BJJ Fighter
28-04-2004, 15:03
BoxingInsider.com: Tito, are you happy with your performance durring the Chuck Liddell fight last week?
Tito Ortiz: Yes, I'm really happy with the performance. It's just too bad that the mishap of his thumb hooking me in the eye off his left hook kind of stopped the fight for me. There was no other fight for me from then on out. I probably made a bad mistake by trying to close the gap in some positions, but at the same time, it was a mistake on Chuck's part, hooking me in the eye with a thumb. He saw that I was hurt and he just pretty much showed the type of fighter he really is by finishing me.
BoxingInsider.com: Many people have actually pointed out the thumb in the eye and I watched the replay many times. You're definitely wincing right before he hit you. Do you think that these MMA gloves that they're currently using are safe?
Tito Ortiz: I think they're safe. It's just something that happens -- little mishaps, accidents that happen like that. The next step now is making a rule for that because I think it's going to happen a lot more. I mean, it's too bad -- I lose a fight, of course due to Chuck Liddell's punching power, but more than anything by hindering my view of punches coming at me by hooking me with a thumb in the eye.
Photo: Joshua Hedges/UFC.tv
BoxingInsider.com: I want to ask you about that in a minute but my question while we're on the gloves is, at the event before that, Randy Couture was sliced in the eye by the seam of the glove. You were poked in the eye and it looked like Cabbage's ear got sliced. Do you think it might be time for them to look at some new gloves?
Tito Ortiz: I think so. I've looked at the glove myself. I train with the gloves and cuts do come a lot more quickly. But getting caught in the eye -- I think that's the most important thing. As far as boxing goes, when someone gets poked in the eye, the fight is stopped. They look to see if they can continue, let the doctor look at it, and usually go to the scorecards after the second or third round. So I think that some kind of rule that allows that is going to have to apply, or maybe possibly changing the gloves.
BoxingInsider.com: That's what I was going to get at. I'm looking at a boxing glove and I've got an MMA glove here in my hand. It's hard to get poked with the thumb of a boxing glove but the MMA glove -- your fingers just stick right out there. I know why they were designed, but do you think now that MMA is regulated and has gotten past whatever hurdles, it might be time to reinvent the glove?
Tito Ortiz: Yes, there are other things, too. A boxing glove is not open-palmed because in boxing there's no takedown. To do takedowns and submissions, you need to have an open glove. I don't know if they can make the glove bigger on the sides or in the palm -- make them a little bit heavier. Or they could just make a rule just in case someone getting caught in the eye the way I did happens again.
BoxingInsider.com: Okay, let's go back to the fight. You came into the fight a couple of pounds lighter than you would come in. Do you think that was a hindrance?
Tito Ortiz: No, I don't think it was a hindrance at all because at fight time, I was weighing about 216, 217 -- probably about 7 more pounds heavier than I was for the Couture fight. I just thought that the CVAC system that I'm using makes it a lot easier to lose weight because I'm in such great shape. The weight came off a lot more quickly than usual. I felt strong and at fight time, I felt strong. I don't think it was a hindrance to my competition. It's not good to lose that much weight but I was fine. My [sheet] felt really good and I felt confident going into the fight.
BoxingInsider.com: You stood there toe-to-toe with Chuck Liddell; he gave you props at the post-fight press conference. But as you and other people said, you were poked in the eye. Knowing what you know now, how would a rematch be any different from this match?
Tito Ortiz: I think I would add in my takedowns a little more. I wouldn't be so ignorant in just standing with the guy. I think that was something that I had to prove to myself. It was something that I had to prove -- "Oh, Tito's afraid to get hit" -- I'm not afraid to get hit with anything. I think it's just a factor of me stepping up and doing what I do best. The first round, I thought I was hanging good with Chuck Liddell. He barely hit me, gave me just one or two shots. I hit him with one or two shots. I had the game plan going throughout and I was trying to prove someone wrong by standing in the middle of the Octagon.
