By Evan Stoumbelis
The Huntington Beach Bad Boy Tito Ortiz will be inducted into the California Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on May 20th for his “numerous contributions to the sport throughout the years.”
Tito’s next fight will take place at UFC 148 for his rubber match against Forrest Griffin. For Ortiz, this will be the last time he steps into the Octagon. “I just turned 37 years old,” he said in March “I’ve been in the game for 15 years and competing only with the UFC. I know it’s time for me to kind of hang ’em up.”
Tito, a former UFC Light Heavyweight champion, is considered to be one of the most recognizable faces in the MMA community. With memorable bouts against Ken Shamrock, Wanderlai Silva, and as I mentioned before, Forrest Griffin, fans can almost guarantee Tito’s UFC Hall of Fame induction in the future.
Tito was also a California Community College Athletic Association State Champion and All-American in 1995-96. In 2000, Tito competed in the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling tournament where he placed third, winning 4-5 fights, including a victory over UFC legend Matt Hughes.
On May 20th Tito will be out of the country, and his 9-year old son Jacob will be receiving the award on his fathers behalf.