RESULT: Tito Oritz beats Chael Sonnen 2 minutes and three seconds into the first-round (via rear-naked choke).
Tito Ortiz (19-12-1) capped off a legendary MMA career by submitting longtime rival Chael Sonnen (29-15-1) in the first round of Sonnen's first fight in just over three years.
The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion successfully turned out of Sonnen's headlock to gain a full mount. Sonnen then popped his back off, in order to avoid the ground and pound, and subsequently got caught in a rear-naked choke.
Although it wasn't a typical rear-naked choke, locked under the chin, Sonnen struggled to get free and tapped.
The choke was held in for a few seconds after Sonnen tapped, meaning that referee John McCarthy had to seperate Ortiz and Sonnen.
Speaking about the choke in the post-fight press conference, Ortiz said “When he was tapping, I thought he was trying to grab my hands, but I kind of held on to it because I have ill will towards him,”
“But that’s just me, when someone talks about my family, when someone talks about my character, I have bad will towards the person. And I’ve never done that before, but it was just something in my mind saying, if I let go and they stop it and restart it again, I couldn’t let that happen."
He added “I apologize to the athletic commission for holding on to it a little longer, but I did hold on to it longer. I just had that ill will, I felt like an animal, I felt like a lion, and this lion roared how I said I was going to. This was my fight, no matter what, this is what I was going to do.”
Ortiz has must have some squeeze on that choke/crank. He also held on a bit long after McCarthy tried to stop the fight.— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) January 22, 2017
Ortiz avenged his Wrestling loss to Sonnen by handing the 'Bad Guy' his first loss since fighting Rashard Evans at UFC 167 on November 16th 2013.
Sonnen said "Look, tonight is helpful for me," “I’ve been out for three years, and this was a long-term play for me. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. I need to get those minutes in. I thought I did it in the practice room, and I had some deer in the headlights (moments) out there."
He also discussed his attendance at the post-fight press conference “Coming to a press conference when you lose is tough, but it’s protocol. And we all follow different codes.
And I will say whatever I want before a fight, but by God, I will walk out there and answer for it. And if it doesn’t go my way, I will show up at the press conference and hang my head as well. But this is Tito’s night.”
So, Sonnen looks to regroup and get his win since beating Mauricio Rua on August 17th 2013 and Ortiz rides off into the sunset with a comfortable win over his oldest rival.
A true legend of MMA and he will be missed (well, maybe not by Sonnen).
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) January 22, 2017
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