Tito Ortiz comfortable in retirement after Dana White put 'kibosh' on Chuck Liddell trilogy

LAS VEGAS – Tito Ortiz said he has no more than 30 days remaining on his exclusive negotiating period with Bellator, and though he was pushing for a trilogy fight against career rival Chuck Liddell, he doesn’t think it’s going to happen.

Ortiz (19-12-1 MMA, 15-11-1 UFC) retired from MMA competition in January following a submission victory over Chael Sonnen at Bellator 170. He originally said he was done, but when rumors swirled that fellow UFC Hall of Famer Liddell (21-8 MMA, 16-6 UFC) might be willing to compete for the first time in nearly eight years, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” then said he would be up for one more dance against the man who has beaten him twice.

UFC President Dana White recently said he would never willingly promote a third showdown between the former UFC light-heavyweight champions, and a result, Ortiz said an exit from retirement doesn’t appear to be in the cards.

“I’m very comfortable in retirement now,” Ortiz told MMAjunkie. “I guess Dana put the kibosh on me and Chuck, so I don’t know. It is what it is. I’m being the good guy by listening to the bosses at the end of the day. (I’m) not making decisions on myself, and if it’s meant to be, I’ll put it in God’s hands.”

Although Ortiz isn’t fighting these days, he’s keeping close to one of the best in the sport. Ortiz, long part of UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg’s (19-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) camp, was by her side at today’s UFC 222 open workouts ahead of Saturday’s pay-per-view headliner against challenger Yana Kunitskaya (10-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC).

Cyborg wasn’t originally intended to be the main event of UFC 222, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass. The headlining spot first featured featherweight champ Max Holloway against Frankie Edgar, but when Holloway withdrew due to injury, the UFC called on Cyborg roughly a month out from the event.

The 63-day turnaround from Cyborg’s title defense against Holly Holm at UFC 219 in December is the shortest of her career, and while that might be difficult for some fighters to handle, Ortiz said the Brazilian has taken it all in stride.

“She didn’t blink,” Ortiz said. “It goes from one camp to another. She took two, maybe three weeks off. And for her when she takes time off, it’s a lot better for her body because she recovers more. When it came to her training, we had some of the top guys in the world and guys that are wrestlers that couldn’t take her down. She was defending and getting the takedowns herself. She was sparring and on target. This girl she’s competing against, she’s super tough. She comes from a great camp being with (Jackson-Wink MMA). They know how to prepare for champions, and hopefully they can be prepared for Cris, because Cris is for real.”

Cyborg may enter UFC 222 with the most lopsided odds of her career, but Ortiz said no one is taking Kunitskaya lightly. The Russian comes from Greg Jackson’s decorated camp, and Holm, another one of its fighters, just went five rounds with Cyborg.

For that reason, Ortiz said odds don’t matter going into UFC 222. Kunitskaya has the respect of the champion, he said, but that doesn’t mean Ortiz thinks there’s much of a chance of the belt changing hands on fight night.

“No fight is lopsided at all, especially if they come from Team Jackson’s camp,” Ortiz said. “Holly came in with her hands full, and she fulfilled everything. Cris beat her at her own game, and this one doesn’t change. This girl comes in thinking that she can beat Cris, and Jackson’s camp think they can beat Cris. All things can be said until you get punched in the face, until that first punch in the face happens, and it’ll be Cris doing it.”

For complete coverage of UFC 222, check out the UFC Events section of the site.