Tito/Shamrock Interviews
Sept 8, 2006 17:54:05 GMT -5
Post by LWPD on Sept 8, 2006 17:54:05 GMT -5
Courtesy of Wrestling Observer
Alex Marvez interviews Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock
The biggest money feud in Ultimate Fighting Championships history will have a third installment October 10 when Ken Shamrock faces Tito Ortiz in the main event of a live UFC special being aired by Spike TV. Ortiz defeated Shamrock in 1:18 following a controversial referee stoppage at UFC 61, which led to this rematch. In the following interviews conducted September 5, Ortiz and Shamrock talk about that fight and their feud.
TITO ORTIZ
Q: Are you looking forward to this fight as much as the last one?
Ortiz: “You know, I look forward to each and every chance I have to compete. It’s nice being back in the ring again. This will be my third fight this year. I didn’t fight a lot the last couple of years and took some time off. Now that I’ve had back-to-back fights, I’ve got no more ring rust on me. I’m real excited to be back in the ring and even more excited about fighting in South Florida.”
Q: Is it exciting for you to be facing Shamrock again?
Ortiz: “Not really. The biggest thing for me right now is getting the world title back. This is a stepping stone for me right now stepping on Ken Shamrock’s face. It’s my next step to winning the world title.”
Q: Why did you agree to do this?
Ortiz: “The reason is UFC called and said, ‘Do you want to do this again? The fans are not happy about the last fight. The first question I asked was whether it was going to be on pay-per-view. When they told me it would be on (cable) TV, I told them to sign me up and I was ready to do it. If people had to pay for another pay-per-view, I would not have done it. I wouldn’t want to waste their time. Now it’s free for them seeing me beat in Shamrock’s face one more time.”
Q: What are your thoughts on the stoppage?
Ortiz: “When I hit the first elbow, I saw (Shamrock) go a little limp. Then I hit him with four consecutive elbows. He wasn’t defending himself and the referee stopped the fight. He did his job. If the referee had not stepped in, I would have thrown three or four more elbows and I would have done bad damage.”
Q: Were you happy with the fight?
Ortiz: “Of course I was happy. It was nice to get it over with in 1:18. I was a little angry with the fans. They wanted to see blood drawn. There was blood drawn. If you look at the replay, there’s trickle of blood going down Ken’s shoulder.”
Q: So at this point it seems like fighting Shamrock is more the closing of a chapter to you so you can move onto the future.
Ortiz: “Yeah, that’s what I see happening. Chuck Liddell is holding the world title, so I’m going to walk through Shamrock one more time. By the end of the year, me and Liddell will be fighting again.”
Q: Why is there still so much animosity between you and Ken?
Ortiz: “It’s one of those things that kept building and building. After this is over, I hope we do shake hands and say amends to each other. I tried to do that the first time we fought and then he said he was not 100 percent (because of a knee injury). He disrespected me by not embracing my win. I got pushed away. When we did Ultimate Fighter (3), the thing I was happiest about was that it showed I was a better coach than him. A lot of people saw that and also saw I was a better person. I just watched the season go by and the animosity build. He was supposed to respect my area. He stepped in my circle and shoulder bumped me. He didn’t necessarily get me angry, but I couldn’t wait to get the fight on. I knew what was going to happen and Shamrock was the next victim. I took him out in 1:18 and everyone booed. It’s a thing where you have two alpha males in the same room. Well, a mutt and an alpha male. I don’t dislike many people, but I dislike him a whole bunch.”
Q: Why do you think the Shamrock-Ortiz rivalry has touched such a nerve with fans?
Ortiz: “People got a chance to watch Ultimate Fighter. The reason is you have two people who hate each other. There’s excitement to that. It makes for a better storyline to watch and follow and then see what the ending is. I finished him in 1:18. The third time will be the charm once again. I’m here to retire Ken Shamrock.”
Q: What did you get out of doing Ultimate Fighter 3?
