Tito Ortiz wants to end decades of bad blood with Dana White: 'I've tried to apologize'

Tito Ortiz was never afraid to make enemies throughout his legendary MMA career. But in hindsight, the UFC Hall of Famer wishes he could take back one of his greatest rivalries.

As one of the first true superstars amid UFC's early rise, Ortiz lived up to his "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" nickname for reasons that extended beyond the Octagon. His attitude didn't always align with those around him, most notably including UFC CEO Dana White.

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White and Ortiz publicly butted heads throughout the latter's entire run with the company from 1997 to 2012. On Wednesday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show," the former UFC light heavyweight champion admitted he regrets how he handled his experience with White, and noted he's even tried to reconcile in recent years.

"I've tried to reach out a few times. I've tried to do interviews and apologize, just saying that I'm sorry for what I did. I was a young kid," Ortiz told Uncrowned.

"I said some things about him a few times that I probably shouldn't have. I shouldn't have went over and above, but I didn't understand. Negotiation tactics that I learned, I learned from him — I tried to use his own negotiation tactics on himself, which I shouldn't have done that. I was influenced by others that I shouldn't have been influenced by. I should have thought what I thought and what was right. I made some bad decisions, and I've tried to apologize for that."

One moment in particular stood out for Ortiz when he thought about his greatest regrets in dealing with White. At UFC 84 in May 2008, Ortiz fought Lyoto Machida and infamously showed up at the weigh-ins wearing a T-shirt that read, "Dana is my b****."

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"Wearing the T-shirt I did before the Machida fight, I probably shouldn't have did that," Ortiz said. "A few interviews that I said some things, I probably shouldn't have done. But at the time, like I said, I was just trying to fight for my future as a fighter. I know I'm not going to be able to compete for the rest of my life. I knew this company was going to be as big as it is now. So, I was just trying to get paid a little bit more money.

"That was one of the big things that Dana always said: 'Don't talk about money to the public.' But to me, I wanted to take care of my family forever."

Having been one of the UFC's biggest stars of the promotion's early years, Ortiz, 51, is now comfortably phased out of fight life, having not competed in MMA since 2019. Ortiz now runs his own restaurant in Florida, Tito's Cantina, and makes a living there.

He wonders if things would've been different if his relationship with White was better.

"I'm a blue-collar guy now. I still gotta get up, and I gotta work," Ortiz said. "I have a little bit of an advantage by being Tito Ortiz, and I have some amazing fans that respect me and still come to my restaurant. I still do public appearances. I still do public speaking. I do these other things because I made my name as Tito Ortiz, because the UFC has given me that opportunity.

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"At the end of the day, I shouldn't have to do these things. I shouldn't have to worry about my bills being paid, because I've fought my a** for 16 years for the UFC and helped them get on the track of where they are right now.

"I'm thankful for the track they gave me and the opportunities they gave me through my career, but it's a double-edged sword. I messed up," Ortiz continued. "It is part of the deal. If that bridge could ever be hashed back together between me and Dana, I would love it. But I know Dana. He's not that type of guy. I know what type of guy he is, and he's not that type of guy.

"It's hurtful, but it's OK. I'm thankful for my fans. My fans have never forgotten about who I am, and I'm thankful for it."

Ortiz's induction into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2012 is arguably the closest thing to reconciliation he's had with White and the promotion since his departure more than a decade ago. Yet, Ortiz still isn't in good enough graces to be treated like anything more than a fan.

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When the UFC was in Miami for UFC 327 in April, Ortiz said he was denied a single ticket upon his inquiry. He admitted that the lack of appreciation the promotion has shown for his era of UFC legends bothers him.

"I asked just for one ticket, and they said no. So I ended up buying a ticket. It cost me $1,000. Dana just doesn't like me," Ortiz said.

"I'm not going to sit here and beg. I'm not begging for anything. That's the way he feels, OK. It is what it is. He's gambling millions and millions every night, but take care of the guys that got you here.

"Once again, I don't want anything from him. I laid my own bed. I made it. I'm OK with it. It is what it is. But like former football players, basketball players, they're sitting front row. I think they deserve it. MMA fighters, same thing. Randy Couture, myself, [Quinton] 'Rampage' [Jackson], so many other fighters that have spoken up and have pretty much been erased from UFC. That's one thing they can't do, though, because of the fans — the fans will never forget us."