thaFormula.com - Unlike many athletes and stars you always remain real close to your fans, treat them like equals and have always remained accessible to them. You have never forgot about them. What has kept you that way throughout the years?

Tito Ortiz - I think it really comes from my upbringing. I mean coming from the streets as a kid and really getting to where I am right now, I never really sold out at all. Fighting against the UFC and the companies who try to take advantage of me and really believing in what I am as a business man I think. My fans are the ones who got me there. I think being accessible to my fans is the biggest thing because they spend a lot of dollars on pay-per-view and front row tickets and so forth so I want to make sure that they know that I'm there for them no matter what.

thaFormula.com - Do you feel that most fighters appreciate the fans as much as you do or do you feel that they should appreciate them a little more?

Tito Ortiz - I think a lot of the fighters should appreciate them a little more. With a lot of the fighters it really comes down to all they care about is fighting. For me I like to entertain. I want to make sure the fans are happy with my fight and satisfied with my fight. I wanna make sure they get their dollars worth when they are buying the pay-per-view or sitting in the front row. I always have been a person who cares about my fans the most because they are the ones who pretty much got me here. My name is a house hold name pretty much just because so many fans have followed my career and supported me through wins and through losses. I have always been a person that doesn't see himself any different then a fan. I have been a fan of the sport for 13 or 14 years and I just want to make sure that they understand that I'm doing a job, this is my job. It's not like I have another job to go to besides running my clothing company and doing movies. This is my main job, this is what I put all my heart and dedication into. That's why I'm up in Big Bear for every training camp and I put a big chunk of money down to buy De La Hoyas place up here and I really went out of my way to make that for me as a fighter, my fans care about me the most because I worked really hard to get where I am. I have been in the sport for 10 years fighting for the UFC and I have always fought for the UFC and I could only continue doing that.

thaFormula.com - Now many people say you have lost the draw you used to have because of the losses you've had recently, but yet it seems like you keep getting bigger and your fights still continue to draw, how do you look at that?

Tito Ortiz - I have a lot of fans who support me. I'm still young, I'm still 32 years old, I'm not like a Chuck Lidell at 38 years old or a Randy Couture at 43 years old. I still have a broad career in front of me I think and I'm building man. I'm still learning and I'm a student of the game still. With a year and a half of training I became the world champion and the competition today is just tough competition. Guys who I've lost to like Couture who is the Heavyweight Champion of the world, and Chuck Lidell who was the Light Heavyweight Champion of the world, those are the only guys who I have really lost to in the last 8 or 9 years. I really put my heart into my training. No one has ever beaten me besides them two. I still have a bright future. I was here before Chuck Lidell was ever a UFC fighter and I'm gonna be here long after he's gone and long after Couture is gone, people have to understand that I'm gonna be here a long time.

thaFormula.com - I've also notice that your Latin fan base continues to grow and you seem to be the only MMA fighter that has actually been able to reach a good amount of the Latin fan base that so many fighters try to reach, why do you think that is?

Tito Ortiz - Well you know, I think back like 4 or 5 years ago when I went down to Mexico City and of course I'm not fluent in Spanish, I'm still learning but I'm an Ortiz and have Mexican blood running through my veins from my fathers side where everybody is Mexican. I may be a white boy outside and I don't speak Spanish fluently, but you know I'm still learning and I've got that desire and warrior spirit in me no matter what and I think a lot of fans see that in me. I'm Mexican-American, I was born here in the Unites States but I'm still representing the Latino race no matter what and I think that's what they really catch on to. It's something that I continue to do no matter what. There are a lot of kids that are full blooded Mexican but they were born here in the United States and they lived here their whole life in the United States but they want someone to look up to and I have always been that person. To me it's really to be an inspiration to peoples lives you know and to really be an inspiration to kids that are coming up and who come from broken homes you know who don't have a father or don't have a mother or their parents are recovering drug addicts or something like that. I've been in that situation you know? Living in motels and in cars and in people's garages and mobile homes, I have really succeeded in my life. I want to make sure a lot of young kids that are coming up and feel like that don't who have any self worth, that they are worth something just as long as they keep their dreams high and they always wanna achieve in life and I think that's the biggest thing, that's what I have always done to keep myself going. I never had a silver spoon in my mouth or nothing like that. I've always had to work for what I have had. I had to survive, it's a survival mode that I taught myself.

thaFormula.com - And you know I saw a lot of that in the signing you recently did in Huntington Beach. I mean just the fact that you stood out in the parking lot signing even after it was over really showed a lot...

