Overview
Tito Ortiz's life has been a battle for survival. Teased as a young boy by his older half-brothers until they were sent away, and trapped in a home where his parents were hooked on heroin, Tito saw himself as a "total zero."
With no parental guidance, and eventually living out of a car or in other peoples' garages, it's no surprise that Tito sought an escape through drugs and gangs. Even seeing a boy standing next to him shot dead wasn't enough for Tito to straighten himself out, and he ended up serving time in juvenile hail.
It was Tito's discovery of high school wrestling that saved him. Forced to maintain good grades during the wrestling season, Tito graduated with his class and became a two-time junior college state wrestling champion.
When he competed in a mixed martial arts event for fun— and won—his course was set. His arrival in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a brash fighter was intentional. He created his image as The Huntington Beach Bad Boy, and fans wanted to see him compete. He was a marketing success—and a winner. He became a UFC champion in 2000, and fame quickly followed, with appearances on TV shows and in movies, Tito was finally getting the attention he craved as a child. But could he handle the fame?