Sherdog’s Top 10: Matches That Were Never Made

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9. Tito Ortiz vs. Dana White

In the confines of the Octagon, White would have offered little resistance against Ortiz. After all, Ortiz is a former UFC light heavyweight champion, while White is merely a promoter of the largest mixed martial arts organization in the world. Change the setting to a boxing ring, however, and the UFC president’s odds are not nearly as long.

At least that was the thought behind a stipulation in Ortiz’s contract in 2006 that called for a three-round boxing match between the fighter and his boss. White, who had a background as an amateur boxer, reportedly got the better of “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” in sparring sessions when the two men trained together earlier in Ortiz’s career.

Of course, Ortiz’s pugilistic skills were never tested, as the bout eventually fell through. Spike TV even aired a special program on the exhibition, though it was heavily slanted in favor of White.

“The special was all about Dana White, flying around in Lear jets,” Ortiz told Yahoo! Sports’ Dave Meltzer in 2008. “We agreed to do a 50/50 split on revenues, but then he would never sign a bout agreement. I did all my medicals, just like a regular fight. Then they made it look like he was standing there at the weigh-ins and I didn’t show up.”

The two men would continue to verbally spar for the next few years, with Ortiz’s tenure seemingly always hanging in the balance. Despite facing a murderer’s row of opponents, the Californian managed to keep sticking around. Eventually, White’s stance on the longtime star softened, and, this summer, Ortiz was welcomed into the UFC Hall of Fame prior to his final bout at UFC 148. It was not the first time an employee wanted to fight his boss, or vice versa, and it certainly will not be the last.

“I wasn’t supposed to be where I am today. I had three choices: [death], prison or where I am right now,” Ortiz said during a UFC 148 press conference. “I think I’ve made some great decisions, and some great things have been given to me. Thanks to Dana [White], Lorenzo and Frank [Fertitta] and the UFC. I wouldn’t be the man I am today if it weren’t for these things.”

Consider the hatchet buried.

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