Tito Ortiz posted a $25,000 bond and was released from the Huntington Beach Police Department at around 4:30 p.m. PT today, according to Russell Reinhart, a lieutenant and spokesperson with the HBPD.
Ortiz, 35, was arrested this morning by HBPD officers who responded to a domestic violence call placed by the father of his longtime girlfriend, former adult film actress Jenna Jameson, with whom he shares a home. Ortiz was taken to the HBPD jail at 11:45 a.m. and booked on suspicion of domestic abuse.
According to a TMZ.com report issued mere hours after police arrested him, Ortiz could be in trouble with the UFC depending on the outcome of the domestic violence charge. UFC president Dana White told the celebrity news site his promotion could cut the star based on the alleged incident.
"Other than going on a killing spree, being accused of domestic violence is the worst thing you can have going for you," White today told the celebrity news site.
Ortiz and White share a long and contentious relationship. White helped manage Ortiz prior to taking the job of UFC boss and oversaw the fighter's long reign over the light heavyweight division. But the relationship slowly soured over Ortiz's fight schedule in 2003 and deteriorated further in a spat over compensation at the end of his contract in 2007.
After a year of open war in the press, the two mended fences and Ortiz signed a new UFC contract which saw him return to the cage at UFC 106 this past November. Ortiz lost a split decision to former 205-pound champion Forrest Griffin in the event's headliner.
White told TMZ he would wait for police reports on the alleged incident before he cut Ortiz.
HBPD detectives are currently writing a report on the alleged crime and will present their findings to the Orange County District Attorney's Office in the next few days, said Reinhart.
HBPD Lieutenant Mike Reynolds today told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) that Ortiz is "cooperating with the investigation."
Orange County District Attorney spokesperson Farrah Emami said the DA's office has until the date of Ortiz's arraignment (a court appearance to answer charges) to make a decision whether to file formal charges. Reinhart said an arraignment date has not been set.
Jameson, 36, was spotted by TMZ.com exiting a CVS drugstore in Huntington Beach, Calif., with a medical brace on her right arm. She later told reporters that she had filed a restraining order against Ortiz and would press charges on the domestic abuse charge.
"I'm completely shocked," she said. "Tito is a loving, sweet man. And I've always supported him through everything. For him to lash out at me like this is shocking. And I feel completely betrayed. I feel bad for my children."
Jameson and Ortiz have one-year-old twins together. Ortiz also has a son from a previous marriage.
Saul Soliz, Ortiz's longtime trainer, told MMAjunkie.com he received no indication that the pair's relationship had soured prior to the alleged incident.
"With me and Tito, it's mostly business," he said.
Longtime friends "Razor" Rob McCullough and Tiki Ghosen did not respond to requests for comment.
A report Monday afternoon from FoxNews.com said Ortiz in 1998 plead guilty to "battery with serious bodily injury" and was sentenced to three years probation, 29 days in jail and 232 hours of community service.
..Bruthas do check back on mmajunkie for updates though cos the story ain't what it seem apparently.
