The issues between Tito Ortiz and Dana White are here to stay. Ahead of the UFC spectacle at the White House on June 14, the former light heavyweight champion hoped Dana White, regardless of their problems with one another, would invite him to the event, considering he is a veteran of the organization. However, after getting snubbed for the invite, Ortiz now feels the UFC is trying to exile him from the promotion he helped popularize and that his strained relationship with the UFC CEO is the reason for the snub.

“I will not [be in Washington]. I’ll be here in Cape Coral at my restaurant, Tito’s Cantina,” Tito Ortiz told Greta’s Wire. “We show all the UFC fights. I won’t be there. You know, me and Dana we don’t have a really good relationship. They just don’t invite me because I was one of the outspoken guys that, at the time when I competed, thought fighters should get paid a little bit more money. I got talked down upon. And he does the best propaganda of how you stop a guy from speaking loudly: just call him stupid and call him a bad businessman. And I get it.

“He’s trying to defend his business, but us fighters, we only have our window of opportunity, and longevity in the sport is only so long. We shouldn’t have to worry about bills after fighting for a company for 16 years. They made over $4.5 billion when they sold the company the first time, and then they signed a deal with Paramount for $7.7 billion. Us fighters shouldn’t have anything to worry about. We should have retirement and things like that to take care of us for the rest of our lives because we gave so much for this company to be what it is today.”

To be fair, the fighter pay issue isn’t a new one for either Tito Ortiz or Dana White. ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ has been a vocal critic of the UFC’s pay structure since his days as champion. Also, there’s quite a bit of history between Ortiz and White when it comes to fighter pay.

Back in the day, Ortiz grinded his way to becoming one of the company’s most well-known fighters. But when he realized the UFC was supposedly paying him less than what he thought he deserved, Ortiz became his own manager. From there, his relationship with Dana White took a nosedive as he was directly involved in the negotiations. According to the UFC CEO, the former champion began demanding $150,000 more than his contractual amount. White claimed Ortiz would even threaten them with pullouts at the last minute.

With their relationship increasingly strained, White and Ortiz even challenged each other to a boxing match once. So, with that kind of animosity lingering between them, it’s not surprising that the UFC would snub him for the June 14 event. Still, Ortiz believes his legacy cannot be erased from the promotion, even if he is no longer actively recognized by UFC brass.

“I think that’s why a lot of fans know who Tito Ortiz is. UFC can’t erase me, but at the same time, I don’t want to be erased,” he added. “I worked so hard to make the sport almost what it is.”

Now, as the feud between Ortiz and White heats up once again, another former champion has criticized Dana White for his recent comments.

Anderson Silva rips into Dana White in blunt response

In a Rolling Stone interview, Dana White revealed that some fighters grow resentful toward him after retiring from the sport, much like Tito Ortiz. According to the UFC CEO, Anderson Silva is another one. Reflecting on their ugly fallout following Silva’s exit from the UFC, the promotion’s CEO said the former middleweight champion still does not speak to him.

White also maintained that his decision was justified, citing what he claimed was Silva’s ‘eight- or nine-fight losing streak’ toward the end of his career. However, the 56-year-old’s remarks quickly went viral, prompting the UFC legend to fire back.

“The bald guy saying (s–t),” Silva wrote in Portuguese on Instagram. “I’ve been out of the organization for many years already, but apparently neither the current fighters nor the bald guy himself can forget my accomplishments. Deep down, the bald guy knows that with me there was no whining, everybody got beat up, and I saved the promotion more than once. And just so we’re clear, it seems like the bald guy doesn’t know how to count.”

Beyond taking aim at Dana White’s comments about his legacy, Silva also pointed out that he actually lost seven of his final nine UFC fights, not eight or nine as White suggested. That said, it needs to be noted that even after years of departure, the animosity between Dana White and his fighters like Silva and Ortiz continues without respite.