Top 5 Tito Ortiz UFC Matches

#2 versus Ken Shamrock (UFC 40, November 22, 2002)

Ortiz rocks Shamrock with a big right hand

Tito Ortiz was on top of the world as UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion and won five consecutive fights prior to this contest with the veteran of UFC 1, Ken Shamrock.

The enmity between the two men dated back years to UFC 19 in March 1999. Shamrock, then a WWF competitor, was in the corner of his Lion's Den team-mate, Guy Mezger who Ortiz had just defeated. Ortiz's post-match disrespect to Mezger, highlighted by a t-shirt that Ortiz adorned which read "Guy Mezger is my b*tch", sent Shamrock into a fury and he clambered on top of the Octagon fence berating the young upstart.

Shamrock confronts Ortiz at UFC 19

It wasn't until almost four years later, that Shamrock could get his hands on Ortiz. However, unfortunately in 2002, Shamrock had begun his decline as a fighter, due to injuries sustained in his wrestling career. Shamrock would undergo ACL surgery after this fight and something seemed to be on his mind as he entered the Octagon, looking like a beaten man before the bout had begun.

Shamrock did rock Ortiz with a brutal right hand early on, but Ortiz soon took down Shamrock at will and pounded on him relentlessly. Shamrock showed incredible heart to survive 15 minutes with Ortiz before his corner threw the towel in. Ortiz had truly arrived as the man to beat in the sport with the victory over a true UFC legend.