{"id":4877,"date":"2011-06-19T14:50:17","date_gmt":"2011-06-19T18:50:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fitzness.com\/blog\/?p=4877"},"modified":"2014-10-26T12:56:59","modified_gmt":"2014-10-26T17:56:59","slug":"tito-ortiz-on-fitness-family-punishment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitzness.com\/blog\/tito-ortiz-on-fitness-family-punishment\/","title":{"rendered":"UFC Star Tito Ortiz on Fitness, Fighting, Family & Punishment"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TitoOrtiz.com<\/p><\/div>\n

The Huntington Beach Bad Boy<\/em>, Tito Ortiz<\/a>, isn’t at all what most would expect him to be. Sure he’s a\u00a0Championship UFC Fighter with a fondness for punishment<\/strong>, but he’s also a dedicated father with a high priority on education. No really, you’ll be surprised to hear what his rules are for his kids. Tito sat down with Fitzness<\/em> to talk about everything including: bleeding, business, a diverse training routine, food, his father and his future. Oh – and if you’re trying to build insane endurance (in case, for example … you needed to survive a fight with another highly skilled giant man who wanted to take your head off) check out his unique training technique.<\/p>\n

Fitzness: What made you get into MMA in the first place?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tito Ortiz: <\/strong>I started back in 1997 after wrestling in high school and college.\u00a0 A guy by the name of Tank Abbot needed a wrestling partner to train for MMA, so I became his training partner.\u00a0 I saw a guy by the name of Jerry Bohlander in UFC who I had whooped in wrestling in high school.\u00a0 I figured, if he can do it, why can\u2019t I?\u00a0 At UFC 13 on May 30, 1997 I got my first chance and the fight stopped in 22 seconds.\u00a0 In the finals I fought an American who happened to be the Japanese champion and I lost by submission.\u00a0 I had done well to that point and made him bleed, so they stopped the fight.\u00a0 When they started again, he got me into a submission.<\/p>\n

After the fight, there was something that kind of caught on to me that I loved about it.\u00a0 I had gone to college to be a high school teacher and coach because I wanted to work with kids and be a role model.\u00a0 I only had my parents who were addicted to drugs and living on the streets.\u00a0 I figured, instead of being there for 30-40 kids in a classroom, I’d get to influence millions of kids across the world by being a pro fighter in UFC<\/p>\n

Fitzness: How did you get the nickname, \u201cThe Huntington Beach Bad Boy?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tito: <\/strong>It was an alias given to me by my peers.\u00a0 I grew up in Huntington Beach during the punk rock years.\u00a0 I was the kid who didn’t really have anyone around to tell me what to do, so I pretty much did what I wanted to … and spoke the truth, which carried into UFC.\u00a0 I never thought of the repercussions that would come from being so outspoken.\u00a0 I just believed that I was representing myself.\u00a0 \u00a0People always said I was a boy playing a man\u2019s game, and I was.\u00a0 After six months of training I had my first fight.\u00a0 Then a year and a half later I became the world champion. \u00a0I believe that was a product of hard work and dedication.\u00a0 As far as my bad boy image, it just progressed more and more and more with my bleached hair and flames on my shorts.\u00a0 I had that confidence not cockiness on my side.\u00a0 Being brash sold and I saw more opportunity to have that bad boy image.<\/p>\n

Fitzness: I see you have your own clothing line Punishment Clothing<\/a>, what got you started in fashion and how has it been going?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tito: <\/strong>After a fight, I had fans asking me if I had a shirt or anything that I could sign for them and I didn\u2019t.\u00a0 I went home from that same fight and my brother Marty said, \u201cWow man, you punished that guy.\u201d\u00a0 That got me to thinking I should put Punishment on shirts with titoortiz.com on the bottom.\u00a0 By 1999 I had gotten the Punishment Trademark.\u00a0 It is now a multi-million dollar company with clothes, gyms, and training facilities, but most of all it\u2019s a lifestyle. \u00a0Everyone thinks that Punishment is vicious, but it can mean anything.\u00a0 Everyone goes through punishment, whether it is with work, friends or even relationships.\u00a0 It\u2019s anything that happens in life that people can learn from and become better because of it.\u00a0 Sometimes you have to subdue some punishment to be successful in life.\u00a0 This brand is very tight to my heart and it\u2019s just me.\u00a0 I funded it all myself and I have five people working very hard for me.\u00a0 It\u2019s something for me to fall back on, because I won\u2019t fight my whole life.<\/p>\n

Fitzness: Most, if not all MMA fighters are in great shape.\u00a0 What is your fitness regiment like?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tito: <\/strong>I train six days a week, run three miles a day, spar, wrestle, Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing and boxing.\u00a0 I put in about an eight hour day 5-6 days a week.\u00a0 It\u2019s definitely a full time job trying to do all of this, but at the same time doing my clothing line, running my gym and of course family time as well.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard, but I know I need to put in the punishment now in order to receive all of the \u201cPunishment\u201d it will give me.<\/p>\n

Fitzness: Do you do anything out of the ordinary that some people might not think of?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tito: <\/strong>I go through all of my physical training, weight training and plyometrics all while wearing a gas mask and it is extremely hard.\u00a0 Trying to work out with a gas mask on and going five, 5-minute rounds is very difficult.<\/p>\n

