UFC wanted Tito Ortiz to retire after last fight

Did you ever wonder why Tito Ortiz is still in the UFC even though he has not won a fight in over FOUR YEARS?

Is it fair for the UFC to keep Ortiz (15-8-1) around, when someone like Gerald Harris, for instance, was on a three-fight win streak but lost one unanimous decision and got the boot?

The UFC’s inconsistency in matters such as this is sometimes mind boggling. However, Ortiz revealed one reason he might still have a job during an interview with The Telegraph published Monday:

“Dana White and Joe Silva [the UFC’s matchmaker] told me they wanted me to retire, but I knew I still had the fight inside me. I pretty much begged for my job, to show how much I want to fight, but I still have it in my heart to compete, to fight. I told them I want to still fight against the top guys, I want to put on a show. … I’ve just turned 36, but when they put me against the top guys, I think I can still compete.”

Ortiz does go on to correctly point out that he is not getting submitted or knocked out. Of course, neither did Gerald Harris.

There was also that case in Ortiz’s fight with Rashad Evans when the referee took a point away, some say unfairly, and it ended up costing him the decision.

Ortiz’s last fight was in Oct. 2010 when he lost a unanimous decision against Matt Hamill. Ortiz admitted he made some mistakes in the fight and did not respect Hamill’s takedown ability.

He said it was after that fight when the UFC called asking him to retire. Ortiz thought they were kidding.

On July 2, Ortiz is scheduled to face number eight Pro MMA Now world-ranked light heavyweight Ryan Bader at UFC 132. The oddsmakers have Ortiz as a huge underdog (Bader -465 vs. Ortiz +365).

Ortiz said he has put in a “great eight week camp” and is going to show the UFC “how much [he’s] really worth.” Will the 36-year-old “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” be able to pull off the upset or will he find himself back in a position where he is begging for his job?

What say you ProMMAnow.com readers, if Ortiz loses should he be released? Is his release long overdue? Or does he deserve preferential treatment because he is a former champion and at least used to be a big box office draw?