted and institutionalized racism in the United States.
He also denied that Floyd was killed by officer Derek Chauvin, contrary to overwhelming and evidence to the contrary.
Tito Ortiz has a George Floyd conspiracy theory pic.twitter.com/PcIIbB6oEu
— Borrachinha Depot (@FullContactMTWF) May 31, 2020
“All of the sudden when Biden said ‘If you ain’t vote for me you ain’t black,’” Ortiz said. “What’s the best way to do it? Oh let’s go ahead and let a officer supposedly kill a black guy. You know he died from a heart condition right? It wasn’t suffocation. Crazy.
“It’s not right,” Ortiz added. “I’m not saying it’s right. It’s completely wrong. The cop should have never did that. But the cop that got arrested looks nothing like the cop that did it. Crazy. The only reason I say this shit is because I speak the truth.”
Of course, Tito Ortiz is not “speaking the truth” in this case. He’s not even sharing a healthy dose of skepticism. His theory is nothing more than unfounded paranoia and should be taken as such.