Fitzness: What do you eat on a normal day?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tito <\/strong>I eat sushi, sandwiches, pretty much everything while drinking lots of water and Gatorade.\u00a0 The main things I stay away from are fried foods, soda, ice cream and candy.<\/p>\n

Fitzness: Eating and fitness wise, what do you do differently before a fight, maybe 2-3 days before?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tito: <\/strong>I cut my meals almost in half, a little more than half.\u00a0 I walk around at 225, but I fight at 205 so I deplete my body of water.\u00a0 I make sure I eat fruit, because carbohydrates are really important.\u00a0 I realize that what I put in my body is what I\u2019m going to weigh.\u00a0 So I cut my meals down a little bit and just make sure I watch what I eat.\u00a0 I don\u2019t eat high carb or high starch foods late at night because they generally turn into sugar and fat in the body.\u00a0 So, I keep it high protein, low carbs and low sugar at night.\u00a0 I eat high carbs and sugars early in the day so I can burn them off as the day goes on.\u00a0 In general cut down on food and not eat too much.<\/p>\n

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Fitzness: What was your greatest moment as an MMA Fighter?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tito: <\/strong>It was great beating Wanderlei Silva for the world title after only a year and a half of competition, and then being the longest reigning World Light Heavyweight Champion in UFC History.<\/p>\n

Fitzness: What are your plans Post-MMA?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tito: <\/strong>I’ll continue with my Punishment brand, gyms and training centers and try to branch them out across the US.\u00a0 I want my Punishment Nutrition Brand to be out there and help people be healthy and stay healthy.\u00a0 Also, I want to start acting classes; I think I could do well in some action films.\u00a0 As long as I put as much effort into acting as I did into MMA, I think I can be very successful.<\/p>\n

Fitzness: <\/strong>Any advice for aspiring MMA fighters?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tito: <\/strong>If you work hard, you can walk the same path I did in terms of fighting.\u00a0 Whenever you think it\u2019s hard, it only gets harder, and just try to prevail through anything people say you can\u2019t do.\u00a0 Also, always remember it\u2019s a business <\/em>and once you stop thinking this is a business, you\u2019re going to get lost amongst the better fighters. You should try to make yourself a brand.\u00a0 You can look at people like Hulk Hogan and Muhammad Ali, and their expertise of boxing and wrestling.\u00a0 My expertise is MMA and that\u2019s what makes Tito Ortiz.<\/p>\n

Fitzness: <\/strong>If you could pick one thing, what do you feel is the best part about being a dad?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tito: <\/strong>Being everything that my father wasn\u2019t to me.<\/p>\n

Fitzness:<\/strong> How has being a father altered your career and approach to MMA?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tito: <\/strong>It altered my future in MMA by just trying to make sure my kids have everything I never had as a kid, with regards to money, support and love.\u00a0 Just trying to be there for them as much as possible and give them the future I never had.\u00a0 I want to give them good schooling; my son Jacob is nine now and he has been in private school since day one and he\u2019s very intelligent.\u00a0 He understands business and what education is about.\u00a0 Education is always number one, and although he\u2019s only nine years old, he\u2019s already talking about where he’s going to wrestle in college.\u00a0 I also have two other boys that are two years old and I want to be able to support them financially and lovingly as well.\u00a0 I know there will be a lot of people that will be reading this and fathers in general that didn\u2019t have a father like that either.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I’m most thankful for MMA and UFC.\u00a0 They provided me with this opportunity to make myself a brand and provide my family with everything that I never had as a kid.\u00a0 It all comes down to being lovingly and financially supportive of my boys.<\/p>\n

Fitzness: <\/strong>What three main lessons do you want to pass onto your boys?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tito: <\/strong>I always preach to them don\u2019t lie, don\u2019t cheat and don\u2019t steal, always be very very respectful, and be the best person that you can be.<\/p>\n

Fitzness: <\/strong>How would you feel if any of them were to go into MMA?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tito: <\/strong>My son Jacob is 9 and is a wrestler already.\u00a0 He says he wants to be an MMA fighter, but we have a deal.\u00a0 I\u2019ll ask him the deal and he\u2019ll say, \u201cOkay Dad, I understand that I have to get my Masters Degree before I fight in MMA\u201d.\u00a0 That will give him an opportunity to get educated, finish college and get his masters.\u00a0 Just in case something were to happen he\u2019s got something to fall back on.<\/p>\n

Fitzness: <\/strong>I\u2019ve asked you a lot of questions, is there anything else that you would like people to<\/strong> know about you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tito: <\/strong>Being the father I am to my boys, I like giving back.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been to Iraq four times for the USO and I give back to the troops.\u00a0 I believe they\u2019re the ones who make our world great and most of them fight for us so we have this United States.\u00a0 I\u2019m a giving person and a thoughtful person and people shouldn\u2019t believe the headlines, because you have to read the chapter before you finish the book.<\/p>\n

From all of us here at Fitzness, we wish Tito Ortiz the best of luck in UFC 132 vs. Ryan Bader.<\/p>\n

Also, be sure to follow Tito Ortiz on twitter: @titoortiz<\/a><\/p>\n

Interview conducted by Alexander Kenney<\/p>\n

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