MMA fighter Tito Ortiz has pulled paperwork to run for the Huntington Beach City Council.
Ortiz, 45, grew up in Huntington Beach, wrestling at Huntington Beach High and Golden West College. He has been active in the MMA scene for decades, debuting at the Ultimate Fighting Championship 13 in 1997.
Known as “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy,” he was a UFC fighter until 2012, winning multiple championships. He came back from retirement in 2013, fighting in Bellator MMA and other events; his last match was in Dec. 7 against Alberto Rodriguez.
Ortiz has also done some acting and professional wrestling; in 2011, he opened an MMA training center in Huntington Beach.
He has been an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump; in a May video, he wore a “Trump/Pence Keep America Great! 2020” T-shirt with his partner Amber Nichole Miller.
In June, he posted a video of himself “defending” Huntington Beach during protests over the death of George Floyd. “I’m OK with protesters, I have no problem with protesters,” he said in the video. “But what I’m not OK with, is terrorists in this country, and I’ll fight for this city.”
Three out of seven council seats are up for grabs in November.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Sonya Green, Amory Hanson and Dan Kalmick had filed the paperwork for joining the race; 13 others, including Ortiz, had pulled the papers but not returned them. Ortiz and others interested in running have until Aug. 7 to gather at least 20 signatures from registered Huntington Beach voters and file to be on the ballot.
Source: Orange County Register
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