Tito Ortiz issues statement after confrontation with Huntington Beach resident

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz has issued a statement after a heated confrontation with a resident of Huntington Beach.

Ortiz was recently elected to Huntington Beach city council, and his now serving as Mayor Pro-Tem in the city.

Since assuming this position, Ortiz has been at the center of several controversies, most of which have stemmed from his thoughts on the pandemic and the resulting mask mandates.

On Wednesday, that trend continued, when Ortiz refused to wear a mask during a food drive on the property of a local school.

The MMA star’s refusal to wear a mask didn’t go over well with residents, and one citizen confronted him about it. The pair quickly became heated, with Ortiz becoming quite aggressive. See the incident, as covered by CBS Los Angeles, below:

The incident made the local news (🎥 CBS Los Angeles). pic.twitter.com/gq4lNYdPW7

— Borrachinha Depot (@FullContactMTWF) December 24, 2020

In the wake of this incident, Ortiz took to social media, where he shared his side of the story. See what the former UFC champion had to say below:

Tito’s reaction to the incident pic.twitter.com/clV7joi8ST

— Borrachinha Depot (@FullContactMTWF) December 24, 2020

“That was a good turnout,” Ortiz said. “A lot of people showed up, but then there was a guy who was just very annoying… said I was trying to poison people with food. I don’t get this world anymore. I really don’t. It’s confusing. But that’s just one or two or three people. But still, to tell people lies that we’re trying to poison them with food is a no-no, shame.

“People are going ‘what’s going on?’ and there’s a guy with a loudspeaker, telling people in Spanish that I’m poisoning them,” Ortiz added. “I’m trying to give them poison food. Don’t accept food from me. All my fans know how much I give back during Christmas time and for him to do that is embarrassing.”

What do you think of this explanation from Tito Ortiz?