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<h3><a href="/go=news.detail&gid=336282" target="_blank">
Tito: This is the greatest time of my life
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<a href="/go=news.detail&gid=336282" ><img class="photo" src="http://img.mixedmartialarts.com/method=get&rs=63&q=75&x=5&y=3&w=310&h=165&ro=0&s=tito-ortiz-10-25-10-8-52-10-539.jpg" /></a>
<strong class="ArticleSource">[sbnation.com]</strong>
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Luke Thomas: Tito, not just beating Ryan Bader, but emotionally pushing back all the criticism, pushing back all the self-doubt and then beating Ryan Bader, is that athletically or even professionally the hardest thing you've ever done in your career
Tito Ortiz: Yeah, this is the greatest time of my life right now. I look at the fact that I beat Ryan Bader, who was fifth in the world, top five in the world in all of MMA, at all levels, and I proved that I could still dominate. People had a lot of questions to see if I could still compete with a lot of people in the Light Heavyweight Division at this level. With the surgeries I've gone through, I'm very thankful for Dr. William Smith out of Las Vegas who gave me the surgery and be able to get in the cage and be able to compete at the level I know I can. Last night I proved it man, against Ryan Bader who was one of those things, I can look back. It was all the hard work and dedication of my team at the Punishment Athletic Center. Jason Perillo, Mike Giovani, and of course Ricardo Abreu. Those three guys put me through hell so I was prepared for this fight. Let me tell you, all my friends are happy and they're able to look at each other and the people around them and be able to say "I told you so". It's nice to be back on top man. It's a gratifying feeling.
Luke Thomas: I want to talk about your camp in just a moment. On a personal note, the Grave Digger, was that instinctual like where had you beaten him...did you plan that or were you just so elated after you got the tap?
Tito Ortiz: That actually was instinctual. Two days prior on Thursday, I went to visit the guys on the Ultimate Fighter, I believe it is 14 that is coming out. It's Bisping vs Jason Miller. It was a great opportunity, I got to speak to the kids and kinda show them and after the training session they were like "Tito, man, you gotta do the Grave Digger in the cage. Please do it for me." I said, "You know what guys? I can't do it tonight. Wait until Saturday Night and I'm gonna pull it off." I know those guys got to watch it live so when I did the Grave Digger, it was just one of those things to dedicate to them that when you can believe and be the best you can be in life, you can achieve anything. I showed them that with hard work and dedication, you can achieve anything because I've just been doubted for such a long time and I was proved those people right. The ones who believed in me, the ones who had my back no matter what. And wow...I shocked the world.
