MMA Submission of the Day: Tito Ortiz Saves UFC Career With Win Over Ryan Bader

It was pretty clear going into UFC 132 that former UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz (16-8-1) had to win to keep his career in the UFC. He had not won since 2006 when he defeated Ken Shamrock for the third time.

His opponent, Ryan Bader, was ranked in the top ten and is a former Ultimate Fighter winner whose only loss came at the hands of the current UFC LHW champion. He had wins over Keith Jardine, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Eric Schafer.

It didn't take very long for Ortiz to engage with his opponent early on in the bout. As Bader was switching stances, Ortiz charged in and hit him with a right hand. Bader was knocked down and hurt while Ortiz jumped on him.

After throwing a series of shots to his head, "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" locked on a guillotine and pulled guard. It didn't take long for Bader to tap, and Ortiz almost didn't let go of the choke till a second or two after the referee waved off the fight.

The 36 year old celebrated his win with his post-fight "gravedigger" routine, letting fans know that he isn't done just yet.

It was Ortiz' second submission win of his career. His first was against Yuki Kondo at UFC 29 in 2000.

With the win, some fans are considering Ortiz to be back to full form, while others are still concerned with just how much he has left in the tank. The win over Bader proved he is still capable of beating some of the top fighters in the world.

Check out Sal DeRose's knockout of the day article featuring two other UFC 132 competitors, here!

Also, read about who Tito Ortiz is looking to fight next in this article by Bleacher Report's Trent Reinsmith.