Ortiz: “I get recognized everywhere I go now. But the biggest thing I got out of it is that people got to see what type of person I am. I’m one person when I step inside the Octagon and another person when I step outside of it. The picture that was painted by UFC when we were having problems with contract negotiations (in 2005) was that I was a bad guy who didn’t want to fight Chuck Liddell. Now that I’ve made amends with everyone and we’re on good terms with each other, people are seeing the real person I am. Ultimate Fighter proved that I am a humble person. I’m not cocky. I’m confident. People got to see the coaching side of me. I took all of the guys who competed in Ultimate Fighter under my wing. Matt Hamill is training with me right now and is going to compete on the same card (Oct. 10). Kendall Grove is in camp with me, too, and so is Josh Burkman from season two. I just try to find good guys to be around.”
Q: Finally, what’s the status of your impending boxing match with (UFC owner) Dana White? Are you going to beat up your boss?
Ortiz: [Laughs] “Yeah, it’s officially going to happen. Before (Zuffa) bought the company, Dana used to be my manager and sparring partner. We boxed and boxed and boxed. He’s boxed for 15 years. When my contract came about, I wanted to let bygones be bygones. But before that happened, I wanted to get together for a boxing match. I’ve been boxing for the last 10 years now. We both know what we can do. I’ll try to be nice for a second, but you never know.”
KEN SHAMROCK
Q: Are looking forward to this fight as much as the last one?
Shamrock: “Hell yeah, probably even more so this time. I got completely prepared for the last fight. I felt in really good shape. It just felt like here’s this thing that is dangling right in front of you to reach out and grab. Then it’s taken away but you know you could have gotten it. That’s how I feel. It’s not too many times when something like this happens and you have a chance to do it over again. I’m blessed.”
Q: What are your thoughts on your last fight against Ortiz and the stoppage?
Shamrock: “I’ve had so many thoughts about it. Originally when I was in the ring, it’s like it wasn’t happening. If I could have just gotten to Tito and grabbed him and started punching him, the fight would have continued. When I walked out of the ring, anger set in. I was angry at UFC and the referee and felt that I been hosed. And then later in the locker room, my wife came up to me and said, ‘You know, there’s a reason for everything. This is something that happened and there’s a reason for it.’ At that time, the anger kind of left me to a point. I’m still frustrated, but I’m not as angry as I was. I have to take it at face value and trust in God that there was a reason for it. And bam, here it is. I get another shot.”
Q: It’s been reported that your match with Ortiz drew 775,000 pay-per-view orders, which is fantastic. Why do you think the Shamrock-Ortiz rivalry has touched such a nerve with fans?
Shamrock: “A lot of it has to do with the type of person I am, that when I see something I dislike that I don’t have a problem letting people know it. I don’t know why, but ever since I stepped in the ring for the first time in Japan against Yoji Anjo and did a show there in front of 17,000 people. After I was done with my first fight, people were chanting my name. I don’t know what it is, but I’m blessed with this thing where I have this character people look at and can relate to, I guess.”
Q: Do you dislike Tito as much as you once did?
Shamrock: “No … I think where I’m at now on this fight is I get a chance to go in and do what I said I wanted to do, which is put on a good fight. I’ve gotten the opportunity to do that. The second-most important thing is giving back to the fans. They all paid money to watch. They stepped up and made it one of the biggest fights in pay-per-view history and they were screwed. We did not give them a fight. This is giving back to them. That’s what I’m excited about, and I’m excited to be going against Tito. After I’m done, I’m hoping that Tito can put away that cocky attitude win, lose or draw and say, ‘We did it together drawing all those buys. Bam – (the feud) is over.’”
Q: What’s next for you after this?
