Tito Ortiz: 10 Signature Fights

Evan Tanner was left unconscious in the UFC 30 main event. | Photo: Jeff Sherwood/Sherdog.com

UFC 30 “Battle on the Boardwalk”
Feb. 23, 2001 | Atlantic City, N.J.
So violent was the impact that spectators seated cageside thought they had witnessed the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first fatality.

A sparse crowd at the Trump Taj Mahal greeted the first Zuffa-promoted UFC event on Feb. 23, 2011. The landmark eight-bout card featured five current or eventual UFC titleholders: Sean Sherk, Josh Barnett and Jens Pulver, along with Tito Ortiz and Evan Tanner in the main event. The mainstream sports world largely ignored the show, as most people were transfixed by the shocking death of racing legend Dale Earnhardt, which had occurred in the Daytona 500 just five days earlier.

Ortiz took center stage as the feature attraction at UFC 30, and he lived up to the billing. His slam knockout on Tanner ended their fight in just 32 seconds and remains one of the most vicious knockouts of its kind.

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