X

Former UFC Champion Tito Ortiz Elected to Huntington Beach, CA, City Council

Adam Wells@adamwells1985X.com LogoFeatured ColumnistNovember 4, 2020

Tito Ortiz eyes his opponent, Forrest Griffin before his UFC 148 light heavyweight fight Saturday, July 7, 2012, in Las Vegas. Griffin won the bout by a unanimous decision. (AP Photo/David Becker)
David Becker/Associated Press

UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz will serve on the city council in his hometown of Huntington Beach, California.

Per official election results from the Los Angeles Times, Ortiz leads all candidates with 34,901 votes.

As noted by Dave Doyle of MMA Junkie, there were three vacancies on the seven-seat city council in this year's election.

Ortiz's total represents 14.26 percent of the votes cast in the race. Dan Kalmick and Natalie Moser were the only other candidates to receive at least 10 percent of the vote.

An iconic figure in mixed martial arts history, Ortiz spent the first 15 years of his professional fighting career in the UFC from 1997 to 2012. The Huntington Beach Bad Boy went 19-12-1 in the promotion and held the light heavyweight championship from 2000 to 2003.

The UFC inducted Ortiz into the Hall of Fame in 2012. He is still competing in mixed martial arts, most recently defeating Alberto El Patron at Combate Americas 51 in December 2019.