BoxingInsider.com:Where do you rank Tito Ortiz now in the 205 lb division?
Tito Ortiz:I'm not really worried about rankings or anything like that because when it's fight time, it just matters whose night it is. But I stay in the top five for sure. I'm not done in the sport. This loss did hurt me really badly -- I mean, I was more annoyed to get poked in the eye than anything because I couldn't really protect myself after that. Chuck Liddell fought a good fight but I still see myself in the top five in the world.
BoxingInsider.com: There's a rumor yesterday -- it popped up on the underground -- that you said you were going to the WWE.
Tito Ortiz: No, not any time soon. I've got more fights in me here.
BoxingInsider.com: Are you going to fight Lee Murray in June?
Tito Ortiz: I would love to fight Lee Murray in June. It's just that Lee Murray doesn't want to fight me. Poor kid, he's just caught so much flack…
BoxingInsider.com: He was on the Internet a few days ago calling you out.
Tito Ortiz: Really?
BoxingInsider.com: On MMAWeeklyRadio.com
Tito Ortiz: Really? Very cool. Well, hopefully they'll sign the contract and make it happen. I would love to fight him. I'm willing to fight anybody the UFC puts me up against. I think it lies in the hands of Joe Silva and Dana White right now, making the right decisions for the UFC's future. I want to fight anybody, man. Whoever wants to step up, I'm willing to fight. It's my time to come back and compete three times a year the way I used to, and that's going to make me a better fighter.
BoxingInsider.com: If you fought and beat Lee Murray, would you then be looking to jump back in the ring with Chuck and Randy again?
Tito Ortiz: I would love to. I would love to fight Chuck first. That would be the first fight I would like to do. I want to get redemption. I still think I can stand with the guy; I still think I could do a lot of different things for the game plan-wise -- actually make sure that I do win the next time I fight him.
Stay tuned for part 2 of boxinginsider.com's post fight interview with UFC superstar, Tito Ortiz. In part 2 Tito talks money, Ken Shamrock vs Kimo, how a rematch with Liddell would be different, and much more!
Tito Ortiz: Yes, I'm really happy with the performance. It's just too bad that the mishap of his thumb hooking me in the eye off his left hook kind of stopped the fight for me. There was no other fight for me from then on out. I probably made a bad mistake by trying to close the gap in some positions, but at the same time, it was a mistake on Chuck's part, hooking me in the eye with a thumb. He saw that I was hurt and he just pretty much showed the type of fighter he really is by finishing me.
BoxingInsider.com: Many people have actually pointed out the thumb in the eye and I watched the replay many times. You're definitely wincing right before he hit you. Do you think that these MMA gloves that they're currently using are safe?
Tito Ortiz: I think they're safe. It's just something that happens -- little mishaps, accidents that happen like that. The next step now is making a rule for that because I think it's going to happen a lot more. I mean, it's too bad -- I lose a fight, of course due to Chuck Liddell's punching power, but more than anything by hindering my view of punches coming at me by hooking me with a thumb in the eye.
Photo: Joshua Hedges/UFC.tv
BoxingInsider.com: I want to ask you about that in a minute but my question while we're on the gloves is, at the event before that, Randy Couture was sliced in the eye by the seam of the glove. You were poked in the eye and it looked like Cabbage's ear got sliced. Do you think it might be time for them to look at some new gloves?
Tito Ortiz: I think so. I've looked at the glove myself. I train with the gloves and cuts do come a lot more quickly. But getting caught in the eye -- I think that's the most important thing. As far as boxing goes, when someone gets poked in the eye, the fight is stopped. They look to see if they can continue, let the doctor look at it, and usually go to the scorecards after the second or third round. So I think that some kind of rule that allows that is going to have to apply, or maybe possibly changing the gloves.
BoxingInsider.com: That's what I was going to get at. I'm looking at a boxing glove and I've got an MMA glove here in my hand. It's hard to get poked with the thumb of a boxing glove but the MMA glove -- your fingers just stick right out there. I know why they were designed, but do you think now that MMA is regulated and has gotten past whatever hurdles, it might be time to reinvent the glove?
