Ex-UFC champ Tito Ortiz arrested on suspicion of DUI
UFC Hall of Famer and current Bellator MMA fighter Tito Ortiz was arrested early Monday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence after he crashed his Porsche Panamera on a Los Angeles freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A preliminary alcohol screening showed Ortiz had a blood alcohol level of .12, CHP public information officer Karina Munoz told MMAjunkie. The legal limit in California is .08.
Ortiz, 38, was booked at a Los Angeles Police Department substation, where he posted a $15,000 bond and was released this morning, inmate records show.
The fighter was driving north on the I-405 freeway with two unknown passengers when he collided with the center median wall, Munoz said. Officers arrived on scene, and Ortiz agreed to to a field sobriety test.
Ortiz was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor DUI at 4:37 a.m. PT and booked into jail at 6:08 a.m. PT, records show. The Porsche suffered moderate damage in the wreck, which happened near the Santa Monica Blvd. exit of the 405.
Ortiz did not respond to requests for comment.
The former UFC champ has had quite a few tough breaks as of late. He signed with Bellator MMA this past August to headline the promotion’s inaugural pay-per-view opposite ex-champ Quinton “Rampage†Jackson, but he suffered a fractured neck that forced him to withdraw from the Nov. 6 event.
Bellator officials then said Ortiz wouldn’t be able to fight for several months and couldn’t give a timetable for a possible return.
Ortiz’s former wife, ex-porn star Jenna Jameson, has feuded with the fighter publicly over the custody of their twins, Jesse Jameson and Journey Jette.
Ortiz (16-11-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) was last seen in the cage in July 2012 at UFC 148, where he lost a unanimous decision to Forrest Griffin in a rubber match. He later announced his retirement from the sport and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
