Ultimate Fighting Champion Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz, born on January 23, 1975, began his martial arts career in his second year in high school, when he actively trained under coach Paul Herrera as a wrestler. As a senior, he finished fourth in the state high school championships. After entering Golden West College, he continued his wrestling career, winning a California state junior college title. He also wrestled at Cal State Bakersfield and later trained with future NCAA and world champion Stephen Neal.
In 1997, Ortiz debuted in UFC 13, where he first showcased his mixed martial arts talents as an amateur. He fought and won against Wes Albittron but lost to Guy Mezger. He later fought and won against Jeremy Screeton at West Coast NHB Championships 1 and Jerry Bohlander at UFC 18. He met Guy Mezger again at UFC 19, but this time it was Ortiz's victory. 1999 brought Ortiz a loss against Frank Shamrock at UFC 22, but eventually won the title fight at UFC 25. Aside from holding the record for light heavyweight fighting from 2000-2003, he has his own clothing line and is currently developing a new XBox game.
Tito Ortiz is also known for wearing shirts with messages on them after a victorious fight. These messages include "Who's Next?" and "Bad Boy For Life." In 2007, he was cast as one of 14 contestants in NBC's seventh season of The Apprentice: Celebrity Edition, where he is to vie for the ultimate prize of $250,000, which will proceed to the charity of his choice.
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