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UFC champion Tito Ortiz never wanted to leave his home state of California.
Born and raised in Huntington Beach, he became a local leader as a council member and then the city’s mayor pro tempore.
It’s where he built his life as a mixed martial arts star.
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Mixed martial arts fighter Tito Ortiz and actress Jenna Jameson attend UFC on Fox: Live Heavyweight Championship at Honda Center on November 12, 2011 in Anaheim, California. (Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
But now, at 51 and with a family, Ortiz believed it was not a viable place to raise her children.
“I never wanted to leave California. But I did because of crime, fraud and the growing threat to my children’s safety. Like millions of other parents, I made the difficult decision to move my family to Florida, not for opportunity, but for protection. No parent should be forced to flee their home state to keep their children safe,” Ortiz told Pak Gazette Digital.
Ortiz blames Gov. Gavin Newsom for the conditions that drove his family out of the state.
“Gavin Newsom’s failures did not begin in Sacramento. He helped ravage San Francisco and then exported those same disastrous policies across the state. The result is undeniable: explosive crime, rampant fraud, lawless streets, unaffordable housing, crushed small businesses, and families no longer feeling safe in their own communities,” he added.
“California cannot survive more of the same.”
Newsom’s office responded to Ortiz’s criticism in a statement to Pak Gazette Digital.
“We’re not sure who Tito Ortiz is, but we wish him the best. Goodbye!” Newsom’s office said.
Ortiz, nicknamed “The Bad Boy of Huntington Beach,” is a pioneering member of the UFC Hall of Fame and former light heavyweight champion. He held the UFC light heavyweight championship from April 2000 to September 2003, defending it five times.
He finished his professional MMA career with a record of 21-12-1 and had his last fight in 2019.
Now, from afar, he hopes to inspire change in his home state by endorsing Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco for California governor in 2026.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom walked back comments from his office criticizing ICE agents during a podcast interview. (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
For Ortiz, the defining trait inspiring his endorsement is Bianco’s handling of the COVID-19 quarantine in 2020, when the sheriff refused to enforce certain lockdown protocols under Newsom’s leadership.
“Sheriff Chad Bianco is not a career politician. He is a proven leader with courage and integrity,” Ortiz said.
“In 2020, when Gavin Newsom ruled by fiat and used fear as a weapon, Sheriff Bianco stood up and refused to impose unconstitutional shutdowns. He defended churches, small businesses, and the fundamental rights of Californians.
“Anyone can speak. Sheriff Bianco acted. When it mattered most, he stood with the people, not the political elite. He earned my vote, my support and my trust. California deserves leadership that will fight back, restore law and order and put families first again.”
Ortiz joins former UFC fighter and Californian Dan Henderson, who told Pak Gazette Digital in November that he supports Bianco.
“It was kind of a blessing that he didn’t shut everything down while we were responsible for everything. I kind of admired how he handled that whole situation,” Henderson said.
“A lot of business owners would have gone bankrupt, and maybe even worse, in terms of losing a lot of the things they had, if he had closed all the businesses like the governor wanted… It was more common sense. He didn’t panic and think the world was going to end.”
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Bianco is the favorite for the state’s 2026 gubernatorial election in several polls, including January polls from EMC Research and Public Policy Polling.
Bianco’s biggest rival in the upcoming race appears to be fellow Republican Steve Hilton, who has been at or near the top in recent polls alongside the sheriff.
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