UFC 140 Results: Tito Ortiz Can't Fight Off Father Time

Tito Ortiz lost his fight against Rogério Nogueira when Bruce Buffer belted out, "The People's Champ". I understand Tito is positioning himself to be a reputable business man and doesn't want to be associated with his trash talking bad boy days, but that was the one thing he had to fuel his fights. He started as the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" and he should finish as the HBBB.

I've always enjoyed watching Tito fight, and I want to make the comparisons to the end of Tito's career to that of Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, other UFC Legends, but I can't. Tito Ortiz made his name from being an abrasive, trash talking fighter who would do things such as flip off the corner of the other opponent. He did not win the big fights the same way Chuck and Randy did, but he was still able to maintain his relevancy in the sport.

Over the last five years Tito is 1-6-1, which is one of the worst runs of any fighter in the history of the promotion. He has maintained a UFC career based upon what he did for the sport between 1997 and 2006. There are many reasons why Tito has struggled in recent years, but none is more significant than the effects of father time. There comes a time where one has to step aside for the next generation of fighters, and that time has now come for Tito.

Tito, now 36 years old and with one fight left on his UFC contract, has come to the realization that the sun is setting on his career. To Tito's credit, he isn't trying to stay on longer than his body will allow him to. His losses haven't been due to a weakened chin, and thankfully for he and his family he is going to be able to leave the octagon relatively healthy. Tito has dealt with back issues most of his career, and that will still linger, but he didn't suffer the knockout defeats that scare the families of so many fighters in both the boxing and MMA world.

For Tito's last fight, I believe he will lobby to complete the trilogy with Forrest Griffin. It would be a fitting end, to both careers perhaps, for that to end in spectacular fashion and to give closure to the rivalry.

Tito Ortiz, today is known as the People's Champ, but will forever be known as the Huntington Beach Bad Boy.