Tito Ortiz - And I think it really matters because those guys were standing in line. We had almost 3,000 people there and I was there from 1pm to about 6pm and I made sure I signed and took every picture until everybody was gone because those people were waiting. I made their day, week or year. For me it took 4 or 5 hours out of my life to do that. That's 4 or 5 hours out of my life to change someone's life by just showing that I care that much. That's what matters so that when I step in the octagon and I compete, that's what makes them support me even more. It's like, "yeah Tito stayed for me after, so I'm gonna support him win or lose." And that's how I have always been. I always want to entertain and want the fans to know that I'm here for them.

thaFormula.com - Why did you continue to keep taking these fights with Ken Shamrock after the first one? Most people kept asking why because they felt and knew that you would beat him easily but kept wondering why you were still fighting him?

Tito Ortiz - Well I think it's done now. In my mind I'm done, I'm over it and I don't wanna do it anymore. The third fight was the last fight to just pretty much close the hatchet. I really don't want to waste my time but I think a lot of my fans still wanted me to beat down Ken. I still get a lot of emails from my fans asking me, "when you gonna fight Ken again so you can beat him up." I guess they just hate him and want me to continue to beat him down. Then he always tries to hype the fight when we do fight. It's one of those things that I just look at that's done and over. I'm going on with my career and I think Ken Shamrock is retired and he won't be fighting again, especially against me.

thaFormula.com - It's funny because as much as people complain about you guys fighting again, the ratings always say otherwise. Why do you think people are so obsessed with you and Ken?

Tito Ortiz - There is hatred there between me and Ken. We talk our smack and we back it up when its fight time or at least I do (Laughs). The fans love the excitement before the fight. They love to see the pre-hype and like to see what's gonna happen during the fight and I think that's why for me and Ken we both talked as much as we could and when it came to fight time, you know I fought my ass off.

thaFormula.com - Now I remember when you first lost to Lidell you told me that a lot of people in your camp abandoned you training wise. Looking back, how bad did it affect you to see people turn their back on you after that loss?

Tito Ortiz - It affected me a little bit. I took it to heart and I just came to realize and see what peoples true colors are and people who wanna be superstars without putting in the hard work and people who want to be on camera without putting in the training. They think just because they train with me for a week or two weeks, all of a sudden they've got to be making money and they want to be a part of the show and they want some type of recognition for the training they put in. I think a lot of it comes down to jealousy man and you start seeing peoples true colors.

thaFormula.com - And during this time did that loss of training partners play a big role in how you fought Patrick Cote?

Tito Ortiz - Oh for sure. When I fought Cote uh, but also a lot of it came down to you know I was going through a divorce with my ex-wife. I was going through a lot of mental problems. A lot of different things. I didn't have the same training coach. I moved to Vegas for that training camp, I didn't have that many guys sparring with me, I didn't have the right training and it was just that I was lucky to pull that win off. That fight just came down to my heart and dedication. To me I'm not that fighter. I was just in survival mode. I was living in Vegas going through a divorce in my life, being once again on my own where I had to survive. It was survival mode pretty much and after the fight was done and I looked at it, it was a learning experience for me. It was something that I had to move on from in my career and as a person.

thaFormula.com - If you don't have that 100 percent confidence that you had as a champion Tito, how much does that affect you when you step in the octagon?

Tito Ortiz - I think at this level of fighting, I think about 80 percent of it is mental and the other 20 percent is physical because the training that you put in already for a fight is what's gonna show. It's just the mental aspect of making your body do it. Not caring and just reacting to everything. Throwing the punches, throwing the kicks, doing the takedowns and its all reaction time and if you do anything less than just reaction time, you get caught behind everyone of the punches, throws or your the one that's getting hit because your trying to react and not really doing it on instinct. So I think mentally when it comes down to it, it's just knowing the right things to do and having the focus and the mental ability so that when it's fight time you have no doubts about getting tired or you have no doubts about throwing the punches correctly. I think the mental part of it is a big aspect of knowing the right things to do at the right time.

thaFormula.com - When you beat Cote and Belfort and then got offered the UFC reality show, did people try to come back and get back on the bandwagon?