Shamrock: “I don’t know. I’m training fighters at my school in Susanville (Calif.) and I’ve got one starting in Reno, which is only 84 miles away. I’m excited about getting more involved with training my team. When I left to WWF (in 1997), my team went down and hasn’t been the same since. I have not been able to spend as much time working with them as I would have liked. Now, I’ll have an opportunity to do that when I finish fighting. I don’t know when that’s going to be. It depends on how I feel after this fight and whether I win or lose doesn’t matter. I want this fight and I want it bad. I believe I’m going to win. After that, I’ll decide how I feel. I do know that when I do retire, I can say, ‘Hey, I’ve done everything I want to do.’ I’m going to train fighters and build a team that will be second to none and put my efforts into that.”
Q: What did you think of the way you were portrayed as a trainer on Ultimate Fighter 3?
Shamrock: “I was very discouraged. Anybody that knows me and has been around me and trains with me knows the way I was presented was really a farce. I am not going to get into it and try to defend myself about why it went that way. They’ve got hundreds and hundreds of hours of footage to put on TV and they chose to put on a certain thing. That’s the way it is. It’s done and I can’t do anything about it, but I do know the way I came out on TV was definitely not me or the way I train people.”
Q: What was your assessment of your last fight against Ortiz and was it a fair stoppage?
Shamrock: “I’ve watched the film. I go back to when I fought Tito for the first time when I had a blown ACL and fought anyway. I was taking a bunch of shots then, too, and was able to stand back up and finish the fight. In Tito’s fight with Forrest Griffin, Tito punished him for three or minutes of the first round and, in my opinion, Griffin came back and won the fight [Editor’s note: Ortiz won a split decision over Griffin]. And in the fight prior to my last fight with Tito, it was a bloodbath (between Joe Stevenson and Yves Edwards). There was blood all over the ring and some spots were straight red. You could pick even more examples when a guy was hurt and able to get up and move on. I’m not a wimp. I’ve earned the right to be in the (UFC) Hall of Fame. I’m a tough guy and a good fighter. I’ve come back from different scenarios before and won fights. To stop a grudge fight where people know we don’t like each other … Fans were looking for a brutal fight and (the referee) would not let us give it to them. It was stopped too soon.”
Alex Marvez interviews Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock
The biggest money feud in Ultimate Fighting Championships history will have a third installment October 10 when Ken Shamrock faces Tito Ortiz in the main event of a live UFC special being aired by Spike TV. Ortiz defeated Shamrock in 1:18 following a controversial referee stoppage at UFC 61, which led to this rematch. In the following interviews conducted September 5, Ortiz and Shamrock talk about that fight and their feud.
TITO ORTIZ
Q: Are you looking forward to this fight as much as the last one?
Ortiz: “You know, I look forward to each and every chance I have to compete. It’s nice being back in the ring again. This will be my third fight this year. I didn’t fight a lot the last couple of years and took some time off. Now that I’ve had back-to-back fights, I’ve got no more ring rust on me. I’m real excited to be back in the ring and even more excited about fighting in South Florida.”
Q: Is it exciting for you to be facing Shamrock again?
Ortiz: “Not really. The biggest thing for me right now is getting the world title back. This is a stepping stone for me right now stepping on Ken Shamrock’s face. It’s my next step to winning the world title.”
Q: Why did you agree to do this?
Ortiz: “The reason is UFC called and said, ‘Do you want to do this again? The fans are not happy about the last fight. The first question I asked was whether it was going to be on pay-per-view. When they told me it would be on (cable) TV, I told them to sign me up and I was ready to do it. If people had to pay for another pay-per-view, I would not have done it. I wouldn’t want to waste their time. Now it’s free for them seeing me beat in Shamrock’s face one more time.”
Q: What are your thoughts on the stoppage?
Ortiz: “When I hit the first elbow, I saw (Shamrock) go a little limp. Then I hit him with four consecutive elbows. He wasn’t defending himself and the referee stopped the fight. He did his job. If the referee had not stepped in, I would have thrown three or four more elbows and I would have done bad damage.”
