Tito Ortiz expanded his business ventures by opening a restaurant called Tito’s Cantina in Southern California. But after three years of active service, the UFC legend had to shut down the establishment following his horrific boat accident months ago. 

With a heavy heart, the former UFC champion conveyed through Instagram that the closure of his restaurant will be effective from Monday. 

“Well, I want to start off by thanking the Cape Coral community for welcoming me and my family to this amazing community. And welcome to my restaurant, Tito’s Cantina,” Ortiz said. “We’ve worked hard over the last three years, but as of this coming Monday, we’ll be closing our doors. It’s hard for me because I’ve worked so hard over the last three years. I’m very thankful for every one of our customers who came in and supported us.

“All the fun we had, all the fights. For UFC nights, the belts we gave out. Just the amazing times I was able to experience here. I’ve never run a restaurant before in my life. And I got a crash course the first year I had to run a restaurant. And we ran it correctly. It was very successful the first two years. 

For Tito Ortiz, shuttering his restaurant was undoubtedly a very hard and emotional decision. The UFC legend started the restaurant three years ago and served authentic Mexican food. The restaurant held regular viewing parties where customers could enjoy UFC fights while eating delicacies.

Plus, legendary names such as Randy Couture and Clay Guida previously dined in Ortiz’s restaurant.

Despite the thriving business, it was Ortiz’s harrowing boat accident in February and the grueling surgeries that ultimately compelled him to stop the business altogether. 

“But on February 28th of this year, I got in a boating accident,” Ortiz added. “And I’ve been hurt now for the last eight months. It’s been hard. I’ve had neck surgery. I had a concussion for over four and a half months. Over the last eight months, I’ve been showing up for maybe 15 times. Maybe. It’s really hurt my business a lot, being injured.” 

Tito Ortiz’s ordeal with the boat accident has been very tough. Outside the neck issue, the former UFC light heavyweight champion previously revealed having speech impairment, numbness in the arms, and back-related problems as a result of the unfortunate event.

However, he is not the first UFC fighter to shut down a restaurant. Before him, former UFC title challenger Johny Hendricks closed his Big Rigg Steakhouse back in 2016, but he did so because of poor customer reviews and financial losses.

In his restaurant closure statement, he did not reveal the details of the boat accident, but he has previously opened up in interviews.

Tito Ortiz provides jarring details of his boat accident   

From a very early age, Tito Ortiz has loved fishing and has been an avid angler. The former champion’s passion for fishing eventually led him to enter a tournament in February aboard a friend’s boat. However, while returning from the competition, the boat, which was on autopilot, ran into a severe malfunction, which resulted in crashing at 55 miles an hour

“I got into a boating accident eleven weeks ago,” Ortiz said on Instagram. “I was on my friend’s boat … And we’re coming back from a fishing tournament. I was sitting next to him, and we were going about 55 miles an hour. He clicked on the autopilot, and I was looking down. I had my feet on the dash, texting my buddies who were at the tournament.

“And when he clicked in the autopilot, the boat did a complete veer to the left and turned at a 45-degree angle, threw me off the boat. I hit the water going 55 miles an hour.”

Tito Ortiz, who has participated in many high-stakes UFC fights against heavy hitters, described the crash as the most terrifying experience of his life.

“I’ve been in a lot of fights and sparring, everything, but I’ve never been hit that hard,” he added. “And to be knocked out unconscious, to wake up 10 feet in the water and have to swim to the top? I almost died, and it was scary for me, really, really scary for me.”

The damage from the boat incident proved severe enough that Ortiz disclosed not “remembering” the incident because of the concussion. Plus, he has been consulting doctors on multiple issues of the back, neck, and shoulders, which he also mentioned compromised his restaurant business.

That said, there is nothing but good wishes for Ortiz as he recovers and returns to full health soon.