Tito Ortiz is closing his Cape Coral, Florida restaurant, Tito’s Cantina, after three years in business, citing lingering effects from a February boating accident that left him unable to be present as often as the business required.
“I’ve been hurt now for the last eight months. It’s been hard. I’ve had neck surgery. I had a concussion for over 4½ months. After being away for almost nine months and the injury that I’ve had, 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.
Ortiz said Tito’s Cantina was successful during its first two years, but his recovery kept him away from the restaurant for much of 2026. He estimated that he had only been able to visit around 15 times over the previous eight months, creating financial pressure despite the restaurant continuing to operate.
The accident occurred on February 28 while Ortiz was returning from a fishing tournament on a friend’s boat.
“I got into a boating accident eleven weeks ago. I was on my friend’s boat… And we’re coming back from a fishing tournament. I was sitting next to him, and we were going about 55 miles an hour. He clicked on the autopilot, and I was looking down. I had my feet on the dash, texting my buddies who were at the tournament. And when he clicked in the autopilot, the boat did a complete veer to the left and turned at a 45-degree angle, threw me off the boat. I hit the water going 55 miles an hour,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz said he was knocked unconscious by the impact and woke up underwater before swimming back to the surface.
“I’ve been in a lot of fights and sparring, everything, but I’ve never been hit that hard. And to be knocked out unconscious, to wake up 10 feet in the water and have to swim to the top? I almost died, and it was scary for me, really, really scary for me,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz has also dealt with speech impairment, arm numbness and issues involving his back, neck and shoulders during his recovery.
Tito’s Cantina will serve its final customers on Sunday, October 4. Ortiz has also put the fully operational business up for sale in hopes that a new owner will take it over.