Tito Ortiz - Oh of course, and I noticed peoples true colors and I took it to heart. I'm very respectful and I have a lot of dedication for the guys who I put my time into. For the guys who turned their back, I'm never gonna help you guys again, whatever. I look at it like you have to have some type of loyalty and the loyalty goes a long way. In training it goes hand in hand and a lot of the guys didn't want to put in the hard work to make the money. They were like "oh I'm gonna ride Tito's coattails and be a part of everything." Once I lost, they were like "well I'm not gonna get nothing from him, I'm gonna go find it somewhere else." I looked at it like the loyalty is gone man, there is no respect. I turned my back and the guys that used to be with me, they are not with me anymore. They all know who they are so I ain't got to say no names. That's just the way it is man and the way business is. You start getting all the cronies around when you start making all the money and they think they are gonna be a part of it. It's really hard to swallow, but I guess a lot of fighters go through that and they see the true colors of everybody once they have lost.

thaFormula.com - When the Ultimate Fighter show was offered to you, did you have to think about it or did you just jump on it right away?

Tito Ortiz - Well of course it came down to a lot of negotiations. Like my fight contract, the 3 fights I was having and who was gonna be the other coach that was gonna make it interesting. It was a lot of little small things business wise that I had to make sure were perfect and I ended up doing it. I thought the reality show was gonna show everybody a different view of Tito Ortiz. They are used to seeing the cocky, brash fighter who talks smack and backs it up at fight time, but then your gonna get a coach, your gonna get someone who cares about the fighters who he trains and the fighters who he wants to be even better fighters and just better people in general and that's what I did on the Ultimate Fighter. I got a chance to show regular national viewers what Tito Ortiz is really about. Not the fighter guy, but just the regular person.

thaFormula.com - Now with the Reality Show comes a lot of positive things for MMA as far as more money, publicity for the sport, growth, etc. but it also brings certain fighters that are only in it to be a star on TV or just for the money and that's it. For someone like yourself who does it for the money, but also for the love of the sport how do you view this?

Tito Ortiz - I think that's kind of a loaded question. I mean, one of the things that you've got to look at is when I first started, I fought for free. I fought for no prize money. It was just to get in the octagon and fight. But as I got older I started realizing that this is my job man. I've got to make sure that I watch out for what I get paid, know what contracts I sign and make the right business decisions because this is a business to me now. Look at guys like De La Hoya who has made an enterprise off of what he did in boxing. I mean he made what, 40 million on his last fight? I look at the money that we are getting paid as fighters and a lot of these guys who don't really care about the contract. All they care about is just getting to be on TV and I would be lying to you if I said it's not about the money because it has a lot to do with it at my age. I've got a family to support and I've got a mortgage, car payments and bills man. I don't have another job I could go out to. Fighting and training is my job so I have to make sure that I get paid the highest dollar that I can get out of it. People say "oh Tito is selling out," no I'm not selling out, I'm making sure that I'm paying my bills and if I don't stand up for what I believe in, I'm gonna get taken advantage of. This sport is at a place right now where the company is making tons more money than the fighters are themselves. I think they are taking the big pie and we are eating off the crumbs and that's all it comes down to. I think people like myself who stand up for the fighters and stand up for what they really deserve are the ones who are gonna make it better for the future fighters that are coming in so that they are making the big money. Making the De La Hoya money where they are doing 40 or 50 million dollars per fight. Even 10 million dollars per fight or 5 million per fight because that is better than what they are doing now. I just look at it and see that we're taking over boxing, professional wrestling, we are getting better numbers then they are. You look at last year and the revenue that UFC did, I think it was 231 million dollars. That was better revenue than WWE, better revenue then boxing and I can only imagine what the revenue is gonna be for this year just because of how big the sport has gotten and like I said, I would be lying to you if I said it's not about the money, because I look at the long run and yeah it is, but when I get in the octagon and fight, now its not about the money at all. I forget about how much I'm getting paid. All I care about is fighting. All I care about is that my fans are gonna support me no matter what. That they are gonna be proud of me when my hands raised and the fight is over. It's kind of a loaded question though man. I look at it like if I say it's not about the money, I'm gonna lie to you. But if I said it was just about the money, I would just sign a deal for a few fights and I wouldn't train, I would just go out there and fight and if I lose, oh well who cares? I take it very seriously. I just purchased the De La Hoya place up here and it was a big chunk of money and a big investment for me so I have to take this fight seriously. It's for my fans and it's just that warrior spirit in me that just continues to let me train the way I do. I'm putting in 6 to 7 hours a day of training and just pushing my body to the limits. I wake up every day sore as hell and it seems like it's never gonna be over but the weeks are going by quick. And that heart and dedication wasn't about money, it's not about the paycheck, it's about my hand being raised at the end of the match and that's what it comes down to.

