Tito Ortiz Closes Florida Restaurant After Boat Crash

Former UFC heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz will close his Cape Coral, Florida restaurant next Monday after a boating accident earlier this year left him unable to work for most of 2026.

Ortiz announced that Tito's Cantina Mexican Restaurant will shut its doors Oct. 5, ending a three-year run that began in late summer 2023. The UFC Hall of Famer said the business thrived during its first two years before a Feb. 28 boat crash changed the trajectory. "On February 28th of this year, I got in a boating accident, and I've been hurt now for the last eight months," Ortiz said, per MMA Mania. "It's been hard. I've had neck surgery. I had a concussion for over four and a half months. Over the last eight months, I've shown up maybe 15 times. It really has hurt my business a lot, being injured."

Ortiz's Injuries Force Restaurant Into Financial Hole

Ortiz reportedly was thrown from a boat traveling around 55 miles per hour and knocked unconscious. The crash left him submerged underwater and triggered headaches, memory issues and arm numbness that persisted for months. He underwent another spinal procedure to address damage from the incident. His prolonged absence forced him to keep funding the restaurant without being present, creating what he described as a deficit he could not escape. "After being away for almost nine months, and the injury that I've had and the recovery I've been going through, I've been digging a hole so deep that I can't get myself out of it," Ortiz said.

The 51-year-old opened Tito's Cantina with no prior restaurant experience and said he remains willing to sell the fully operational business to an interested buyer. He thanked employees and customers and noted his grandmother would have been proud of the Southern California-style Mexican food served there. Ortiz will host one final UFC viewing party Saturday and give away a replica championship belt before the restaurant closes Monday.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Fire sale! Boating accident, 4.5-month concussion force Tito Ortiz to close ‘perfect’ Florida Mexican restaurant — ‘Enough’s enough’