MMA fans watching last night’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter finally saw footage confirming rumors that Tito Ortiz had dropped out of his upcoming bout with nemesis, Chuck Liddell. Several weeks before the show aired, rumors swirled online that Ortiz was replaced by Rich Franklin. While the former middleweight champion wasn’t shown, previews of next week’s episode allude to the change. Further proof comes from the scheduled Liddell vs. Franklin bout at UFC 115 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Ortiz has since undergone successful surgery to repair damage to his neck. While he tried to work through the pain, it simply became too much. While he still seeks revenge against Liddell, Ortiz has decided to put his health first.

“I can’t fight hurt anymore. I can’t fight injured and look for excuses. I’ll get fusion C-5, C-6 in my neck. I’m scared but Dr. Smith is a great doctor. My lower back was hard but I got through it. He said that this is 10%-15% easier so I don’t know how much more that is. I was having problems wrestling, hitting mitts and getting punched in the head from The Ultimate Fighter. That’s why they pretty much fired me the last 5 days before the Ultimate Fighter was over.”

(Source: Bloody Elbow)