Leave it to Tito Ortiz to talk in massive hyperbole mixed with a healthy dose of revisionist history, but we know that when we deal with Tito, that’s the way it has to be. We still love you, Tito. The UFC Hall of Famer hopped on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani to discuss Jon Jones tying his light heavyweight title defense record, how the fight between him and Jones would go down if Tito was still in his prime and much, much more.
Not that anyone asked, but if we are talking the ultimate fights through history, I’d rather see prime Chuck vs. Jones rather than prime Tito. Hell, even Randy over Tito, but that doesn’t meen I don’t recognize what Tito did for the sport oh so many years ago.
Here’s Tito on Bones:
“I do, of course, I think I’d dominate him.
“Takedowns, of course. Clinch, striking. I don’t know. Big heart. I think Jon Jones is good though, man. If anybody’s going to beat my record, I would like him to beat it. I don’t think there’s anybody in this sport right now with the technique and skills that he has. I think he’s very mellow mannered, he’s a soft spoken guy, but his fighting shows how good he really is. I have nothing but respect for the guy, man.”
“If I’m under a person who holds the record, I think Jon Jones is the man [it should] be,” “He’s very classy. He’s respectful, soft spoken, and he’s a true champ.
“I really don’t see anybody to beat him. I don’t think anybody can really get close to him. His mindset is perfect. I think it’s how a champion should be. As long as no personal stuff happens to him, I don’t think he’ll have much problem with anybody, just because of his wrestling. Wrestling has always been a dominating force in UFC.”
Tito then broke down the ridiculousness of the Chael/Bones matchmaking:
“That was the easiest fight for Jonny ‘Bones’ Jones,” said Ortiz.” I like Chael, he’s a friend of mine. But he’s a 185-pounder. He’s not a 205-pounder. The weight classes are totally separated there. If Chael walks in at 205, maybe 204, Jonny ‘Bones’ Jones is 6-foot-5, 225 [pounds] — this is like a wrestling match, that’s why they had weight classes in wrestling, because you can’t wrestle someone bigger than you. Chael showed that. He couldn’t stop the takedown.”
But like any sports discussion, the record is there, but the eras were very different:
“I think it’s two separate eras,”
“The time and the eras are so totally separated. A lot of guys who I fought, they beat guys who were No. 1 contenders, and that’s why I fought them. But like I said, I always fought the people they put in front of me. When I fought (Vladimir) Matyushenko, it was on a three-week notice and I still took the fight.”