UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz Elected to Huntington Beach City Council

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.

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A post shared by Tito Ortiz (@titoortiz1999) on Nov 3, 2020 at 11:10pm PST