After Bellator 142 title loss, Tito Ortiz fields the retirement question

Is this the end for Tito Ortiz? After a Bellator title loss, is the 40-year-old, who made his MMA debut way back in 1997, ready to call it quits?

You won’t get a firm commitment from “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy.”

Ortiz saw a two-fight winning streak snapped, and he suffered his first submission loss since 1999 – and the first from a true submission since 1997 – in Saturday’s Spike-televised Bellator 142 headliner.

Although Ortiz (18-12-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) controlled the early action at San Jose’s SAP Center, reigning light-heavyweight titleholder Liam McGeary (11-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) tapped him out with a first-round inverted triangle choke:

While many viewed the fight as Ortiz’s last real chance at a title – perhaps the only thing left to achieve in a two-decades-long career – Ortiz isn’t ready to make definitive plans for his future.

“I’m still trying to lick my wounds a little bit,” said Ortiz, who set up the title fight with wins over Alexander Shlemenko and Stephan Bonnar. “I can’t take nothing away from Liam. He fought the best that I can give. I had a great camp. Everything went perfect. I went out there and fought my ass off.

“The guy’s slick, dude. That reverse triangle – we defended that over and over. We defended triangles. We defended all the positions. I got away from the armlock. I mean, I was going to let him break my arm before anything. I was not tapping. I was pulling, pulled out, and came back down.”

And then?

“Those long limbs just latched around me,” Ortiz said. “I tried to pull my head out and pull. And everything goes (quiet). He was the better man.”

Although Ortiz never mentioned retirement by name, he knew what reporters were asking in the post-fight press conference. The former UFC champ and 2012 UFC Hall of Fame inductee, who’s flirted with retirement in the past, admitted his career has taken a toll.

“As far as me coming back, I’ll wait (to make a decision),” he said. “I’m going to chill for a bit. I think I’m just going to enjoy this time right now. I missed out on the summer. I missed out on a lot of time with my family. And I’m 40 years old, man. I’ve been doing this sh-t for 18-and-a-half years. … I’ve been through some major surgeries – back surgery, neck surgeries, knee surgeries.

“(I’m going to) let my body heal a little bit – (and) let my mind heal a little bit. I still love training. But I just want to hang out with my kids, wake up with them, take them to school, be a dad for a bit – (have) me and my girl Amber enjoy life for a little bit.”

One thing that could lure Ortiz back to the cage is his current relationship with Bellator and company president Scott Coker. Ortiz, who’s had past fallings-out with the UFC and president Dana White, said he’s content with his current situation.

“I worked with the UFC for such a long time,” he said. “They were like a family a long time ago. Now they’ve turned into complete corporate. Here at Bellator, we’re family, and it’s awesome to be a part of this family.”

For more on Bellator 142, check out the MMA Events section of the site.