The following is from a new interview with Tito Ortiz on Boxinginsider.com:
Boxinginsider.com: Can you tell us what happened between you and Lee Murray in London? Did you fight, and did he knock you out, as many people have claimed? What's the real story?
Tito Ortiz: The true story – he never knocked me out. He hit me with a good shot, but he never knocked me out. He even kicked me in the head, but still wouldn't knock me out. It was just a really bad incident where one of my buddies got knocked out and I was trying to protect him and Lee Murray was stomping one of my friends with the rest of his little clan and Lee Murray was the closest one to me -- so I went to grab him and of course we were really intoxicated. I had dress shoes on, and a suit. It was a night I didn't think I would be fighting, and I ended up clinching him, and he hooked me a couple of times, then he tried to run away. I went to chase him, he turned around and he missed a couple of shots and kicked me in the head, and people separated us. And that was pretty much it. He got the better of me, but if he is the man that he says he is, let's meet in the Octagon. He said, "If Tito Ortiz makes 200 lbs the day of the event" -- I have no problem doing that. I'll make 200 lbs the day of the event.
If he wants me to fight, let's fight. This guy has been around on my coattails for so long now. He's never even had a name until he says he supposedly knocked me out. If he says he knocked me out, I want to see him try it again. In my mind it never happened. I never saw it happen. I never felt it happen. I was aware the whole time after the punches hit me. I remember the head kick that he hit me with. It was not a problem at all, just something I shook off. He cut my lip, but in every fight you get a little lip cut. I mean, I want to gash his face in when I fight him -- so hopefully after this fight with Chuck Liddell, Lee Murray will be next.
"I went to chase him, he turned around and he missed a couple of shots and kicked me in the head, "
He makes it sound like he was standing when he got kicked in the head now. So Lee Murray threw a Van Damme style head kick on the filfy streets of London? Wow.
Tito's original version included four or five english fighters all sucker punching and jumping him. Slowly his story seems to be moving more and more towards the version of Pat Miletich and Lee Murray's version of events. Tito did remember to include the dress shoes part of the equation, but he keeps forgetting more and more of his original version each time he repeats the story.
This whole thing is absolute joke - I've spent the last 18 months looking on this forum seeing someone get ripped to pieces by not just the blinkered Tito-maniacs because his account of an incident contradicted that of the 'Champ' (of the time)... and now finally the ex-champ, in his own words, all but verifies Lee's story where has the sucker punch brigade gone? Where are all the people who said Lee was just trying to make his name off of a lie?
Don't see this as Tito swallowing his pride, this is Tito having no option but to admit the truth - by lying i lost alot of respect for him and the whole chuck scenario pretty much scrubbed away what was left. MMA needs champions who bestow good virtues onto the fans - thank god for fighters like Randy and Wandy (lol - sounds like some brother-sister country act)
Feel bad for all his jockriders that go around saying Lee was waiting with a mob shadow boxing for a drunken, well fashioned, Tito and made him slip with a sucker punch.
Note both were pissed, no sucker punch, and by the way, Lee never said Tito was knocked spark out, by most accounts he was only knocked down.
" ...I ended up clinching him, and he hooked me a couple of times..."Actually this doesn't contradict being sucker punched. If you are holding someone in a scrum and they hit you when you are not expecting it you might consider it a sucker punch. Personally, if I'm in a street scrum I EXPECT punches to be flying. No one is gonna say "OK, I'm gonna start throwing punches now..." In many bar/street fight stories supposedly from Murray, he has gotten in that "first punch". Its a street fight, that's the way it goes.
Who cares about the story evolving. All I hear is Tito will make 200 and is willing to fight Lee. It's put up or shut up time, Lee. Dana, make it happen!
Must be time for Jackanory 'cos Tito's come up w'another fuckin' story, hahahaha!
"The true story – he never knocked me out."
That's what Lee said from day one. His story in't fuckin' changed a million times, unlike yours mate.
"He hit me with a good shot, but he never knocked me out."
That's what Lee said from day one. His story in't fuckin' changed a million times, unlike yours mate.
"He even kicked me in the head, but still wouldn't knock me out."
That's what Lee said from day one. His story in't fuckin' changed a million times, unlike yours mate.
"It was just a really bad incident where one of my buddies got knocked out"
And "run over by a taxi"? What happened t'that part, eh? I thought Lee an' his friends jumped in a cab an' threatened the driver w'a nail an' said "ALRIGHT MATE FUCKIN' DRIVER OVER THAT FUCKIN' AMERICAN CUNT ON THE FUCKIN' ROAD AN' THEN TAKE US T'A FOOTBALL MATCH AN' THEN FOR A FUCKIN' CHIPPER!!" an' then laughed as the taxi repeatedly ran over Tito's friend whow as lying on the road knocked out?
"Lee Murray was stomping one of my friends with the rest of his little clan and Lee Murray was the closest one to me -- so I went to grab him"
So why'd Lee have enough time t'take off his watch an' put it in his pocket, mate? Did y'grab him, then apologize an' let him get his personal effects in order? If Lee had asked y't'let him go home so he could get his stereo an' a tape o'that "Peter and the Wolf" shite t'play while y'were fightin', would y'have let him do that too?
"and of course we were really intoxicated."
Up until now y've said he weren't drunk at all, y'fuckin' liar.
Oh, an' that's what Lee said from day one. His story in't fuckin' changed a million times, unlike yours mate.
"I had dress shoes on, and a suit."
Sounds like Tito went w'the "jacket and jeans" look t'me. That makes a great fashion statement, mate, an' the statement is "I'm a knob." (Sorry Nick.)
"It was a night I didn't think I would be fighting,"
This sounds like an' excuse but it in't. Hahahaha! "I got bashed in the street, but it were at night guv! I didn't think I'd be fightin', I just punched another fighter!"
"then he tried to run away."
SHITE. Shite shite shite shite shite. SHITE. Lies. This in't fuckin' true, nobody else has ever said anythin' like this, an' Tito is a knob for sayin' it. What'd be goin' through Lee's mind, mate, that'd make him fuckin' run away?
"Phase one successful! I just knocked him over, as I expected. I've apparently also got a huge group of friends with me and at least one taxi driver willing to attempt vehicular manslaughter. I'd better make a tactical retreat so that I can draw him into the firing line of the many trebuchets, ballistas, mangonels and other siege engines waiting just around the corner! This was an excellent ruse and I am virtually assured a UFC appearance because of it. Americans are foolish. Now I am the master!"
"I went to chase him, he turned around and he missed a couple of shots and kicked me in the head,"
Hahahaha! So why did everyone else call it a "soccer kick" that he threw after y'were "knocked down", mate? How did y'"chase him" bein' on the fuckin' ground? Did y'do one o'them trench crawls after him?
"and people separated us."
Why did everyone else say that Matt Hughes had t'jump on y'an' stop Lee hurtin' y'worse, mate?
"Who cares about the past, between the rumors about him and Chuck in training and now the London brawl, this man definitely doesn't fear the truth."
Hahahaha, yeah, talkin' bollocks an' lyin' t'make other fighters look bad an' only changin' y'story when y'in't got hardly any fans left is such an honourable thing t'do, mate.
Tito hasn't even told the fuckin' truth, his story's got holes that I could drive a taxi through an' run over one o'his friends on the other side of, mate.