While many saw Tito Ortiz’s crashing of the UFC 84 post-fight press conference an unexpected event, I saw it coming from a mile away. This, after all, is ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’; the man who has built his name by being contraversial every step of the way.
What I didn’t see coming was the tension and fireworks in the room. First it was Ortiz’s girlfriend, Jenna Jameson berating the UFC PR staff for politely asking Tito to leave, while loudly encouraging Tito to use his first ammendment right of Freedom of Speech. Then when the police showed up after another UFC official asked Tito to leave, it was just a matter of time before an eruption occurred.
And once the Dana White showed up, all hell broke lose between the two arch enemies. Its obvious the hatred is deep between the two, and while they both agree they need to sit down at clear out their differences, neither one is willing to take that crucial first step.
All of this overshadowed an incredible performance by BJ Penn over Sean Sherk. For now, Penn will take on the winner of Florian/Huerta, while I asked Sherk if he was willing to take on the loser at UFC 87, in his home state of Minneapolis. He smiled and it appeared he’d be more than happy to do so, as this is simply the next step for Sherk to bounce back into title contention.
