“I was waiting a long time for this day.” – Tito Ortiz

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, November 30, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- MMA superstar Tito Ortiz, who recently knocked out his opponent Chuck Lidell in their bout on November 24th, 2018, also managed to rekindle a relationship with his estranged father. The father of two had a difficult relationship with his father growing up, but the MMA legend revealed that things are moving in a positive direction in an Instagram post on his profile.

“I was waiting a long time for this day,” Tito writes, “I have had to go through a lot in my life to learn how to forgive. This has been well over 29 years overdue. This is about how drugs can ruin a father and son relationship but make the son so determined to change the cycle that’s all he could focus on.”

The reunion in November was the second time Ortiz had seen his father in 9 years. The last time, Ortiz’s father had come to him seeking to apologize for past actions, but Ortiz states that it hadn’t felt sincere, so he wasn’t quite ready to forgive. However, now that the fighter has also navigated the challenges of fatherhood, he understands how his father’s actions might’ve occurred.

“5 years ago, I went through the same thing that my Mom and Dad went through when I was 12 years old,” Ortiz elaborates, “after all these years I didn’t understand, but now I do as a father and someone who almost lost everything. I understand that he didn’t know better. You’re only as good as you know or only as good as you have learned.”

Things are finally on the mend, with Ortiz saying he is ready to break that cycle and fully forgive his father for his past actions. His reasoning? Ortiz believes that it is useless to hate someone that didn’t know better at the time, or couldn’t change. “For the first time in 29 years I told my Dad I love him and he said he loved me back. He said he was proud of me. I have always wanted to hear that from him,” Ortiz writes emotionally, “so thank you Dad. You have made your son very happy in many ways… It’s nice to have my Dad in my life again!”

Ortiz, who is the former UFC light heavyweight champion and a UFC Hall of Famer, returned to the cage opposite the fiercest rival of his career, Chuck Liddell on November 24th. The fight went down at The Forum in Inglewood in California, where Ortiz knocked out his opponent in the first round of their match. He has retired following the win, and will leave the sport on a two-fight win streak, winning four of his five bouts since leaving UFC back in 2012. As for what’s next for Tito, he plans on remaining in the fight game as a promoter.

Aurora DeRose
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