Tito Ortiz EXP: May.30,2012 (retirement)

When you get to be a fighter of Tito Ortiz's age and stature, there's really no escaping these kinds of questions. Not for long, anyway. People see you fighting into your mid-30s with mixed success and they want to know, how long can he keep this up? Perhaps what they really want to know is, how long does he think he can keep this up?

In other words, it's the kind of question where you don't necessarily expect an honest or even realistic answer. Maybe that's why Ortiz's response at Wednesday's UFC 140 open workouts was so surprising.

"May 30, 2012," he told reporters. At first it sounded like a joke. As if he was getting intentionally overly specific to mock the idea that something like this could be planned. After all, May 30 is a Wednesday. Is he going to end his career with a sparring session?

Then he kept going, and it became clear: Tito is serious about this.

"That'll be 15 years," Ortiz said of the May 30th mark. "15 years has been my goal. I make it to 15 years, that'd be my second fight, finishing this contract, maybe it's time to hang up the gloves, walk away while I'm still healthy. I don't want to get any more surgeries. I have three boys. I have a family to take care of. I've made enough money to take care of my family now."

And when you think about it, that's the reasonable response. If anything, maybe it's too reasonable. After some of his contemporaries have been dragged kicking and screaming from the sport, who would have guessed that Ortiz would be the level-headed one to set a date? Who would have guessed that Ortiz would be the one to realize about himself exactly what others have said of guys like Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva?

"What else do I got to prove?" Ortiz said. "I don't have to prove anything else in this MMA world."

But then, it's one thing to set a date, and another thing entirely to keep it. Fighters think retirement sounds difficult in theory, but it's nothing compared to the real thing. Many a pugilist has hung up the gloves, only to take them down and put them back on when the rocking chair didn't prove to be as satisfying as they thought.


Article

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I think the last part of this article (that I posted) is spot on,
not just specifically to fighters and fighting but any sport;
examples MJ, Favre.

Retirement can be a tough pill to swallow no doubt, but I think
it is extremely important to leave at the right time; to maintain
ones status in the sport. Especially in the instance where the sport
is evolving faster and changing into something almost different than
the sport they started there profession playing.

Hockey is a great example of this since all the rule changes and the
way hitting is more penalized now; unfortunately football is going down
the same road. A player like Gretzly would have never lasted in todays
game, there is no such thing as a tough guy to protect you star players
honor anymore.

The comparable to MMA would be Fedor, Matt Hughes and Chuck Liddell and Randy to a point; to name a few. imo

^^
i dont think it matters if you retire i bit late. i say, play or fight as long as you want, because nobody will take your legacy from you. fedor will have his leagacy, liddell and randy too. farve will always be one of the best ever and MJ IS the best ever.

^ I wasn't talking about retiring too late persay, more like retiring;
then coming back and repeating the cycle.

I completely agree that as long as any athlete has the passion to get up
and put in the work necessary to make themselves one of the worlds best;
they should do that sport.

Was trying to say the longer the old school fighters stick around and get beat up by the new
breed the worse affect it has on there legacy; not to hardcore fans though I suppose.
But the majority of fans will look down at it as a bad thing.

There is also a fine line between retiring too late and retiring late and ruining your legacy. Hughes, Fedor, Tito, etc. are definitely in the twilight of their careers but haven't reached the point where fighting is ruining their legacy. Now Ken Shamrock on the other hand...

^^^ good point with ken lol

Wait... so Tito has decided for Chrom's 31st birthday he will retire? Shittiest present ever.

Tito will fight that last fight in his contract. Worse case scenario..... Dana gives him Bones and he dies..... sigh.

Give him the last fight though....