Q: Were you happy with the fight?
Ortiz: “Of course I was happy. It was nice to get it over with in 1:18. I was a little angry with the fans. They wanted to see blood drawn. There was blood drawn. If you look at the replay, there’s trickle of blood going down Ken’s shoulder.”
Q: So at this point it seems like fighting Shamrock is more the closing of a chapter to you so you can move onto the future.
Ortiz: “Yeah, that’s what I see happening. Chuck Liddell is holding the world title, so I’m going to walk through Shamrock one more time. By the end of the year, me and Liddell will be fighting again.”
Q: Why is there still so much animosity between you and Ken?
Ortiz: “It’s one of those things that kept building and building. After this is over, I hope we do shake hands and say amends to each other. I tried to do that the first time we fought and then he said he was not 100 percent (because of a knee injury). He disrespected me by not embracing my win. I got pushed away. When we did Ultimate Fighter (3), the thing I was happiest about was that it showed I was a better coach than him. A lot of people saw that and also saw I was a better person. I just watched the season go by and the animosity build. He was supposed to respect my area. He stepped in my circle and shoulder bumped me. He didn’t necessarily get me angry, but I couldn’t wait to get the fight on. I knew what was going to happen and Shamrock was the next victim. I took him out in 1:18 and everyone booed. It’s a thing where you have two alpha males in the same room. Well, a mutt and an alpha male. I don’t dislike many people, but I dislike him a whole bunch.”
Q: Why do you think the Shamrock-Ortiz rivalry has touched such a nerve with fans?
Ortiz: “People got a chance to watch Ultimate Fighter. The reason is you have two people who hate each other. There’s excitement to that. It makes for a better storyline to watch and follow and then see what the ending is. I finished him in 1:18. The third time will be the charm once again. I’m here to retire Ken Shamrock.”
Q: What did you get out of doing Ultimate Fighter 3?
Ortiz: “I get recognized everywhere I go now. But the biggest thing I got out of it is that people got to see what type of person I am. I’m one person when I step inside the Octagon and another person when I step outside of it. The picture that was painted by UFC when we were having problems with contract negotiations (in 2005) was that I was a bad guy who didn’t want to fight Chuck Liddell. Now that I’ve made amends with everyone and we’re on good terms with each other, people are seeing the real person I am. Ultimate Fighter proved that I am a humble person. I’m not cocky. I’m confident. People got to see the coaching side of me. I took all of the guys who competed in Ultimate Fighter under my wing. Matt Hamill is training with me right now and is going to compete on the same card (Oct. 10). Kendall Grove is in camp with me, too, and so is Josh Burkman from season two. I just try to find good guys to be around.”
Q: Finally, what’s the status of your impending boxing match with (UFC owner) Dana White? Are you going to beat up your boss?
Ortiz: [Laughs] “Yeah, it’s officially going to happen. Before (Zuffa) bought the company, Dana used to be my manager and sparring partner. We boxed and boxed and boxed. He’s boxed for 15 years. When my contract came about, I wanted to let bygones be bygones. But before that happened, I wanted to get together for a boxing match. I’ve been boxing for the last 10 years now. We both know what we can do. I’ll try to be nice for a second, but you never know.”
KEN SHAMROCK
Q: Are looking forward to this fight as much as the last one?
Shamrock: “Hell yeah, probably even more so this time. I got completely prepared for the last fight. I felt in really good shape. It just felt like here’s this thing that is dangling right in front of you to reach out and grab. Then it’s taken away but you know you could have gotten it. That’s how I feel. It’s not too many times when something like this happens and you have a chance to do it over again. I’m blessed.”
Q: What are your thoughts on your last fight against Ortiz and the stoppage?
