by Craig Titus
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Can you tell us about the time you knocked out that UFC fighter? I believe Chris Corimer said you knocked him out cold with just one punch.
Well, I can tell you what happened but for the life of me, I cannot remember the MMA fighters name nor the name of the girl who caused the altercation in the first place. With that being said, this fight took place back at the 2000 California Bodybuilding and Fitness competition following the show in the parking lot.
One of the fitness competitors that evening was a girl I had dated, and when I say dated, I mean experienced nothing more than a sexual relationship which ended badly leaving her very angry and bitter towards me. You know what they say “hell has no fury like a woman scorn”, and that girl was defiantly scorn. Truth be told, she was angry because I didn’t want an exclusive relationship and she apparently did. Anyway, whatever it is she told her new UFC fighter boyfriend made him extremely angry and it wasn’t long before word spread around the auditorium his plans were to confront me after the show. As we were watching the show and socializing near vendor booths, friends of mine periodically were letting me know throughout the evening that this MMA fighter planned on beating my ass in the parking lot. Chris Cormier and several other bodybuilders informed me the gentleman trained at the Lion’s Den MMA facility in Fresno and was currently preparing for an upcoming UFC fight. For reasons I’ll never fully understand, people generally think that MMA fighters are super human and cannot be physically hurt with this over bearing and intimidating persona. I for one don’t believe that at all, in fact, his biggest mistake was letting others know his plan… who then let me know his plan. The fact that he was an MMA fighter and I knew he was is just the advantage I needed in this particular situation. Now a lot of people would’ve simple left the event avoiding the confirmation completely. In my mind, he should’ve left the show and not continued to push the issue throughout the evening. Leaving the show for me was not an option. So the show ended and the tensions were running high with anticipation of my upcoming ass kicking. I was walking to my car accompanied by a few friends when the UFC fighter and girlfriend made their way over to me. He made his intensions well known with a verbal tirade of derogatory remarks giving me a clear picture of his opinion of me. Fortunately for me, he made a grave mistake of holding his girlfriends trophy in his hands… just as he was finishing his verbal assault and handed the trophy to its owner, I open handed smacked him right on his temple. Boom!! An open handed smack on the temple was a little trick my father taught me growing up as a under sized youth. The open handed blow left the MMA fighter stunned as his equilibrium failed putting him on his hands and knees… just as he started to get his bearings and stand; I landed a well placed kick to his testicles ending the action immediately. That was it. I didn’t actually knock him out with one punch, but close to it. The days or even a couple of weeks following the fight were quite interesting. I suddenly became very popular with a lot of fighters from the Fresno area…well; I can only assume the Fresno area because that’s what the phone numbers indicated on the Gold’s Gym Venice caller ID box. From what I understand, the fighters at the Lion’s Den were unhappy one of their own got knocked out…I quite frankly thought it was funny. On a daily basis following the fight, I was called up to the front desk in Gold’s only to listen to idol treats on the phone. One day I remember telling whoever was on the line to go ahead and come up to Gold’s…bring some friends and we’ll make a day of it. I told them my friends were looking forward to it. Me, Cormier, Aaron Baker, Flex Wheeler, Paul Dillett and a few others would be patiently waiting. Of course I was bullshitting and nothing ever happened with the calls eventually stopping all together. Now I can only assume this entire ordeal is what caused another UFC fighter to make some rather offensive remarks about me in a Muscle & Fitness Mag. Interview a few years later; Phil Baroni, the “New York Bad Ass” as he was called, said in an interview that he would gladly smack the yellow off Craig Titus’s teeth. I was appalled and offended at his remark, but at the same time, welcomed the prospect of all the upcoming exposure I would generate from it. Now were my teeth yellow? Well, maybe a little but I’m quite certain Phillip wouldn’t be able to smack the yellow off them…especially with his little 185 pound ass.
Of course I later did a interview where I let it be known I thought Phil was a punk and he was about to bite off much more then he could chew. Long story short, nothing ever transpired from Baroni running his mouth. I saw him on ½ dozen occasions but the cat had his tongue in every instance. To this day I wished I would’ve switched careers and went into MMA fighting…I truly missed my calling.
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Craig Michael Titus was born in Wyandotte, Michigan on Jan 14, 1967. The eldest of Michael and Sandra Titus’ three children. In high school, Craig wrestled for his school team at 132lbs. After graduation, decided to put on some muscle via weight training. When Craig graduated from high school he was 5’6″ and 140lbs. By the age of 21, he was 5’9″ and 185lbs. Once he started weight training and seeing results, he was hooked. Craig’s first bodybuilding show was the 1988 Houston Bodybuilding Championships in which he won the Men’s Open middleweight class and the overall title.
Competitive Record
2002 Mr. Olympia – 11th
2002 Night of Champions XIV – 5th
2002 Southwest Pro – 7th
2001 British Grand Prix – 9th
2001 Mr. Olympia – 12th
2001 Arnold Classic – 6th
2001 SAN FRANCISCO GRAND PRIX – 2nd
2001 IRONMAN PRO INVITATIONAL – 5th
2000 Toronto Pro – 1st
2000 Arnold Classic – 10th
2000 Night of Champions – 11th
2000 Ironman Pro Invitational – 8th
1996 NPC USA Championships — 1st Heavyweight and Overall
1995 NPC USA Championships — 2nd Heavyweight
1994 NPC National Championships — 2nd Heavyweight
1994 NPC USA Championships — 2nd Heavyweight
1993 NPC USA Championships — 4th Heavyweight
1991 NPC Ironman/Ironmaiden — Overall
1990 NPC Tournament of Champions — 3rd Heavyweight
1990 NPC Western Cup — Overall
1989 NPC Houston Bodybuilding Championships — Overall
1988 NPC Houston Bodybuilding Championships — 1st, Middleweight and Overall
