Ortiz Training At WWE Performance Center

Photo by Tom Hogan/Golden Boy/Getty Images

Rousey, Riddle, Velasquez … Ortiz?

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight champion, Tito Ortiz, recently added a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) championship to his fireplace mantle, his prize for whooping Alberto Del Rio under the Combate Americas banner last December.

But now “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” wants the mat chops to back up his belt. The means to that end is a stint at the world-famous WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, where Ortiz can learn from the best (alongside the greenest).

“The WWE has not promoted that Ortiz has been training there regularly but Ortiz has gotten praise from other wrestlers for his work ethic and attitude,” according to longtime reporter, Dave Meltzer. “Ortiz had always publicly talked about being a pro wrestling fan of Hulk Hogan growing up, and it being his inspiration to get into amateur wrestling, which led to UFC.”

The 45 year-old Ortiz is being held together by duct tape and popsicle sticks at this stage of his combat sports careers, thanks to multiple surgeries, but is no stranger to the pro wrestling arena, thanks to a stint with TNA back in 2013.

Also known as “The Rubber Mallet Heard ‘Round The World.”