Shamrock: “I’ve had so many thoughts about it. Originally when I was in the ring, it’s like it wasn’t happening. If I could have just gotten to Tito and grabbed him and started punching him, the fight would have continued. When I walked out of the ring, anger set in. I was angry at UFC and the referee and felt that I been hosed. And then later in the locker room, my wife came up to me and said, ‘You know, there’s a reason for everything. This is something that happened and there’s a reason for it.’ At that time, the anger kind of left me to a point. I’m still frustrated, but I’m not as angry as I was. I have to take it at face value and trust in God that there was a reason for it. And bam, here it is. I get another shot.”
Q: It’s been reported that your match with Ortiz drew 775,000 pay-per-view orders, which is fantastic. Why do you think the Shamrock-Ortiz rivalry has touched such a nerve with fans?
Shamrock: “A lot of it has to do with the type of person I am, that when I see something I dislike that I don’t have a problem letting people know it. I don’t know why, but ever since I stepped in the ring for the first time in Japan against Yoji Anjo and did a show there in front of 17,000 people. After I was done with my first fight, people were chanting my name. I don’t know what it is, but I’m blessed with this thing where I have this character people look at and can relate to, I guess.”
Q: Do you dislike Tito as much as you once did?
Shamrock: “No … I think where I’m at now on this fight is I get a chance to go in and do what I said I wanted to do, which is put on a good fight. I’ve gotten the opportunity to do that. The second-most important thing is giving back to the fans. They all paid money to watch. They stepped up and made it one of the biggest fights in pay-per-view history and they were screwed. We did not give them a fight. This is giving back to them. That’s what I’m excited about, and I’m excited to be going against Tito. After I’m done, I’m hoping that Tito can put away that cocky attitude win, lose or draw and say, ‘We did it together drawing all those buys. Bam – (the feud) is over.’”
Q: What’s next for you after this?
Shamrock: “I don’t know. I’m training fighters at my school in Susanville (Calif.) and I’ve got one starting in Reno, which is only 84 miles away. I’m excited about getting more involved with training my team. When I left to WWF (in 1997), my team went down and hasn’t been the same since. I have not been able to spend as much time working with them as I would have liked. Now, I’ll have an opportunity to do that when I finish fighting. I don’t know when that’s going to be. It depends on how I feel after this fight and whether I win or lose doesn’t matter. I want this fight and I want it bad. I believe I’m going to win. After that, I’ll decide how I feel. I do know that when I do retire, I can say, ‘Hey, I’ve done everything I want to do.’ I’m going to train fighters and build a team that will be second to none and put my efforts into that.”
Q: What did you think of the way you were portrayed as a trainer on Ultimate Fighter 3?
Shamrock: “I was very discouraged. Anybody that knows me and has been around me and trains with me knows the way I was presented was really a farce. I am not going to get into it and try to defend myself about why it went that way. They’ve got hundreds and hundreds of hours of footage to put on TV and they chose to put on a certain thing. That’s the way it is. It’s done and I can’t do anything about it, but I do know the way I came out on TV was definitely not me or the way I train people.”
Q: What was your assessment of your last fight against Ortiz and was it a fair stoppage?
Shamrock: “I’ve watched the film. I go back to when I fought Tito for the first time when I had a blown ACL and fought anyway. I was taking a bunch of shots then, too, and was able to stand back up and finish the fight. In Tito’s fight with Forrest Griffin, Tito punished him for three or minutes of the first round and, in my opinion, Griffin came back and won the fight [Editor’s note: Ortiz won a split decision over Griffin]. And in the fight prior to my last fight with Tito, it was a bloodbath (between Joe Stevenson and Yves Edwards). There was blood all over the ring and some spots were straight red. You could pick even more examples when a guy was hurt and able to get up and move on. I’m not a wimp. I’ve earned the right to be in the (UFC) Hall of Fame. I’m a tough guy and a good fighter. I’ve come back from different scenarios before and won fights. To stop a grudge fight where people know we don’t like each other … Fans were looking for a brutal fight and (the referee) would not let us give it to them. It was stopped too soon.”
