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LOOKING AT TITO ORTIZ’S RETURN TO THE UFC

After a long and preposterous run in the UFC, Tito Ortiz left the organization following a loss to current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida at UFC 84. The time following his UFC departure saw Tito Ortiz negotiate with MMA organizations like Elite XC, Affliction and Strikeforce, but a UFC return was in the cards instead and Tito Ortiz will return at UFC 106.

The real question that needs to be addressed is whether or not Tito Ortiz can return to his once dominant status in the UFC, where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Following a victory over Ken Shamrock at UFC Ultimate Fight Night: Shamrock vs. Ortiz in October 2006, Tito Ortiz hasn’t won a fight in his last three attempts, against Chuck Liddell, Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida.

Can a fighter who hasn’t won a fight in three years still be valuable to the top MMA organization in North America, like he once was? The question will begin to be answered at UFC 106, when Tito Ortiz makes his UFC return against UFC Hall Of Fame Member, Mark Coleman. This fight will either make or breaks the rest of Tito Ortiz’s MMA career, because a loss to Mark Coleman can forever keep him out of title contention.

Another situation to keep an eye on in the coming months will be the once volatile relationship between UFC personality Dana White and Tito Ortiz. At one point, Dana White was the agent for Tito Ortiz before he rose to prominence in the UFC and the relationship started to sour and the war of words between the two went on for many years.

Assuming that the relationship remains on positive ground, it could mean that the focus of Tito Ortiz’s career will be on his actual fights and not the verbal sparring between himself and Dana White. Which, if it comes to fruition, would be an overall positive for those tired of the years of verbal wars between the fighter and the executive.

An overall successful run in the UFC this time around for Tito Ortiz could mean a successful post-MMA fighting career for Tito Ortiz. I say this because Tito Ortiz will eventually have to retire like every other fighter who has ever competed in mixed martial arts. A future for Tito Ortiz as a play by play announcer or post fight interviewer could be in the cards if his UFC run remains on positive ground.

Also, for Tito Ortiz the fighter, there are few places for Tito Ortiz to fight outside of the UFC, as proven by the fact that Tito Ortiz returned to the group that he initially dumped years back. Outside of the UFC, the only other viable place for Tito Ortiz to fight in currently is Strikeforce, unless a new MMA promotion springs up over the next few years.

With his return to the UFC coming very soon, Tito Ortiz should be looking to avenge a few losses that occurred during his last run in the UFC. That would mean potential rematches with former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions Chuck Liddell and Rashad Evans, along with current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida.

When UFC 106 rolls around in November, Tito Ortiz will be back in the company he helped popularize, but how will the relationship go?

You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com

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