I want to share two different stories about two fighters who both rose to the occasion at different times. Both of these situations happened right before my eyes and I am honored to have witnessed it.
I will start off talking about the former UFC light heavyweight world champion Tito Ortiz. Here you have a guy that was once the king of the UFC, and on top of the MMA world. Ortiz was a punishing fighter, and had a swagger about him that some people didn’t like too much. Ortiz has a much softer side, a side that the fans don’t always get to see when the cameras are off of him.
It was March, 2009. Tito Ortiz was a special guest VIP at a local MMA card in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He was there to sign autographs for the fans, and to take pictures with them. I got to meet him earlier in the evening, and I was very surprised by how nice the guy was. He was nothing at all like how the television made him out to be, not even close. Ortiz signed hundreds of autographs, and took photos with the fans for the entire night.
I had a friend of mine that was in the audience. She was there to watch the fights, and just to get out of the house for awhile. You see, my friend just lost her husband in a tragic car accident about 4 weeks prior. She was driving the truck and was cut off by an oncoming motorist. She steered her truck to avoid getting hit head on, lost control, and flipped the truck over. Her husband was killed instantly. My friend survived the crash only to lose her mother from a heart attack 2 weeks later. In a matter of weeks she lost her husband and her mother.
When I noticed her in the seats, I approached Tito Ortiz and I told him what had happened to my friend. He looked at me with a look of horror. He was blown away by what I had told him. I told Tito that she was in the stands, and he immediately asked, “Where is she?” Tito got up from cage-side, climbed over the security wall and walked into the crowd toward my friend. When we got to her, he stood before her and said, “Hi my name is Tito, how are you?” My friend had a surprised look on her face and said, ” I know who you are, nice to meet you Tito.” I wasn’t sure what to expect next, and a few seconds later Tito reached out and hugged my friend and told her that he was sorry for her loss. He looked her in the eye and said, ” I am going to give Brad my personal phone number and my managers number. Anything that you need, you just tell Brad and I will help you get it, you have suffered enough.”
These are the types of things that go on behind the scenes that the fans sometimes do not get to hear about. Tito Ortiz is a class act. I don’t care what anyone has to say about him. I witnessed what kind of man he is first hand and will never forget it.
The second person I would like to acknowledge is 8 division world champion Manny Pacquiao. Early in 2010 while I was in Hollywood covering Manny’s training camp, I saw an act of kindness that I shared a few times, but would like to share again.
I was at the Thai restaurant next to the Wild Card Gym with Manny Pacquiao and the rest of the team. I remember Rob Peters, (Manny’s bodyguard) telling Manny that there was a huge crowd outside and that he wouldn’t have enough time to stop and take photos with all of the fans. Manny was eating his dinner, and he looked irritated by what Rob had just told him. Pacquiao loves his fans, and he doesn’t like to turn them down if he doesn’t have to.
After we finished eating, Manny got up and headed toward the door. Peters was out in front, and Manny was behind me, followed by the rest of the team. There was a huge crowd of fans outside in the parking lot all waiting to see him. Manny’s black Mercedes Benz was parked and pointed toward Vine St. As we exited the restaurant the crowd swelled and mobbed around Manny. He was making his way toward the car when he saw a fan in a wheel-chair. I am pretty sure that the fan was Filipino, and it looked to me as if he was living with Cerebral Palsy. Manny was asked not to stop for any fans because he was late for a meeting. As soon as Manny saw this fan he stopped right next to him. The pound for pound king looked down at the fan and smiled and said, “I will win this fight against Clottey for you!” Pacquiao balled up his hand into a fist and lightly pressed it against the fans chin, and said, “This one will be for you.” The fan had the biggest smile on his face that I have ever seen. Manny smiled at him and both he and the fan made eye contact for about 5 seconds. Manny was then swept away into his car and they sped off.
These are just two small examples of when great fighters do great things. Neither of these examples had anything to do with big money or fancy gifts, it was what each man shared with their heart. Two good guys, both of which I will never forget and was honored to have witnessed.