thaFormula.com - Were you disappointed that you didn't get more support from fighters when you were going through the contract situation with the UFC, especially seeing how you now have many more fighters today fighting for what they feel they deserve, but when you did it back then you took a beating from fighters, fans and the organization about it...

Tito Ortiz - Oh for sure. I was out for a whole year. I mean the UFC took me off of their web site, I wasn't even a part of the ten year reunion. I have been here forever man and they just tried to push me away. They don't want people to really become something more than them and the UFC has done that and a lot of fighters that haven't backed me, those are the guys who just care about being on television. All they want to be is superstars on television. They don't care about what they make. They are still gonna work their 9 to 5 job, but they're still gonna be a person on television. People make their own decisions, but once it's all over and done with and they retire and I'm retired, they'll look back and they're gonna be forgotten, but I will always be remembered.

thaFormula.com - Do you think that you changed the game with what you did and that the impact of what you did is being felt today?

Tito Ortiz - I really think so. I think that I made a big difference. I got a lot of flack at the end by the UFC and by Dana White always trying to hinder my image and always trying to talk down on me and always saying "Tito is not showing up for this or that." How can you battle against a multi billion dollar company? I can't battle against that. All I can do is speak my mind and not hold anything back. I'm gonna say what's on my mind no matter what, I don't care if it's good or bad just as long as the fans know that I speak from the heart in everything I do and say.

thaFormula.com - Now people know about your relationship with Dana White and what you guys have gone through but as far as the actual owners of the UFC, the Fertittas, how is your relationship with them?

Tito Ortiz - I think personally very good. I talked to Frank Fertitta on a few occasions and he is a really, really nice man and I really respect him a whole bunch, same thing with Lorenzo Fertitta. I spoke to him and I know Dana is in his ear saying "oh here goes Tito again doing this and doing that." I really look at the big picture. If they really want to take care of me and they really want to be loyal to me, then why would they care about how much money they are giving me if they are making so much and why are they busting my balls over little small percentages and doing other things to kind of undercut me? I look at it really as just Dana White. The Fertittas run another company, they run casinos and they've been really, really good to me. Both of them are awesome people. The Fertitta family is probably one of the best families in the sport today and in the casino business just because of how loyal they are to the people they work with. So I really see Dana always painting a bad picture of me to them. But like I said, I respect the Fertitta family more then anything. They have done tons for me and I really do appreciate everything they have done for me. So I look at it like I don't want to bite the hand that feeds me, but I just want what I feel I deserve.

thaFormula.com - Okay so then who is really the problem when you are complaining about the contracts and the UFC, is it the Fertitas or is it Dana White? In the end who is responsible for this pay scale that so many fighters feel is unfair?

Tito Ortiz - I would think 100 percent goes to Dana White because I know how Dana is. He's like, "you know what if they don't want to take it, let them go fight somewhere else and they're not gonna be superstars like they are gonna be in the UFC." He's like, "I'm gonna pay them less, but I'm gonna make them a superstar because that's all they care about is being a superstar." To me, I don't care about being a superstar. I just want to fight and I want to make a lot of money man. I wanna make sure that my son when he grows up will have no worries about money at all. I wanna make businesses man. I want to be an entrepreneur and do other things other than just fighting. I don't just want to be a fighter.

thaFormula.com - But if Dana is not the owner of the UFC, why would he care so much about what the fighters get paid?

