Tito Ortiz Isn't Retired, Will 'Probably' Fight Unnamed Opponent in October

Tito Ortiz has said he's not done with MMA yet, as he's told TMZ he'll be coming out of retirement and fighting again this year.

The 44-year-old, who is a former UFC light heavyweight champion, faced off against Chuck Liddell in November and finished the bout against his longstanding rival in the first round via knockout.

After that success, Ortiz was expected to walk away from the sport. However, when TMZ caught up with him recently, he said he still has something to offer.

"I'll probably fight in October," Ortiz said. "After I fought Chuck last year, I thought it was gonna be my last one. But my body's intact, everything's fast, everything's great. Sparring's been good. Training's been great. So let's do one for fun."

Ortiz told ESPN's Ariel Helwani in November he thought he should have gotten more praise for the manner in which he beat 49-year-old Liddell:

In the same interview, the Huntington Beach Bad Boy told Helwani his win over Liddell was "definitively" his last fight, per Chamatkar Sandhu of ESPN.

Former UFC fighter and current Bellator competitor Chael Sonnen, a former opponent of Ortiz, was critical of the contest and the way Oscar De La Hoya promoted it:

Per TMZ, the Californian did not provide any details in regard to a possible opponent, although TMZ said "it could be signed, sealed and delivered within days."

In January, Bellator President Scott Coker said he'd be open to Ortiz fighting under their banner, although he wouldn't want to see Ortiz take on Sonnen in a rematch of their 2017 showdown in Bellator, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN:

Ortiz was at his peak between 2000 and 2003. At UFC 25 in 2000, he won the light heavyweight belt against Wanderlei Silva and went on to defend the title five more times before he lost to Randy Couture in 2003.

The win over Liddell saw Ortiz gain a measure of revenge for losses at UFC 47 and UFC 66.