Talk about a rollercoaster ride.
Moments ago, Tito Ortiz left the doctor’s office in his hometown of Huntington Beach, California and finally got the official word as to the extent of his myriad of injuries suffered before and during his fight with Forrest Griffin at UFC 59 back on April 15. He called InsideFighting to break the news.
“The news is good and bad,” Ortiz told InsideFighting. “The good news is that my ACL is healing well. There are no serious tears. And my LCL is only stretched, so that will be fine, too. As for the bulging discs in my back, they’ve given me some anti-inflammatory pills and might go the route of a cortisone shot. That treatment plus some rest and I’ll be fine.”
And the bad?
“I suffered a broken leg when I checked a kick,” he admitted. “I fractured the fibula in my left leg. But the doctors said that it will be fully healed in four-to-six weeks.”
Unfortunately, the injuries guarantee that Ortiz won’t be able to compete at UFC 61 on July 8.
“I can’t fight in July because there won’t be enough time after my injuries heal to get into top shape,” he explained. “I would love for Zuffa to hold Ken Shamrock until August and let us fight at UFC 62. I’d definitely be ready to fight by then. But I know they won’t postpone the fight. They’re going to give him to Forrest Griffin instead.”
In fact, UFC President Dana White already announced that he is going to substitute in Griffin for the injured Ortiz against Shamrock on July 8. So that begs the question: If Tito could play matchmaker, who would he choose to fight next?
“I would prefer to fight Shamrock because there has been a ton of buildup for the fight,” he said. “It’s something that I’ve wanted for a long, long time. But Forrest is going to beat him in July and that will be the end of Ken Shamrock. That’s not all bad, though. I definitely want a rematch with Forrest so I can show the world how badly I’ll beat him when I’m healthy. So I want a rematch with Forrest Griffin in my next fight.”
Fifteen minutes after receiving that call, Ortiz called InsideFighting back with a massive exclusive update.
“It really came down to the fact that I’ll be 100 percent healed in four-to-six weeks and will have six weeks to train for Shamrock,” Ortiz said in a shocking revelation. That’s enough. I’ll be ready. I got home and decided that I don’t want to let the money go from a Shamrock fight, so I called Dana White and made his year. He was pumped when he heard that I’m willing to fight Shamrock on July 8, even though I have a broken leg. I just want to get back in there after the Griffin fight and give Shamrock a beating.”
But the broken leg?
“I’ll be ready,” he insisted. “I’ll let my leg heal and then will do my road work for six weeks and get into great shape. The broken leg isn’t as bad as a torn ACL would have been.”
Needless to say, Ortiz sounded down and upset when InsideFighting spoke with him multiple times over the last few days. But he was completely upbeat and excited in this last conversation, one where he delivered the news with conviction and purpose.
“This is the life of a fighter,” Ortiz laughed. “It’s an emotional rollercoaster. But I’m fighting Shamrock in July. I made my decision. I told Dana just a few minutes ago. It’s happening. What it really comes down to is being mentally strong. I’m excited. I really want to fight Shamrock. I don’t want to give that fight to Forrest, so I’m going to fight him no matter what.”
All i know is that all the Tito haters will have a hard time questioning his heart now. I really hope that he doesn't hurt himself worst by doing this but am very impressed with the fact that he would fight dispite his injuries.