Tito Ortiz - That's what I really took to heart, why? Does Dana have something in the company where he gets a percentage of the company, is that why? I mean that's what I look at when I think about why he cares so much about it. And he has always been a person who says "just trust me, just trust me, just trust me." Well I could only trust you for so long because my career is only gonna last so long. My window of opportunity is only so big. I mean I'm not getting any younger. You know each year I age and he says "just trust me this time, trust me this time." It's like "how about giving me a bigger chunk of the big pie?" I'm sick of eating off of the crumbs.

thaFormula.com - Were you and Dana really good friends at one point?

Tito Ortiz - Yeah, really good friends. He was my manager and he came to my house and said "I will do this and that for you" and he stuck to his word, he helped me out. I was going through negotiations with SEG and he was like "yeah we are trying to get you more money." I was like "wow, more money? That's what I'm talking about," and now all of a sudden when I go to negotiate and I'm trying to get more money, he's trying to cut me down. He's trying to sell me short. What happened to the very beginning of trying to get me more money? But I look at it like its business man and in the long run, he's looking out for his company. He don't care about anybody else, he's looking out for his company.

thaFormula.com - What are your thoughts on all the recent upsets this year and why do you think this is happening now?

Tito Ortiz - Well you know I think it really comes down to the sport itself. People never really understood the sport and that everybody is gonna lose one time or another no matter what. St. Pierre losing to Serra, I was baffled by that one. Serra all of a sudden looked like a striker and that was awesome. Congratulations, great, great job by doing that. Couture beating Tim Sylvia, I was amazed by that but I think it really comes down to the mental game. I think Couture really manhandled Sylvia in training and I think it just went hand in hand into the fight. Chuck Lidell and Quinton Jackson, I think Quinton just has his ticket man, that's all it comes down to. I was very, very happy with Rampage, he did a really good job in the fight. It was just one of those one-punch knock outs and you're done.

thaFormula.com - So is it true what they say about you betting on Lidell to win?

Tito Ortiz - Yeah. That's what I thought. It had nothing to do with going beyond my friendship or anything like that. I didn't think that Rampage was getting the right training and to me it was just me laying a bet and taking a chance at winning some money. I'm a gambler man and I made a mistake. I was jumping out of my seat when Rampage won. I was so damn happy and to me it was just money man and just a bet. After the fight was over I was in the dressing room congratulating him. I'm proud of Rampage man. Me and him have been through a lot over the last 10 years man. We've been training together for the last ten years besides the last couple of years where we kind of kept apart a little bit. But I'm very happy for him. Rampage is an awesome person and he deserves the world.

thaFormula.com - Honestly now, were you really happy to finally see Chuck lose?

Tito Ortiz - I'm telling you, I was jumping out of my seat I was so excited. It was awesome. I was so happy for Rampage and the way he did it. Chuck Lidell is human. Rampage went in there and he shut up lot of people up. A lot of the fans were booing him when he first got there and its just one of those things you look at and you know Rampage shut a lot of people up. I'm proud of Rampage and he's gonna be a great champion.

thaFormula.com - But why bet against him and why did so many people act like the first fight between them was a fluke or something?

Tito Ortiz - Well to me the reason why I put the bet down is when Rampage and him fought the first time, I knew Lidell was injured. I knew Lidell had a torn hamstring. So I knew he wasn't 100 percent and he was coming off of a second fight and that's why I did it. So this time I thought Lidell was gonna be 100 percent, but I guess he wasn't. But I just put the bet down as a gambling person. If I lose the money, I don't care because Rampage still won and I think that's awesome. The hard work that he put in up to that point to be a world champion is great. Now he knows what hard work is all about.

thaFormula.com - From what you saw, was the Lidell that got KO'd by Rampage, the same Lidell that you fought?

Tito Ortiz - No not at all. I saw an intimidated Lidell. I saw Lidell being very intimidated by Rampage. He was backing up and he was just trying to find a way out it looked like. And when he got hit with that punch, that was a solid punch and Lidell is very sloppy with his punches and throws them very wide and Rampage just got off a really good right hook and it was done after that. That was a one-punch knock out and he got caught.

thaFormula.com - So after seeing that fight did you see something that made you want to fight Lidell again?

