Tito Ortiz Reveals His Smallest UFC Salary Ever … And It’s Shockingly Low

Tuesday marked the 20th anniversary of Tito Ortiz’s MMA debut.

On May 30, 1997, Ortiz made his professional MMA debut at UFC 13. On that night, Ortiz took just 31 seconds to defeat Wes Albritton by TKO.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Ortiz revealed that he was not paid by the UFC when he made his debut in the promotion.

“20 years ago when I fought for free in the UFC so I could keep my wrestling scholarship. Only one to ever do it,” Ortiz said in a tweet.

At the time, Ortiz was attending California State University where he competed in wrestling.

In January, Ortiz retired from the sport of MMA following a submission win over Chael Sonnen at Bellator 170.

Ortiz illustrious MMA career is highlighted by being a former UFC light heavyweight champion and being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Ortiz defended his UFC title on five separate occasions. His legendary career includes wins over Ken Shamrock, Wanderlei Silva, Evan Tanner, Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin, and Ryan Bader.