Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz retired after defeating fellow UFC veteran Chael Sonnen by submission at Bellator 170.
Ortiz and UFC President Dana White have had a strenuous relationship for years now. Since retiring, the two have buried the hatchet.
“Yeah, I’d have to say yes [we did bury the hatchet],” he says to MMA Fighting. “We briefly spoke, and it seemed like the old Dana. I guess we kind of both said life is too short to hate as much as we have. It’s one of those things man. I’ve learned, why waste my time with hating somebody when I can just forget about it and let life go on? I’ve done that.”
Days after his retirement, the former light heavyweight champion did receive a text message from White, but now the two have settled things for good. If there is one regret that Ortiz has in his relationship with White, it would be that t-shirt Ortiz wore that said “Dana Is My Bitch.”
“I’m very thankful to Bellator,” Ortiz said.“Scott Coker’s been amazing to work with. It’s kind of weird, because after it was all over I got a text from [UFC president] Dana [White] saying congratulations. Me and Dana haven’t really been eye-to-eye for a long time, but recently we’ve been texting back and forth. I don’t know, man. Life’s too short. Too short to hate. I’ve done a few things in my career that I regret towards him. Maybe wearing a tee shirt that says ‘Dana’s My Bitch’ is one of them.”
Even though Ortiz is no longer competing in MMA, the retired fighter does still keep up with the sport as he is an official ambassador for Bellator MMA.