Tito Ortiz - That would be great. I mean to me right now the biggest thing is fighting Rashad Evans and I know Lidell is fighting Vanderlai Silva in September so I would actually like to fight Shogun. I think Shogun would be a great fight for me as he is in the top 5 in the world and I think my fans would enjoy me to fight someone at a higher scale than someone like Rashad. You know Rashad is like 10th in the world or something like that. He's like the number 2 contender for the UFC and I really look at it as beating Rashad and then possibly fighting Shogun for my next fight.

thaFormula.com - So how did Rashad become the next fight for you?

Tito Ortiz - You know I wanted to fight the best. I wanted to fight somebody who is really, really tough and with Rashad being undefeated and being a college wrestler I think it really comes down to someone who is gonna push me and who is gonna put me in a lot of positions. I really see it as a stepping stone for me. I've been in this business a long time and I look at it like "who else am I gonna fight?" Am I gonna fight Forrest again when I already beat him? There is like 3 other guys that are in my division who Rashad already beat and that's just the next logical fight for me. I don't want to fight an easy fight, I want a tough fight. After coming off of a loss for the world championship, you would think I would want an easy fight, but I don't because I really wanna get another world title fight. With Rashad I brought in some really good wrestlers. I've really been doing a lot of sprawl and brawl. Defending the takedown, using my striking, I've been working on my boxing a whole bunch and my Jiu Jitsu of course. It's just a mixture of everything I think it really comes down to. I just make sure I bring in training partners that are about the same size as Rashad that way I don't get caught left behind with the speed that Rashad has because Rashad is a fast fighter.

thaFormula.com - How good is Rashad in your eyes?

Tito Ortiz - In my eyes I think he is very good. I think he is one of the best right now in the UFC and that's why I wanted to fight him. He is very dangerous, very explosive, has really fast takedowns, really fast hands. It just really makes it that much better when I do beat him and show people that I have no problem beating him. I'm still at the top of my game and I'm still gonna continue beating guys just as long as I'm healthy mentally and physically ready to compete. It has been a very good training camp with no injuries. You know bumps and bruises but nothing different than usual. Everything has been really, really good. I'm in really good shape. My weight is perfect. I'm mentally, physically and emotionally ready to compete man. It's been really, really good.

thaFormula.com - I have heard people say this match up is similar to the Couture match up where they feel you wont be able to out strike or out wrestle Rashad, so how will you be able to beat him? What do you say to that?

Tito Ortiz - I say on July 7th, I'm gonna prove all those people wrong because I guarantee you he is not a Couture. I'm gonna prove that and I'm gonna dominate him by taking him down and they are gonna see. When I fought Vladimir Matyushenko who is on the World Teams and was a great wrestler, I took him down every single time at will and I'm gonna do the same thing for this fight.

thaFormula.com - Now I know you've got your Punishment Athletics clothing line going strong right now, how far do you plan on taking that?

Tito Ortiz - You know with Punishment I started back in '99 and I was working my but off to make it one of the best clothing companies for Mixed Martial Arts and for extreme sports in general. Everything can be bought at www.punishment.com. There are clothes and all kinds of different designs. Cool stuff for clubs, training, to go to the gym in, stuff for girls, stuff for kids, we have everything man. This is a company that I want to build and make sure that it's one of the top companies in Mixed Martial Arts. Something like Nike or Reebok or something like that where the more money I put into it, the bigger it will get. Thanks to the fans that have been supporting the company and my ex-wife that is one of the main managers of it who has done a really great job on the business side of it. I've been doing a good job with the promoting side of it and I have a lot of great people who help promote it like Jenna Jameson who does the modeling for the girls stuff, myself, the other fighters like Kendal Grove, Matt Hamill, Josh Burkman, and so many other guys who come in and try to promote it and so forth. I'm gonna make sure its quality clothing for all the fans to wear. Something they can wear when they are at a UFC or something they can wear when they are at home watching me fight on Pay-Per-View.

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