This is gonna hurt, p.16
This Is Gonna Hurt, page 16
But one thing changed for me during the writing process that was totally unexpected.
I’ve stopped smoking pot. I know what you’re thinking.He started out saying that he still used pot recreationally . And I did. I would smoke pot on occasion during the writing of this book.
But one day, after a long writing session, I started to think about what my life has been about and where it’s going. I just decided that if I was going to be a professional, clearheaded businessman in dealing with whatever comes my way in the future, I would have to give it up. So that day, I smoked one last joint.
And then I was done.
EPILOGUE
How the Story Ends
There’s always something going on in my life. If I tried to make this book totally up-to-date, the book would never come out. At some point I just have to say enough is enough.
So it’s finally time to close the door.
I just got back from New York, where I filmed the television seriesCelebrity Apprentice . It aired in January, so you all know how it turned out and how I did. It was a good opportunity to learn a lot about business, plus being on a primetime network television series didn’t hurt my profile.
I accepted theCelebrity Apprentice gig at a time when circumstances beyond my control caused me to step back and just think about things. Circumstances that began with my having to back out of the Rashad Evans rematch.
I had been having recurring back problems for quite a while, and it finally boiled down to my wanting to be one hundred percent healthy before I competed again. I wasn’t going to fight at seventy percent and make some other fighter look good, so I called up the UFC and told them I wasn’t in any condition to fight. I’m sure you heard a lot of stories and smack going down about my pulling out of the fight. But the reality was that, physically, I was in no condition to fight.
The UFC is trying to set up a fight for me in February 2008. At this point I wouldn’t mind fighting Shogun or any other top-five fighter. It’s typical of the UFC not to let me know who I’ll be fighting until the last six weeks. So my opponent is still a mystery to me at the time of this writing.
But if and when I have my next fight, that will be the last fight on my current contract. Because as of mid-November 2007, talks with the UFC have broken down. We’ve been going back and forth for a while but, all of a sudden, I haven’t heard from them in weeks. You know how it goes. It’s what I want versus what they want to give me. And right now, that’s the big stumbling block.
If the UFC is making twenty million per fight, I want a big chunk of that. My feeling is that when I start making twenty-five to fifty percent of the gate, that’s when it will all start to make sense.
I’ve got about three more years left as a fighter. I don’t want to look back later and think,Damn! I should have taken advantage of my last few years of competition in every possible way.
A couple of months ago, I was invited to Washington, D.C., by the USO to present an award to a soldier at this big gala dinner. While we were in Washington, I went on a tour of the Capitol Building with Jenna. We were led around by Senator Arlen Specter, which was totally cool. We got to sit in on one of the congressional sessions and I got to see things like the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. I was seeing things from our country’s history that I had only ever seen in books. It was a totally amazing experience for me.
There. You’re pretty much caught up on my life. And we’re at the end of the book. I’ve wanted to write this book for years. I wanted to let people know that it is possible for somebody to start out living a life as a total zero and end up living a life that most people dream about. It’s a happy ending…hell, it’s a great ending. But I’m only thirty-two. Getting to this point only makes me want to survive and to work even harder. I’m stoked to have been able to tell my story.
I’m still standing. There’s more to come.
—Tito Ortiz, November 2007
The Dossier
NAME: Jacob “Tito” Ortiz
NICKNAME: The Huntington Beach Bad Boy
BORN: January 23, 1975
HEIGHT: 6 ft. 2 in.
WEIGHT: 205 lbs.
TEAM ASSOCIATION: Team Punishment
FIGHTING STYLE: Wrestling, Submission Wrestling, Muay Thai
MMA FIGHTING RECORD
15 Wins
8 by Knockout
2 by Submission
5 by Decision
5 Losses
1 Draw
T-SHIRTS
UFC 18, Jerry Bohlander: I Just Fucked Your Ass
UFC 19, Guy Mezger: Gay Mezger Is My Bitch
UFC 22, Frank Shamrock: Tito put on a Frank Shamrock T-shirt and had Shamrock sign it.
UFC 25, Wanderlei Silva: I Just Killed The Axe Murderer!
UFC 29, Yuki Kondo: RESPECT I don’t earn it I just fucken take it
UFC 30, Evan Tanner: If You Can Read This I Just Stomped His Ass!
UFC 32, Elvis Sinosic: That’s American For “Whoop Ass” Mate
UFC 33, Vladmir Matyushenko: Fighting For America
UFC 40, Ken Shamrock: I Just Killed Kenny! You Bastard!
UFC 50, Patrick Côté: Who’s Next!
UFC 51, Vitor Belfort: Bring Home Our Troops!
