Tito Ortiz reveals memory loss and upcoming spinal surgery after boating accident

Tito Ortiz has disclosed the full extent of injuries sustained in a boating accident eleven weeks ago, revealing he experienced significant memory loss for nearly two months and is scheduled to undergo cervical disc replacement surgery on June 8.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion shared details of the incident in a social media post on Monday, describing the moment he surfaced in the water with the boat already more than 100 yards away. “As I floated there, trying to understand what had happened, I realized how close I had come to losing my life,” Ortiz wrote.

The 51-year-old said the physical toll has been unlike anything he has previously endured. “The headaches, face pain, body pain, and memory loss that followed have been unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” he wrote. “For nearly two months after the accident, much of my memory was gone. Even now, pieces are slowly starting to come back. This injury has affected every part of my life. My health has suffered. My personal life has suffered. My business has suffered.”

Ortiz confirmed that surgeons will perform a C3-C4 disc replacement procedure next Monday. “My hope is that this procedure will finally relieve the pain and help me continue the road to recovery,” he said, adding that he considers himself fortunate to have survived. “God was watching over me. I truly believe I was given a second chance.”

A member of the UFC Hall of Fame’s Pioneer Wing, Ortiz was among the promotion’s first major stars, holding the light heavyweight title from 2000 to 2003 with five successful defences and building landmark rivalries with Chuck Liddell and Ken Shamrock. His most recent competitive appearance came in September 2021, when he was stopped in the first round by Anderson Silva in a boxing match.