Ortiz: Machida's kidding himself
by Ben Blackmore, 04 May 2008
Tito Ortiz has told Lyoto Machida he is kidding himself if he thinks he is going to triumph when the pair clash at “UFC 84: ILL WILL”.
“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” has not won a fight since October 2006, but he has been angered by claims from Machida that the fight will be finished inside one round.
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Ortiz insists he is training as hard as when he started his career, and he had a clear warning for Machida.
“People think I’m soft, they’re big-time mistaken. I hope Machida thinks I’m soft because I’m far from that,” stated the Californian.
“I have a need to survive. It’s the edge of doing what it takes to survive and pay the bills.
“I’m gonna do everything it takes in training to win this fight.”
Machida has a perfect 12 fight-12 win record, including victories against BJ Penn and Rich Franklin outside of The UFC.
“The Dragon” fights out of the same MMA team as middleweight ruler Anderson Silva, but Ortiz insists it is time Machida was shown the true nature of The UFC.
“I know Machida is great at stand-up, and he’s great on the ground, but my stand-up is much better than his and I’m gonna take it for everything it’s worth.
“Right now he’s in a bad place. He thinks he’s gonna stop me inside a round. Nobody’s ever stopped me inside a round.
“And no-one ever will stop me in a round. Machida’s not that guy. He doesn’t punch hard enough, his Jiu-Jitsu skills are OK but they go out the window when you’re getting punched in the face and elbowed in the face.
“I’m gonna put a force on Machida that he’s never felt before. He’s never felt a Tito Ortiz when it comes to fight time – and he’s gonna feel that force.”