Tito Ortiz has built a stellar career as a Mixed Martial Artist. Yet, as a UFC Hall of Fame inductee and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, his greatest accomplishments have come outside the octagon. Dedicating himself to a life of service, empowering others and leaving a legacy for his children to continue, his story is one of triumph over adversity.
Recounting his troubled childhood on The Rhonda Swan Show, Ortiz credits his mother for giving him a second chance at life:
“My mother got away from my father when I was thirteen, and gave me another chance at life. I moved back to Huntington Beach, and that’s when things changed; I had normalcy at home, I had a roof over my head. Prior to that I had a really hard time with my parents cause they had a drug problem – my father chose drugs over me and it was really hard to see that. When I had my first child in 2001, it scared me – I was like, ‘wow I don’t want to make the same mistakes my dad made – I want to be present for my child, I want to love him and tell him that I’m proud of him’. They were the things that as a child, I always wanted, and I was able to give that to my children: financially, the love, the care – like true fathers do.”
Since climbing the ranks of the UFC, Ortiz has made it his mission to inspire others, and to lead his own three boys with pride and dignity reminiscent of a bygone era, when a gentleman’s name was only as good as his word:
“I do a lot of public speaking and motivational speeches… just sharing my story. I made a choice in my life: either I’d be a victim, or I’d be a victor. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to look myself in the mirror as an honest man. I want to be a good man, and I have two things for the rest of my life: I have my word, and I have my name – and I want to make sure that I teach my children that.”
When asked by Rhonda about his experience transitioning from the octagon to the world of entrepreneurialism, Ortiz had this to say:
“I think it really came down to just the progression of what I wanted for my future, and that I could only make so much money from fighting. You watch guys like George Foreman with the ‘Foreman Grill’ and things like that, and you realize you just have to work hard and dedicate yourself to it… I work my own hours, doing it the way I want to do it, and be my own boss. And that’s important. It helps me mentally and physically get through the hard times. And if I don’t set my dreams high, I’m going to accomplish mediocre stuff – I don’t want to do that. My children watch it, and they want to do the same thing.”
The Rhonda Swan Show is ‘The Room’ for impactful, inspiring and educational conversations and interviews from those who have dared to follow their dreams, straight into the ears, minds and hearts of those with big ambition. That’s YOU!
Best Selling Author, International Speaker and World-Renowned Online Brand Strategist, Rhonda Swan is the Founder of Unstoppable Branding Agency and is dedicated to helping people turn their passions and dreams into a tangible and sexy reality.
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