Tito Ortiz: Yes, there are other things, too. A boxing glove is not open-palmed because in boxing there's no takedown. To do takedowns and submissions, you need to have an open glove. I don't know if they can make the glove bigger on the sides or in the palm -- make them a little bit heavier. Or they could just make a rule just in case someone getting caught in the eye the way I did happens again.
BoxingInsider.com: Okay, let's go back to the fight. You came into the fight a couple of pounds lighter than you would come in. Do you think that was a hindrance?
Tito Ortiz: No, I don't think it was a hindrance at all because at fight time, I was weighing about 216, 217 -- probably about 7 more pounds heavier than I was for the Couture fight. I just thought that the CVAC system that I'm using makes it a lot easier to lose weight because I'm in such great shape. The weight came off a lot more quickly than usual. I felt strong and at fight time, I felt strong. I don't think it was a hindrance to my competition. It's not good to lose that much weight but I was fine. My [sheet] felt really good and I felt confident going into the fight.
BoxingInsider.com: You stood there toe-to-toe with Chuck Liddell; he gave you props at the post-fight press conference. But as you and other people said, you were poked in the eye. Knowing what you know now, how would a rematch be any different from this match?
Tito Ortiz: I think I would add in my takedowns a little more. I wouldn't be so ignorant in just standing with the guy. I think that was something that I had to prove to myself. It was something that I had to prove -- "Oh, Tito's afraid to get hit" -- I'm not afraid to get hit with anything. I think it's just a factor of me stepping up and doing what I do best. The first round, I thought I was hanging good with Chuck Liddell. He barely hit me, gave me just one or two shots. I hit him with one or two shots. I had the game plan going throughout and I was trying to prove someone wrong by standing in the middle of the Octagon.
BoxingInsider.com:Where do you rank Tito Ortiz now in the 205 lb division?
Tito Ortiz:I'm not really worried about rankings or anything like that because when it's fight time, it just matters whose night it is. But I stay in the top five for sure. I'm not done in the sport. This loss did hurt me really badly -- I mean, I was more annoyed to get poked in the eye than anything because I couldn't really protect myself after that. Chuck Liddell fought a good fight but I still see myself in the top five in the world.
BoxingInsider.com: There's a rumor yesterday -- it popped up on the underground -- that you said you were going to the WWE.
Tito Ortiz: No, not any time soon. I've got more fights in me here.
BoxingInsider.com: Are you going to fight Lee Murray in June?
Tito Ortiz: I would love to fight Lee Murray in June. It's just that Lee Murray doesn't want to fight me. Poor kid, he's just caught so much flack…
BoxingInsider.com: He was on the Internet a few days ago calling you out.
Tito Ortiz: Really?
BoxingInsider.com: On MMAWeeklyRadio.com
Tito Ortiz: Really? Very cool. Well, hopefully they'll sign the contract and make it happen. I would love to fight him. I'm willing to fight anybody the UFC puts me up against. I think it lies in the hands of Joe Silva and Dana White right now, making the right decisions for the UFC's future. I want to fight anybody, man. Whoever wants to step up, I'm willing to fight. It's my time to come back and compete three times a year the way I used to, and that's going to make me a better fighter.
BoxingInsider.com: If you fought and beat Lee Murray, would you then be looking to jump back in the ring with Chuck and Randy again?
Tito Ortiz: I would love to. I would love to fight Chuck first. That would be the first fight I would like to do. I want to get redemption. I still think I can stand with the guy; I still think I could do a lot of different things for the game plan-wise -- actually make sure that I do win the next time I fight him.
Stay tuned for part 2 of boxinginsider.com's post fight interview with UFC superstar, Tito Ortiz. In part 2 Tito talks money, Ken Shamrock vs Kimo, how a rematch with Liddell would be different, and much more!