Tito Ortiz won’t be punished by CSAC for holding onto choke against Chael Sonnen

It looks like Tito Ortiz is off the hook for holding onto his finishing choke against Chael Sonnen after the tap.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion retired from MMA competition this past Saturday at Bellator 170, but he didn’t leave the sport without some controversy. Ortiz, who defeated Sonnen in the main event of the card, utilized a rear-naked choke to get ‘The American Gangster’ to tap out and get the final victory of his career.

However, when Sonnen tapped, the fight didn’t quite end there, as Ortiz continued to strangle Sonnen and even briefly ignored referee John McCarthy’s orders to let go of the choke. After the fight, during the post-fight press conference, Ortiz had no problem admitting he purposely held onto the choke, and said it was because he had ‘ill will’ towards Sonnen.

On Monday, Andy Foster, Executive Director of the California State Athletic Commission, said that the CSAC won’t be looking to reprimand Ortiz for his actions at Bellator 170.

"We are not looking to,” Foster told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani. “Referee John McCarthy fixed that situation quickly. John got him to to release the choke. If a referee wants a fighter punished for conduct, they will come and we will discuss it. That did not happen."