After a busy summer, Tito Ortiz has had some time to think. That's not always a good thing with the loquacious former UFC light heavyweight champ.
Chael Sonnen recently stated that he's the "People's Champ," based on the fact that his loss against Anderson Silva at UFC 117 was less than legitimate. Now Ortiz wants a piece of that People's Champ pie.
"I showed that I'm able to compete against the best guys in the world, and I think that will help show people that if they believe in themselves, if they believe in their dream, they can accomplish anything," Ortiz said. "That's why I changed my name to 'The People's Champ.' I want everyone to know that I'm here for the fans. I want them to know that they can bounce back from anything.
In a video gaming story on ESPN.com, Ortiz pointed to a recent experience with fans as another reason for the name change.
"I signed over 15,000 autographs last weekend at the UFC fan expo," Ortiz tells me as we talk about his career resurgence, including a roster spot in the upcoming "UFC Undisputed 3" video game. "The first day I stood there for seven and a half hours. The second day I was there for over six hours. They had to kick me out. It was a lot of fun."
Based on his miracle win over Ryan Bader and fighting a heel in Rashad Evans at UFC 133, Ortiz did see a big transformation in his image. But is it enough, to make you call him the People's Champ? Or is there now a People's Champ for each weight division. I vote for Roy Nelson at heavyweight, Nick Diaz at 170, Melvin Guillard at 155
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