Former UFC fighter Tito Ortiz describes Cape Coral boating accident that left him unconscious

Former UFC fighter and Cape Coral resident Tito Ortiz said he is lucky to be alive after being thrown from a boat at high speed in a freak accident.

Ortiz explained that his friend, who was driving the boat, engaged autopilot, but it failed. The boat suddenly veered left at 50 miles per hour, throwing Ortiz overboard.

“Through my 25-year career of mixed martial arts, I've had a concussion before, and they've only lasted maybe a week, two weeks at the most. But I think just the velocity of hitting the water at 50, 60 miles an hour, anybody else would have died,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz said he went unconscious upon hitting the water and described the moments immediately after the accident.

“I guess I bounced twice. I thought I hit a boat. I remember all I remember is going, ‘Wow, I'm really warm right now. I'm in the water.’ And I swam out to make six big strokes to get to the top of the water. And I was like, and I look and I can see the boat like a hundred yards away from me,” Ortiz said.

He said he doesn’t remember much from the rest of the day, other than his friends pulling him out of the water and back onto the boat. Ortiz reflected on how fortunate he was, considering his size and weight, and said the situation could have been tragic if his friend’s child had been in his seat.

“Well, that's the scary thing. So his kid normally sits where I sit. His kid’s 14 years old, like maybe 95 pounds. He wouldn't, he would have been done,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz emphasized that his captain, Duane Lopez, was not drinking while operating the boat.

“Other people who were going 120 miles an hour here in Cape Coral, and they drink. I think drinking is a big problem. Duane was not drinking. It was just a mess that happened,” Ortiz said.

Since the accident, Ortiz said the pain and struggles have been difficult for him, his business, and his family. He is set to undergo surgery Monday for a bulging disc pressing on his spinal cord, which resulted from the impact with the water.

Ortiz said he is looking forward to returning to Ida S. Baker High School as the wrestling coach and is prepared to work hard on his recovery. He also expressed gratitude to the Cape Coral community for their support of his business and family.