UFC 59, Forrest Griffin: With Great Sacrifice Comes Great Rewards
UFC 61, Ken Shamrock: If You Fight Tito Ortiz You Lose! Ortiz vs Shamrock 3, Ken Shamrock: Punishing Him Into Retirement
UFC 66, Chuck Liddell: Thanks…U.S. Troops For Fighting For Our Country
UFC 73, Rashad Evans: Bad Boy For Life
ENTRANCE MUSIC
UFC 30: “Rollin’,” Limp Bizkit
UFC 32: “Break Stuff,” Limp Bizkit
UFC 33: “Break Stuff,” Limp Bizkit
UFC 40: “Break Stuff,” Limp Bizkit
UFC 44: “Let’s Do This Now,” KoRn
UFC 47: “Bad Boy For Life,” P. Diddy
UFC 50: “Bad Boy For Life,” P. Diddy
UFC 51: “Mosh,” Eminem
UFC 59: “Mosh,” Eminem
UFC 61: “Mosh,” Eminem
Ortiz vs Shamrock 3: “Mosh,” Eminem
UFC 66: “Mosh,” Eminem
UFC 73: “Mosh,” Eminem
PROFESSIONAL FIGHTING CAREER
UFC 13 vs Wes Albritton: Win: TKO (strikes), May 30, 1997, Augusta, Georgia
UFC 13 vs Guy Mezger: Loss: Submission (Guillotine Choke), May 30, 1997, Augusta, Georgia
West Coast NHB vs Jeremy Screeton: Win: Submission (Strikes), December 8, 1998
UFC 18 vs Jerry Bohlander: Win: Decision, January 8, 1999, New Orleans, Louisiana
UFC 19 vs Guy Mezger: Win: TKO (Strikes), March 3, 1999, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
UFC 22 vs Frank Shamrock: Loss: Submission (Strikes), September 24, 1999, Lake Charles, Louisiana
UFC 25 vs Wanderlei Silva: Win: Decision, April 14, 2000, Tokyo, Japan
UFC 29 vs Yuki Kondo: Win: Submission (Neck Crank), December 16, 2000, Tokyo, Japan
UFC 30 vs Evan Tanner: Win: KO (Slams), February 23, 2001, Atlantic City, New Jersey
UFC 32 vs Elvis Sinosic: Win: TKO (Cut), June 29, 2001, East Rutherford, New Jersey
UFC 33 vs Vladimir Matyushenko: Win: Decision, September 28, 2001, Las Vegas, Nevada
UFC 40 vs Ken Shamrock: Win: TKO (Corner Stoppage), November 22, 2002, Las Vegas, Nevada
UFC 44 vs Randy Couture: Loss: Decision, September 26, 2003, Las Vegas, Nevada
UFC 47 vs Chuck Liddell: Loss: KO (Punches), April 2, 2004, Las Vegas, Nevada
UFC 50 vs Patrick Côté: Win: Decision, October 22, 2004, Atlantic City, New Jersey
UFC 51 vs Vitor Belfort: Win: Decision, February 6, 2005, Las Vegas, Nevada
UFC 59 vs Forrest Griffin: Win: Decision, April 15, 2006, Anaheim, California
UFC 61 vs Ken Shamrock: Win (Strikes), July 8, 2006, Las Vegas, Nevada
Ortiz vs Shamrock 3 vs Ken Shamrock: Win: TKO (Punches), October 10, 2006, Hollywood, Florida
UFC 66 vs Chuck Liddell: Loss: TKO (Punches), December 30, 2006, Las Vegas, Nevada
UFC 73 vs Rashad Evans: Draw, July 7, 2007, Sacramento, California
Acknowledgments
I want to thank these people for their love, encouragement, and friendship. Without them my life would be a much emptier place. My mother Joyce. My father Samuel. My brothers Jim and Marty. Kristin Ortiz, Jenna Jameson, Paul Herrera, Raul Duarte, Scott Rotherd, the Nicely family, the Rotherd family, Wayne Harriman, and Keith Harriman. Love to you all.
Photographic Insert
Tito checking out the world at age one.
Joyce is all smiles as newborn Tito naps.
Tito’s parents, Samuel and Joyce, hard at work taking the leaves off marijuana plants.
Tito, age five, flanked by older brothers Mike, Marty, and Tiger the dog.
Tito, age four, on the beach at Corona Del Mar, California.
Tito’s kindergarten class photo. That’s Tito on the far right, top row.
Tito in a hard-fought match with Rico Martinez during his sophomore year in high school.
Tito on top during a junior college wrestling tournament.
Tito’s high school wrestling team photo. Tito is in the first row, dead in the middle.
Tito graduates high school. Brothers Mike and Jim can’t believe it.
Tito and his mom celebrate after Tito captured his first world title. Tito was twenty-three at the time.
Tito and former wife Kristin are all smiles during a pre-fight dinner.
A very big Tito and a very big Kristin just hours before the birth of their son, Jacob.
Tito sharing a quiet moment with then six-month-old Jacob.
Tito and Jacob show off their matching Mohawks.
Jacob brings out the smiles in papa Tito.
Tito getting away from it all on a fishing trip in San Diego, California.
Tito poses proudly with the catch of the day. It’s a simple equation: bigger man lands bigger fish.
Tito proves that he is a two-fisted fisherman with an albacore in each hand.
Tito and Jacob strike a menacing pose. Like father, like son.
Tito is a kid magnet during a photo shoot for his Punishment clothing line.
Fighters on the prowl in Japan. From left: Shone Carter, Chris Liddell, Tito, Chuck Liddell.
Jenna Jameson kicks Tito’s ass.
Tito and Jenna contemplate love, not war.
Tito Ortiz: The scariest man on the planet.
Tito strikes a pounding pose during a recent photo shoot.
Tito gets his fight face on during a recent photo session.
Tito’s shirts tell the tales of victories over Jerry Bohlander
Tito’s shirts tell the tales of victories over Patrick Côté
Tito’s shirts tell the tales of victories over Chuck Liddell
Tito’s shirts tell the tales of victories over Ken Shamrock.
Tito strikes a bad-boy pose.
Tito Ortiz, This Is Gonna Hurt
