Tito Ortiz wins ‘by choke,’ ends career

Tito Ortiz capped his legendary mixed-martial-arts career Saturday night with a fitting, impressive submission victory, and insisted the end is real.

The Huntington Beach product reversed out of chokehold danger applied by rival Chael Sonnen and forced Sonnen to tap out by rear-naked chokehold two minutes, three seconds into the first round to win his self-declared farewell fight at the Forum on Saturday night.

Thanking his coaches for techniques refined in an extended 14-week training camp, Ortiz, 41, said, “I knew we’d win by choke,” after avenging a college wrestling defeat while at Cal State Bakersfield to Oregon’s Sonnen two decades ago.

He then announced, despite the impressive showing that could leave him positioned for a rematch with Sonnen or bout with other Bellator veterans like Wanderlei Silva or Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, that he was officially retiring.

“This will be the last time I’ll be in this cage, so as we do in wrestling when you retire your wrestling shoes, I’m going to let my son [Jacob] lay my gloves down in this cage because this is the last time I will fight,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz (19-12-1) was highly emotional through pre-fight publicity after enduring some harsh comments from Sonnen regarding his finances and his ex-girlfriend, former porn actress Jenna Jameson. And he again found it difficult to keep himself together at introductions, mouthing the national anthem while trying to aim a fierce stare at Sonnen.

The farewell drew an impressive gathering of UFC talent, including welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, Nate Diaz, former bantamweight title challenger Urijah Faber and former heavyweight champions Randy Couture and Fabricio Werdum.

As the fight began, Sonnen flipped out of an Ortiz hold attempt and applied a hold to Ortiz’s neck at the one-minute mark.

“He had me a little. He never had me. I was good,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz later got atop Sonnen and landed some punches to the head, getting behind Sonnen to apply the decisive neck hold that caused Sonnen to tap out as fans roared.

Ortiz bowed to all four corners as chants of “Tito!” descended upon him and he maintained backstage he’s finished as a fighter.

“I prepared for this — gave it my whole heart and soul — knowing it would be my last one,” he told The Times. “I owed my fans my best and that’s what I came out and gave them. There was not one rock unturned this camp. I want to go out my best no matter what anybody says to me.

“I want people to say I should still stay around, but I’ll be 42 on Monday, I’ve been in this business 20 years. I’ve become a millionaire, bought my dream home, car and boat. I paid for my kids’ college tuition. I’ve done everything a man can do on this earth. The next thing I can do is find a new career.”

In the ring, Ortiz thanked his mother and others for a career that included a former reign as UFC light-heavyweight champ more than a decade ago, a then-record pay-per-view against Chuck Liddell and standing in the UFC Hall of Fame.

He was so caught up in the emotion, he told his girlfriend, “You’ll be my girl the rest of my life.”

A lot of promises, but Ortiz also vowed to quiet Sonnen (28-15-1) and he did that. Sonnen left the ring without a word to the crowd.

In the co-main event, England’s Paul Daley produced the night’s highlight with a vicious flying left knee to the face that knocked out American Brennan Ward in the first round.

Welterweight Daley (39-14-2) rocked Ward (14-5) with punches earlier in the first, then amplified Ward’s unsteadiness with a spinning back right elbow.

Wobbled, Ward dipped right to the left knee that Daley delivered, and was stopped 2 minutes, 27 seconds into the round. Ward, who required a stretcher to remove him from the ring, was moving his arms upward as he left toward the Forum exit.

“I hope Brennan’s OK,” Daley said afterward, also touting his readiness for a title shot.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimespugmire