Rashad Evans: Ortiz “trying to be ignorant and racial”
The UFC usually isn’t one to spread controversy (they usually leave that up to our MMA sites) but today they posted a link to a phone call Rashad Evans made to Albuquerque ’s KTEG to talk about Ortiz’s recent comments on making Evans his “nappy headed ho” on 7-7-07. Here is what Rashad had to say:
“That boy’s a fool man. Man, he’s stupid. That’s what he said for real. Wow. One, that’s pretty ignorant. I mean after everything that that guy and go behind someone else and say the same stupid thing.
Second of all I’m black man. My hair ain’t straight. You know my skin is black. My nose is not small. Big lips…whatever. I’m black. I’m proud to be black. You know I have kinky hair, nappy hair whatever that’s what I am.
The third thing is Tito, he shouldn’t talk. I give him a challenge to grow his hair out ’cause I think his hair’s kind of kinky too. I think the Ortiz descent is not from Mexico. I think it might be from Puerto Rico or Cuba or somewhere where people with African descent were there. I think he’s frontin’ about him bein’ Mexican. If I give him a challenge to grow his hair out and see how kinky and dark it is when he stops dyin’ it.
He can pretend like he’s white or have straight hair or whatever…he’s tryin’ to be ignorant and racial. If he’s trying to make it more of a build up to the fight whatever he wants to do man. I’m a fighter. I’m gonna go in there and fight him.
He’s playing head games with the wrong person. Ok, I got nappy hair, so what? You got nappy hair too. I wanna come out there and have a good fight. I don’t wanna have any excuses. I think Tito’s gonna go and get himself all hyped up and go into the fight and not live up to the billing. I think he’s afraid. I really do, I think he’s afraid.
In the last three years who has Tito Ortiz really beaten beside Ken Shamrock. He doesn’t wanna stand up and bang, he doesn’t wanna fight anybody real, he just wants to put on the production and pretend he’s a fighter but you can’t do that all the time ’cause real fighters come to calling. I’m a real fighter and that’s what I wanna do. So he can keep talkin’. We gonna see who’s talkin’ July 8th.”
Looks like this bout might become a repeat of the Diego/Koscheck jaw flapping we saw before UFC 69 but to Evan’s credit he was very calm and collected in the call. I just hope their bout doesn’t go the way of Sanchez vs. Kos…boring.
Tags: Rashad Evans, Tito Ortiz
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I think the reaction to these types of comments says more about the offended than the quoted (Tito).
One of Tito’s best friends is Rampage. It’s obvious that he’s not an ignorant racist idiot. Tito is part minority himself. He’s simply messing with Rashad.
Tito has huge fights in his resume (Wanderlei, Liddel, Couture, Belfort, Hughes, Tanner, Vladimir, Forrest, etc.) while Rashad questions who he has beat? Tito’s only recent losses are against the best – the current two champs (Chuck and Randy). Rashad fought 5′10″ Salmon (which Rashad was loosing until he caught him with the kick – I included the height if you think Rashad is going to kick 6′2″ Ortiz in the head) and Bonner, and a couple of other guys.
Rashad will be making a great mistake if he underestimates Tito and thinks that he only wants to “put on a production and pretend to be a fighter”. Rashad is up and coming and could be described as great and talented but come on, you can’t ever underestimate Tito. He has more 205 title defenses than anyone in the UFC.
What this comment all comes down to is this: If anyone is really offended by the nappy head comment than he or she is a hypocrite for not saying a damn thing about all of the rappers and comedians who say all sorts of racial comments – let alone not doing anything about all the hate groups and hate crimes… and who hasn’t said a racist joke while not being racist? They’re out there for every race and religion and I don’t know anyone who hasn’t jokingly said one.
Lighten up about the nappy head comment – it’s a joke only to mess with Rashad. It’s going to be a great fight with two great fighters.
Very well spoken. I never once was offended by any of this but I’m not a minority either. I think the Imus thing was much more serious because of how it was said. Everyone should know that Tito is playin’ but it was interesting to see what Rashad had to say.
I doubt there are very few fighters who legitimately don’t like one another and I simply think this is Tito trying to stir the pot to get himself amped up for the fight.