Tito
Ortiz can now add elected official to his list of
achievements.
The UFC Hall of Famer won a seat on the Huntington Beach city
council on Tuesday night. There were three seats open for four-year
terms, and Ortiz
finished first among 15 potential candidates. “The Huntington
Beach Bad Boy” received 34,901 (14.3 percent) of 244,792 votes to
join Dan Kalmick (11 percent) and Natalie Moser (10.9 percent) in
earning a seat.
Ortiz identifies as a Republican conservative and has ties to
President Donald Trump dating back to his appearance on the reality
show “The Celebrity Apprentice.” Ortiz has continued to be a vocal
Trump supporter since his election in 2016.
According to his campaign
website, Ortiz’s platform is focused on supporting law
enforcement, promoting a healthy business community, legal
immigration, school choice and addressing the homeless problem in
the community, among other things.
“I am committed to representing Huntington Beach with honor and
distinction and will bring my winning record to ensure success on
multiple fronts,” reads a statement from Ortiz on the site. “I
pledge to work with all of my future council colleagues in a
positive manner to take care for our city and make Huntington Beach
Safe Again!”
Ortiz was the UFC light heavyweight champion from 2000 to 2003 and
was one of the promotion’s biggest stars in its formative years
thanks to rivalries with the likes of Chuck
Liddell and Ken Shamrock.
He was elected to the UFC Hall of Fame in 2012 but later came out
of retirement to go on a 3-1 run in Bellator MMA from 2014 to 2017.
He then defeated Liddell via first round KO in Golden Boy MMA’s
lone event in 2018 before submitting Alberto
Rodriguez in his most recent appearance at Combate Americas
“Tito vs. Alberto” this past December.