Tito Ortiz Says He’s Not Looking Past Alberto El Patron, Says He Has Three-Year Roadmap Set

Tito Ortiz spoke with MMA Weekly about his fight with Alberto El Patron at Combate Americas this weekend. Highlights are below:

On why he’s returning now: “To that point, I really wasn’t sure that I was going to step back into the cage. I felt very satisfied. I know what I did for the camp to put in what I did and to make Chuck look like he did. I put in a good camp of 18 weeks, and I came to a crossroad in my life if do I still compete or I go along the business route, and I still have the hunger. I called Randy Couture and asked him, “Randy, when you were 43, what made you come back and win a world title?” He said, “I didn’t feel like I was done. I felt like I had a lot more to do.” That was all I needed to hear. I got off the phone with Randy, and I felt like I had a lot more to do. Combate America came to me with a meeting and things went really great and they said Alberto wanted to fight me. I said, “I’m in. Let’s do this.” It showed the respect that Combate Americas had for me; they signed me to an ambassadorship, they signed me for two fights, and gave me what I wanted and what I felt I deserved. I put in a camp like I’ve never put before in my career. I’m healthy. My mind’s right. My body’s right. It’s time to go war.”

On facing El Patron: “He’s a wrestler, so he’s going to want to close the gap as quick as possible, but that’s my strength. I want to keep it on my feet. I want to knock him out. I want to finish it quick in the first round and go on to my next fight. I want to take the least damage possible. His threats are takedowns and submissions on the ground, but at the level that I’ve competed against, maybe not. I’m not looking past him. I’m not saying this is a gimme fight. I’m going to go in there and do what I need to do. I’ve been training hard for this fight. I’ve put in a long, long camp, and I’m prepared. I can’t look behind me and see one rock unturned. I’ve done everything I can possibly need to do to get my hand raised on December 7.”

On being more at peace with himself now than he used to be: “I think it’s going out, fighting, and having fun, and just compete at a high level that I know I can do. Not having injuries has been a big factor in my career. From 2003 to 2014, 2015, I’ve always had injuries. Now I don’t have injuries. They’re gone. My surgeon has taken care of me. I’m the Six Million Dollar Man – I’ve been rebuilt, and I’m able to push myself in training like I never have before. I’m happy. Life is good. Life is happy. I don’t have a person being negative on me or attacking me all the time. I have positive reinforcement around me at all times, and I’m very thankful for that. I think it’s allowed me to train the way I do, and having a great mindset doing it makes me a dangerous fighter.”

On his plan for the future: “I have a roadmap now for the next three years. I know what I’m going to do. I’m going to continue the ambassadorship for Combate Americas. I have another fight after this fight. A lot of businesses I’m doing, I’m just trying to keep infrastructure solid and lay the grounds the right way. It is about business, but I’ve got to make sure there is an end game to all of this, and business is that end game. I’ve got to make sure I look for my future; looking for the future is always the best thing to do; plan for the future, and don’t go by day by day.”