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- Dana White and Tito Ortiz went from friends to legal threats after their business relationship deteriorated dramatically.
- Ortiz lost his UFC perks and turned down a boxing match with White, citing contractual issues and mutual animosity.
- Despite training for it, the highly anticipated boxing match between White and Ortiz never materialized.
Dana White is known in the sports and mixed martial arts world for his outspoken and fiery personality, but there may be nothing better than a bizarre situation that almost led to a legal battle with an employee.
The UFC president is no stranger to feuds with fighters from Cris Cyborg to Georges St-Pierre. But Tito Ortiz, also known as The People's Champ, took it to a whole new level.
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From friend to enemy
Ortiz and White didn't necessarily hate each other
- White became Ortiz's manager in the late 1990s and renegotiated the former heavyweight champion's contract.
- Everything changed when White and the Fertitta brothers set out to buy the UFC.
Things weren't always heated between White and the former UFC light heavyweight champion.White revealed in documentary UFC Bad Blood Dana White Tito Ortiz, who met mixed martial artist in the late 1990s. Mr. Ortiz has already had four disputes with the company, which was then under different ownership. At the time, Ortiz told White that he was unhappy with the UFC's treatment of him, including not being paid on time. The two developed a friendship, and White became Ortiz's manager. White's first order of business was to renegotiate his contract with the UFC, which he successfully accomplished. Ortiz became the 205-pound champion after UFC 29 and seemed happy and all was well.
But around the time of Ortiz's first title defense in December 2000, an opportunity presented itself to White, who learned that the UFC was in financial trouble. White, a Connecticut native, and his childhood friends Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta explored buying the UFC, and the two soon became owners of the organization. However, his relationship with Ortiz quickly deteriorated. White, who was also the manager of UFC legend Chuck Liddell, was barred from representing and promoting fighters at the same time.
An undisclosed attorney who White claimed to be a friend became Ortiz and Liddell's new manager. The People's Champion felt betrayed after making multiple defenses of the light heavyweight title after taking over Whyte.
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“I was champion for four years,” Ortiz said in the documentary. I did a lot for sports. I felt like I deserved to be recognized in some way. My manager just seemed to agree with everything Dana said. There has never been any negotiation. He was just a lawyer, not a manager. he didn't know what he was doing.
So he ended up firing his lawyer and hiring a new manager because he wanted more money.
When Dana White and Tito Ortiz's relationship went sour
Ortiz lashes out at white man after losing light heavyweight title
- Ortiz began to lose visibility with the UFC after he was no longer able to get free tickets to events, and his name was removed from the website.
- The two men hated each other so much that they were offered a contract for a boxing match.
But after People's Champ lost to Randy Couture at UFC 44, it started to take center stage. Ortiz is no longer the light heavyweight world champion, and White pointed out that the former 205-pound champion threw Ortiz under the bus. White said, “He came out with a new manager and started saying some fucked up stuff like I never did anything for him and I was shitting on him all the time.'' You're out of line, you crazy son of a bitch.” **t.
It's safe to say that after that point, the two were no longer friends. White even admitted that he never wanted to be associated with Ortiz again. Ortiz said People's Champ was no longer offered free tickets to UFC events, his name was removed from the company's website and he was once kicked out of the building for throwing a T-shirt at a fan. That's what it means.
Ortiz didn't fight in the UFC for about a year and a half and didn't earn any money. Ultimately, the two talked and White chose Ortiz as his coach for Season 3 of the reality show. The ultimate fighter. But don't get me wrong. The two still despise each other, so much so that a contract was offered for a three-round boxing match between the two.
White and Ortiz wanted to box each other
Why it didn't happen
- White had obstacles to overcome, but he got the green light from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
- The match did not happen after Ortiz called White Day the day before the weigh-in.
- Ortiz revealed that the potential bout is “lose or lose” for him.
White first started boxing at the age of 17 and reportedly taught classes, but never fought professionally. For a while, it looked like an unprecedented match between a company boss and an employee would take place in the ring. They both wanted it, whether it looked the best or not. White took it seriously and began training for the fight with Ortiz while running his own MMA company. However, there were hurdles in his path, including getting approval from the state athletic commission.
In particular, there were concerns about Whyte's age (37 at the time) and whether he was fit enough to fight. However, the UFC president was able to secure a boxing license vote from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. However, the match never materialized as Ortiz did not show up for the weigh-in. A few days earlier, The People's Champ called UFC bosses and told them he was firing him.
Although it wasn't initially clear why, Ortiz told Yahoo Sports that the fight was “lose it or lose it” for him.
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“The money I got from the fight was supposed to be 50-50, but when it came time to sign the contract – and I always sign fight agreements in my fights. –That didn't happen.'' “I didn't get anything out of it,'' Ortiz said.
The fight will probably never happen, but any fan can imagine what would happen if Ortiz showed up? Did Whyte shock the world with his knockout? Or will he get criticized for hitting his own employee? Perhaps it is a good thing for both parties' reputations that this battle did not come to fruition.