Hughes Roars, Ortiz Bores at UFC 50
Tito Ortiz vs Patrick Cote
Josh Gross Oct 23, 2004
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Oct. 22 -- This was not Tito Ortiz who fought tonight inside
Atlantic City's famed Boardwalk Hall. The old Ortiz -- the one
whose mere presence intimidated a weight division -- would have put
away Friday night's last-minute replacement for an ailing Guy Mezger, 24-year-old Patrick Cote, in a round an half
tops. Quite frankly, he would have Elvis Sinosic'd the young French
Canadian.
Instead, what we saw during three rounds of plodding, elbow-from-the-guard style fighting which earned Ortiz, 29, a unanimous decision -- his first victory in 23 months -- was an entirely unspectacular effort. "I tried to go in and just do my job," Ortiz (12-4-0) said at the post-fight presser. "Get the win coming off two losses. I think winning was the most important thing for my career."
Winning, it became painfully clear, was not enough for fans who
relentlessly booed Ortiz throughout most of rounds two and three.
Though Ortiz fought his style, putting Cote (5-1-0), a fighter with
only five bouts to his credit, inside the meat grinder, the cut
never came. The fight's only blood came from the raw edges of
Cote's nose. There'd be no Doctor's Stoppage tonight.
It was almost as if Cote's refusal to cut or bleed frustrated Ortiz, who took no chances, even on the mat.
Cote's moments came in the first and third rounds. One of the first punches of the fight dropped Ortiz to a knee, but as we've seen many times that hardly spells doom for the ex-champion. "Maybe in the first round, I believed in the miracle," said Cote. "But Tito is a great fighter."
Things heated up again for Cote at the start of round three. The former UFC light heavyweight champion, who appeared tired in spots of the fight he'd never appeared tired before, let his challenger stand and punch for a minute and a half. Though the combinations were largely unchallenged, none met their mark.
Rounds one and two were carbon copies: Ortiz took the fight to the mat and grinded away.
For all intents and purposes, Ortiz stepped into the cage tonight in a no-win situation. Beat the kid, you did what you were supposed to do. Lose, and it would have been three setbacks in a row -- this by far the worst. Neither scenario could have been terribly appealing to Ortiz, so he chose to stand with his hand raised for the first time since blowing past Ken Shamrock in November 2002.
The win was far from convincing, however, and it will do little to suture the growing fissure in the Ortiz bandwagon. What's next for Ortiz? At the post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White indicated that his next contest could come in February against Vitor Belfort.
Instead, what we saw during three rounds of plodding, elbow-from-the-guard style fighting which earned Ortiz, 29, a unanimous decision -- his first victory in 23 months -- was an entirely unspectacular effort. "I tried to go in and just do my job," Ortiz (12-4-0) said at the post-fight presser. "Get the win coming off two losses. I think winning was the most important thing for my career."
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It was almost as if Cote's refusal to cut or bleed frustrated Ortiz, who took no chances, even on the mat.
Cote's moments came in the first and third rounds. One of the first punches of the fight dropped Ortiz to a knee, but as we've seen many times that hardly spells doom for the ex-champion. "Maybe in the first round, I believed in the miracle," said Cote. "But Tito is a great fighter."
Things heated up again for Cote at the start of round three. The former UFC light heavyweight champion, who appeared tired in spots of the fight he'd never appeared tired before, let his challenger stand and punch for a minute and a half. Though the combinations were largely unchallenged, none met their mark.
Rounds one and two were carbon copies: Ortiz took the fight to the mat and grinded away.
For all intents and purposes, Ortiz stepped into the cage tonight in a no-win situation. Beat the kid, you did what you were supposed to do. Lose, and it would have been three setbacks in a row -- this by far the worst. Neither scenario could have been terribly appealing to Ortiz, so he chose to stand with his hand raised for the first time since blowing past Ken Shamrock in November 2002.
The win was far from convincing, however, and it will do little to suture the growing fissure in the Ortiz bandwagon. What's next for Ortiz? At the post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White indicated that his next contest could come in February against Vitor Belfort.
