With surgery complete, recently retired Tito Ortiz drops big hint about comeback fight

Earlier this year, former UFC light heavyweight champion, UFC Hall of Famer, Bellator contender, and all-around MMA legend Tito Ortiz announced that he’d be retiring from the sport after his Bellator 170 main event battle with rival Chael Sonnen. When Ortiz won this bout by tapping Sonnen in the first-round, he appeared to be ready to ride off into the sunset.

Apparently, however, the 42 year old legend is already gearing up for a comeback. On Saturday, he posted to Instagram, announcing that he had undergone a successful neck surgery, and that once his recovery was complete, it would be time to kick Chael Sonnen’s ass.

Good to go!!! Surgery went great. Walk out of the hospital on my own! Thank you Dr Willam Smith to the best Nero-surgeon in the world. I am now pain free. 🙏🏼 #unbreakable #milliondollarman

A post shared by titoortiz1999 (@titoortiz1999) on Aug 11, 2017 at 11:20am PDT

“I’m alive, I’m fixed, now it’s time to get ready, cause Chael, I’m kicking your ass,” Ortiz said in his post.

Sonnen has been bashing Ortiz ever since their Bellator 170 battle back in January. It would seem the that the three-time UFC title challenger’s remarks are starting to get to the legend.

Whether Ortiz actually makes a return, of course, remains to be seen – though that would seem to be his intention. Whatever happens, Ortiz will probably have plenty of time to weigh his options, as he won’t be recovered from this neck surgery any time soon.

Tito Ortiz retired with a 19-12-1 overall record. He went 3-1 in his last four fights, defeating Alexander Shlemenko, Stephan Bonnar and Sonnen in the Bellator cage, and losing to then champion Liam McGeary.

Do you want to see Tito Ortiz return for a rematch with Chael Sonnen, or should the legend stick to his retirement plan?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 8/13/2017.