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Tito Ortiz has fought in big fights before against the likes of Chuck Liddell, Ken Shamrock, Guy Metzger and Forrest Griffin. However, the biggest fight of his career could very well by May 24th at UFC 84, when Tito Ortiz fights his last UFC fight possibly ever against the undefeated Lyoto Machida. This fight will decide whether or no Tito Ortiz will continue to be a major player as a free agent in the MMA world.
Companies like Elite XC have already expressed interest in signing Tito Ortiz, even before his final fight in the UFC takes place. The question is, if Tito Ortiz happens to lose his fight to Lyoto Machida, will that previously expressed interest still be there by not only Elite XC, but from other potential companies as well?
Tito Ortiz has claimed that his career is not ending with the UFC, but he hasn’t won a fight in nearly two years, last defeating Ken Shamrock at UFC Ultimate Fight Night. Since that victory, Tito Ortiz lost to Chuck Liddell at UFC 66 and fought Rashad Evans to a draw at UFC 73. If Tito Ortiz loses to Lyoto Machida at UFC 84, then he could be on a losing streak that goes well over two years, depending on his next fight date.
That is a scary thing to think about if you’re a potential suitor for Tito Ortiz, because you may be giving a big money contract to a fighter who hasn’t won a fight in his last three opportunities. That could be something running through the mind of Tito Ortiz right now, which could be an underlining factor in the upcoming fight.
Branching out into other fields of the entertainment genre is also something Tito Ortiz has been attempting to do for years now. Most famously, making an appearance on the Celebrity Apprentice show and appearing in such movies as The Crow: Wicked Prayer. To make my point, a loss for Tito Ortiz could persuade him to pursue those opportunities in the entertainment medium instead of continuing his career in MMA.
Prior to his return to the UFC at UFC 59 against Forrest Griffin, Tito Ortiz left the UFC once before after his contract ran out. Last time, Tito Ortiz left the company on a two fight win streak defeating Patrick Cote at UFC 50 and Vitor Belfort at UFC 51. That time, Tito Ortiz left the UFC like a star and was able to return as a star a little over a year later as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter.
Interesting to note, in between his first and second UFC stints, Tito Ortiz didn’t compete in any other MMA fights for any other MMA organizations. Some will say that this is because no other company wanted to put up with the perceived attitude of the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. I tend to lead towards another conclusion, which is that there wasn’t as many big time MMA organizations out there at the time outside of the UFC, maybe besides PRIDE.
This time around, Tito Ortiz could have potential contract offers come from Elite XC, Affliction, Adrenaline, Dream, King Of The Cage, Strike Force, Icon Sport, World Victory Road, International Fight League and many other rising MMA promotions. This is a very big advantage for Tito Ortiz this time around because it provides him with more of an opportunity to fight on a big stage outside of the UFC, which doesn’t trap him in the formerly “only UFC” universe.
Just look at how his current home organization looks at him, as UFC President Dana White commented recently in a conference call, "Tito Ortiz is a liar. Tito Ortiz is selfish. Tito always gets out there and says, 'I'm doing this for the troops, and I'm doing this for, you know? He's always doing it for everybody other than Tito. The only one Tito cares about is Tito. Tito doesn't give a (expletive) about anybody but himself. He's proven that to me a million times... He's just never been a guy that we've been able to do business with. Tito Ortiz was never a partner to anybody other than to himself."
Other organizations like the aforementioned Elite XC still views Tito Ortiz as a big time MMA fighter worth putting money into. Elite XC Live Events President Gary Shaw recently commented during a conference call, "every time I see Tito Ortiz, he wreaks of stardom. I think I can even better his days in the UFC. I think I can reincarnate Ortiz. He is a talented fighter, and he has all the mechanisms that you need to make someone a superstar."
On Saturday May 24th, either Tito Ortiz walks out of the octagon with a smile on his face knowing he bested the UFC for the possible final time or he walks out of the octagon with a frown on his face knowing his value in the MMA world has taken a possibly deadly blow and the UFC gets the last laugh.
You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com
