Tito Ortiz called time on his near 20-year career on Saturday night after one last victory over Chael Sonnen at Bellator 170, and afterwards he says he received a message from UFC President Dana White.
Of course Ortiz and White have had a rollercoaster relationship over the years, starting when White was his manager, and later his boss at the UFC, and now that Ortiz’s hung up his gloves for good it seems that White has reached out to permanently bury the hatchet.
“(Dana) actually sent my girlfriend [former Octagon girl Amber Nichole Miller] a text message, because she used to work for the UFC and they always talk back and forth,” Ortiz revealed in an interview with ESPN. “When I first signed with Bellator, Dana sent me focus mitts with his face on it, saying ‘if this doesn’t motivate you, nothing will’. So I guess that’s our love-hate relationship we got towards each other.
“I guess thanks Dana for the text saying ‘That’s the way you should go out, on top,’” he said.
Ortiz went on to acknowledge that despite their differences over years, that his overall feelings about White are still positive.
“I love the guy man, he’s my first manager,” Ortiz said. “I always just fought for what I wanted for my entire career. No hard feelings. I’ve grown up a lot in the last 4 years. I’ve done a lot of things business-wise looking for my future. I’ve made some mistakes before, and I’m never making those mistakes again.”
