I’m a UFC Hall of Famer who fought on one of best selling PPVs in history – now I work for free at a local high school

4 months ago 45

TITO ORTIZ was once the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view stars – now he volunteers as a high school wrestling coach.

Ortiz helped catapult the UFC to mainstream attention thanks to his iconic rivalries, with his fight against Chuck Liddell selling nearly 1million PPVs.

Tito Ortiz was one of the UFC’s earliest stars[/caption]

His last fight in the UFC was in 2012 and he retired from MMA in 2019 after 34 bouts.

And now, his time in spent coaching his twin sons Journey and Jesse joined the Ida Baker wrestling team.

His sons’ coach Katarzyna Lapinska Jablonski told NBC: “He said coach, ‘If you need help, I can help.’

“And my first thought was, ‘We are not affording to have a coach like this,’ and he said, ‘No, I will do this for free.’

Ortiz, inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2012, added: “It’s important to me to form these men, and that is what formed me as a man.

“People call me Tito. My name is Tito as a fighter, but my true name is Jacob, and in the Bible, Jacob wrestled against an Angel.

“The angel beat him and saved his life. I found wrestling, and it saved my life.

“So if I’m going to have the opportunity to show kids wrestling also, maybe I’ll save a kid’s life.”

His son Journey added: “He teaches dedication, respect, discipline. Also try hard, don’t give up.”

Ortiz last fought in a boxing bout against fellow UFC legend Anderson Silva, losing in the first round.

And it appears his gloves will remain hung up as he looks to nurture the next generation of stars.