This Month’s MMA Birthdays: Tito Ortiz Turns 50

The impact Tito Ortiz had on the sport of mixed martial arts still reverberates today, long after he was considered a relevant competitor. A former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder, he celebrates his 50th birthday on Jan. 23. Ortiz—who compiled a 21-12-1 record as a pro—was front and center in some of MMA’s most memorable and influential rivalries in his prime, first with Ken Shamrock and later with Chuck Liddell. Victories over ex-Pride Fighting Championships titlist Wanderlei Silva, former two-division Bellator MMA champion Ryan Bader and former UFC titleholders Evan Tanner, Vitor Belfort and Forrest Griffin anchor his resume. Ortiz was enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame in 2012.

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