Tito Ortiz says he barely remembers UFC 106

By Brett Okamoto

Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010 | 3:49 p.m.

They always say a fighter should just forget his last loss.

Considering UFC light heavyweight Tito Ortiz says he can't remember his, that shouldn't be a problem.

"I don't remember any of it at all," said Ortiz, on his split decision loss to Forrest Griffin at MGM Grand Garden in November. "I don't remember the weigh-ins. I don't remember the fight. I don't remember driving down to Vegas (from California)."

According to Ortiz, a concussion he suffered in the final weeks of his training camp in Big Bear, Calif. bothered him the entire week of the Griffin fight and ultimately left him with no memories of the entire event.

Even significant moments of the experience that Ortiz said should stand out have been lost.

"When I was in Big Bear, I locked my keys in my car and I had to call AAA," Ortiz said. "I don't remember any of that (expletive).

"(Coach) Saul Soliz told me, 'Yeah, you locked your keys in your car. We had to call AAA.' And I was like, 'Really?'"

Ortiz was booed in the octagon when he told the crowd he had fought Griffin hurt. According to Ortiz, an accidental head butt from a training partner during practice had fractured the orbital bone around his right eye.

The 35-year-old fighter said that he probably should have pulled out of that fight, but that he felt obligated not to since UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar already had pulled off the same card.

Also adding pressure to compete was that the November fight was Ortiz's first appearance since undergoing back surgery in 2008 to repair a bulging disk.

"When you take 18 months off and bills need to be paid, I'll suck it up," Ortiz said. "I wasn't going to let down my fans. All of a sudden Lesnar gets injured and pulls out, now I'm the main event. I'm not going to pull out now."

Despite taking the loss, Ortiz seemed optimistic and happy about recently arriving in Las Vegas for the six-week filming of the eleventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter."

Ortiz (16-7-1) is coaching opposite another former UFC light heavyweight champion, Chuck Lidell (21-7). It's the second time Ortiz has served as a coach, as he went against Ken Shamrock in the third season.

As it's customary that opposing coaches fight one another after the show has aired, Ortiz is expected to get another chance to finally beat Liddell.

He lost twice to Liddell when the two were heated rivals in 2004 and 2006 — neither of which, Ortiz said, he was mentally right for.

"I'm a lot better mentally this time around," Ortiz said. "The first times I fought Chuck I didn't really want to be there. I felt like I was being pressed into doing something I didn't want to do."

Ortiz said he's also been energized by the talent level on the show, a big difference from the first time he coached.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it," Ortiz said. "The first season I was like, 'What the (expletive)?' There was Matt Hamill, Kendall Grove and Michael Bisping. Those were the guys. All the other guys it was like, 'What the (expletive) are they doing here?'

"This year, there were awesome picks. No more guys here because of personality. Every one of them knows how to fight. The guys that lost and went home? Even those guys knew how to fight."

In addition to giving him a chance to work with new fighters and promote his clothing line, which Spike TV is reluctantly allowing him to wear during filming, the show should give Ortiz enough time to get completely healthy again.

The two coaches aren't expected to meet until summer, providing over six solid months of recovery time for Ortiz.

And even if that proves to be not enough, Ortiz said he's done fighting while unhealthy and wants to keep his career going at least another three years.

"I'll have a good six months, everything will pan out," Ortiz said. "I do know I won't take this fight if I'm not ready for it. I just turned 35. I want to make sure my career lasts another three or five years."

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or brett.okamoto@lasvegassun.com. Also follow him on twitter: LVSunFighting.