Tito Ortiz had a lot of problems coming into UFC 132. He hadn't won a fight since 2006. His long-time girlfriend, Jenna Jameson, had engaged in a very public feud with him. And UFC President Dana White told the world he needed a victory against Ryan Bader to keep his job in the UFC. With his back against the wall, Ortiz delivered:
The victory was Ortiz's first since his last shellacking of Ken Shamrock in 2006, and his first finish of a non-Shamrock opponent since a first round drubbing of Elvis Sinosic in June of 2001.
It will be interesting to see where Ortiz and Bader go from here. The UFC pays Tito far too much to hang around and fight mid-card guys. I expect to see him matched up with the winner of Rich Franklin and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira's fight at UFC 133.
Bader's case is interesting. He's only 28, but he's now lost two big fights in a row. While no one will fault him for running into uber-prospect Jon Jones, losing to Tito Ortiz, in 2011, is a scarlet letter he'll carry for the rest of his career.
The victory was Ortiz's first since his last shellacking of Ken Shamrock in 2006, and his first finish of a non-Shamrock opponent since a first round drubbing of Elvis Sinosic in June of 2001.
It will be interesting to see where Ortiz and Bader go from here. The UFC pays Tito far too much to hang around and fight mid-card guys. I expect to see him matched up with the winner of Rich Franklin and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira's fight at UFC 133.
Bader's case is interesting. He's only 28, but he's now lost two big fights in a row. While no one will fault him for running into uber-prospect Jon Jones, losing to Tito Ortiz, in 2011, is a scarlet letter he'll carry for the rest of his career.