Ortiz: ‘Yes, I am rooting for Chuck to win’
Breaking his silence about his neck injury, withdrawing from his fight with Chuck Liddell and being replaced on The Ultimate…
Breaking his silence about his neck injury, withdrawing from his fight with Chuck Liddell and being replaced on The Ultimate Fighter, Tito Ortiz said he plans to be back in the cage around October or November, and hopes to return against Liddell.
Speaking on Spike’s Inside the Ultimate Fighter podcast, Ortiz said he will actually be rooting for Liddell in his UFC 115 bout this weekend against Rich Franklin, but said win or lose, Liddell should have to face him later this year.
Asked to respond to Liddell’s accusations, Ortiz said that he originally agreed to do the show even before he fought Forrest Griffin at UFC 106, and even after suffering numbness and other physical pain from a neck injury following the Griffin fight, he still thought he would be able to complete the season and fight Liddell until two doctors — including a UFC-approved doctor — told him otherwise.
“Me with my mind focused, being in the gym everyday and being the strong, ferocious, ground-and-pound artist I am, when I get back in the cage, you’ll see Tito Ortiz is back,” he said.
Ortiz, who also spoke about his time coaching the TUF contestants and who the best long-term prospects were, left one major surprise.
“Hopefully Chuck will get a knockout in the first round,” he said. “Yes, I am rooting for Chuck to win.”