STEROID
12-11-2011, 03:34 PM
Following hospital visits, UFC futures of 'Big Nog' and Tito Ortiz uncertain
by John Morgan on Dec 11, 2011
TORONTO – Former UFC champions and MMA legends Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-7-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) and Tito Ortiz (16-10-1 MMA, 15-10-1 UFC) may have reached the end of the line.
Nogueira and Ortiz were each transferred to a Toronto-area hospital following losses to Frank Mir and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, respectively, on the main card of Saturday night's UFC 140 event, and UFC president Dana White admitted each of them may have fought for the final time in the octagon.
Following the evening's post-event press conference, which took place at Air Canada Centre, White said he would have to talk with each fighter individually, but he wasn't willing to guarantee a UFC return for either athlete.
As of Saturday night, Ortiz was being inspected for potentially fractured ribs. The man formerly known as the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" opened up aggressively in his fight, but a well-placed knee to the body sent Ortiz crashing to the ground, and "Lil Nog" pounded away until he earned the stoppage at the 3:15 mark of the first round. Ortiz writhed in pain for several moments before finally rising to his feet.
"Tito came out swinging," White said of the performance. "Tito went after it in the beginning of the first round, and he got caught to the body.
"He's in the hospital … with something. He could have a fractured or broken rib. Those things take a long time to recover from. We'll see."
White previously told Ortiz, who is now 1-6-1 in his past eight fights, that it was time to hang 'em up following an October 2010 loss to Matt Hamill. However, Ortiz pleaded his way into one more fight and used the opportunity to shock Ryan Bader in a first-round submission win. Ortiz has since dropped back-to-back fights.
White didn't seem exactly optimistic about another fight for Ortiz, who has expressed interest in a May trilogy bout with Forrest Griffin. However, he did say he would talk to "The People's Champ" before making a final decision.
"I honestly don't know," White told MMAjunkie.com. "You know, I'm always looking for guys' health. It's not like Tito got viciously knocked out tonight. He got hurt to the body. We'll see what happens.
"I don't know. I've got to talk with Tito. We'll see."
by John Morgan on Dec 11, 2011
TORONTO – Former UFC champions and MMA legends Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-7-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) and Tito Ortiz (16-10-1 MMA, 15-10-1 UFC) may have reached the end of the line.
Nogueira and Ortiz were each transferred to a Toronto-area hospital following losses to Frank Mir and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, respectively, on the main card of Saturday night's UFC 140 event, and UFC president Dana White admitted each of them may have fought for the final time in the octagon.
Following the evening's post-event press conference, which took place at Air Canada Centre, White said he would have to talk with each fighter individually, but he wasn't willing to guarantee a UFC return for either athlete.
As of Saturday night, Ortiz was being inspected for potentially fractured ribs. The man formerly known as the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" opened up aggressively in his fight, but a well-placed knee to the body sent Ortiz crashing to the ground, and "Lil Nog" pounded away until he earned the stoppage at the 3:15 mark of the first round. Ortiz writhed in pain for several moments before finally rising to his feet.
"Tito came out swinging," White said of the performance. "Tito went after it in the beginning of the first round, and he got caught to the body.
"He's in the hospital … with something. He could have a fractured or broken rib. Those things take a long time to recover from. We'll see."
White previously told Ortiz, who is now 1-6-1 in his past eight fights, that it was time to hang 'em up following an October 2010 loss to Matt Hamill. However, Ortiz pleaded his way into one more fight and used the opportunity to shock Ryan Bader in a first-round submission win. Ortiz has since dropped back-to-back fights.
White didn't seem exactly optimistic about another fight for Ortiz, who has expressed interest in a May trilogy bout with Forrest Griffin. However, he did say he would talk to "The People's Champ" before making a final decision.
"I honestly don't know," White told MMAjunkie.com. "You know, I'm always looking for guys' health. It's not like Tito got viciously knocked out tonight. He got hurt to the body. We'll see what happens.
"I don't know. I've got to talk with Tito. We'll see."