Tito Ortiz's UFC Hall of Fame induction comes on July 7 at UFC Fan Expo

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Tito Ortiz will officially be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame next Saturday, July 7, ahead of his third bout with Forrest Griffin that night at UFC 148. The UFC announced on Thursday that the induction will take place midday Saturday as part of the UFC Fan Expo, with Ortiz entering Saturday night's fight an official member of the Hall of Fame.

"It is a huge honor to be recognized as one of the greatest fighters of all time by the UFC," Ortiz said in a press release for the induction. "To be inducted into the Hall of Fame is final proof that all the hard work and dedication, all the pain and sacrifices, were all worth it. To be able to walk to the Octagon one last time as an official UFC Hall of Fame level fighter is going to be humbling and awesome. I'm very grateful to have this opportunity to end my career on such a high like this."

"I want to thank my family for all their love and support and my fans for sticking with me through the bad times when being a Tito Ortiz fan wasn't the coolest thing to be. Finally, I want to thank Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White for giving me so many opportunities over the years and for securing the future of the sport I love and have dedicated my life to."

Ortiz's history with the UFC has certainly had its ups and downs. The former longtime Champion has had contract disputes, public feuds, and more with Zuffa brass, specifically his former manager, UFC President Dana White. It's a situation that led to a lot of bad blood, but it has since been put to the past, with both sides coming to an amicable working relationship down the stretch.

With Ortiz entering the final fight of his career in the UFC 148 bout with Griffin, White reflected on Ortiz's place in UFC history.

"Everyone knows the story of me and Tito and all the things that went on between us," White said. "A lot of it wasn't fun at the time, but all that controversy and craziness is now part of the story of the UFC, and there's no question that in his prime he was a huge star and one of the greats of his era.

"You can't write the story of this era of mixed martial arts without Tito Ortiz, and that's why he belongs in the Hall of Fame. He's been in the UFC for 15 years ? and sticking around that long is an achievement in itself ? and now he's down to just 15 minutes at UFC 148. Believe me, I know how proud and stubborn this guy is and I expect him to use everything he has left as a fighter to go out as a winner at UFC 148."

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_13711.shtml

Josh Thomson Din Thomas Gleison Tibau