Pimach

once again DW shows us what a schmuck he is, alienating the vatos locos and handing them over to strikeforce so they can watch Tito on Showtime.

I can tell you that if this is all true then strikeforce can expect to have me watching any card with Tito on it, whether it be against Babalu or Kimbo

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p-jersey

Maybe after affliction folds we could see another ortiz vs. belfort fight. I could also see strikeforce eventualy bringing in guys like arona, nog, and mousasi. They are also currently trying to build up feijaio. The divison could be stacked in no time with the superstar ortiz leading the pack.

clmetal

I think Babalu-Ortiz was a fight the UFC should have put on. they had bad blood and before losing to Chuck a second time, Babalu was on a nice winning streak.

Although he does bring recognition, paying too much can be a bad thing but giving him ownership is kind of a noncash form of compensation.

Surprising he is still so popular, it's been a long time since we've seen him crush guys in short time like he used to (other than Ken)

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p-jersey

The casual fan will always be drawn to the guy with the big personality. Its not always just about winning, sylvia was the champ and no one liked him.

Ortiz had the bad boy brash persona, so he had people hate him and love him. Add in the fact that he was a great fighter and it just makes him even more popular. Then peopel got to see a more personal side on tuf (whether it was real or not) and it drew in even more fans.

Adolf Oliverbush

Claudale you're a financial guy, right? What kind of compensation package would you expect Ortiz to receive?

And yes Pimach, I think Dana White is wrong on this one. He's making a huge mistake if Ortiz does indeed sign elsewhere.

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clmetal

Adolf, I can't answer that. Obviously they need to pay him more than the UFC did and although no one else appears to be competing for him to fight, I guess he makes money from appearing in movies and stuff?

If they are paying him more than he demanded, than that can shorten their life too.

One guy will put asses in the seats, but I don't think he alone can rival a name brand like the UFC.

I think Dana (and the UFC) always took the approach that they decide what is fair and you take what they offer. I think they've put their foot down to several fighters to make that point so everyone doesn't go that route. Hansen, Brennan, Sylvia and Cro Cop are examples of that imo.

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Pimach

I bet that tito is getting some of jennas scratch(not that kind of scratch you perverts) as well.

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leglace

Forget about a Belfort vs Ortiz fight. Tito is a 205 pounder and we now know Belfort does not have enough balls to fight even 10 pounds above middleweight.

gjfovf

Tito is still a name draw, but he has been less than stellar in his last few fights. Back surgery is a tricky thing, hopefully he has rehabbed and is 100% healthy. No way he gets big dough from the UFC. Strikeforce or Affliction will be his best bet, but how much longer will they be around?

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Tito Ortiz close to signing four-fight deal with Strikeforce, possible first bout with Babalu in October

June 28, 2009 by Dustin James
Filed under Breaking News, Renato Sobral, Strikeforce, Tito Ortiz

28 Comments



It’s been over a year since we last saw “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) compete in an MMA fight. After losing to Lyoto Machida at UFC 84 in May of 2008, Ortiz decided to part ways with the UFC and hasn’t seen any action since.
According to Ortiz, he’s about to become the latest member of the Strikeforce family.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion was a guest of honor at last night’s UCFC “Clementi vs. Jensen” show in Pittsburgh at the Mellon Arena. In between fights, Ortiz entered the ring and announced to the crowd that he was extremely close to signing a four-fight deal with the Strikeforce promotion. Not only that, but he also mentioned that he could face Renato “Babalu” Sobral at a Strikeforce event in October.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of all was when Ortiz announced to the crowd that if he does sign the four-fight deal with Strikeforce that he would like his fourth fight to be a catchweight bout against the #1 heavyweight in the world, Fedor Emelianenko.
At one time, Ortiz was considered one of the best fighters in the world. Upon making his MMA debut at UFC 13 back in 1997, Ortiz compiled a 5-2 record with the company before defeating Wanderlei Silva for the UFC light heavyweight title.
Ortiz went on to hold the belt for three years before losing to Randy Couture at UFC 44. Since then Ortiz has had a very rocky relationship with the UFC and it’s owner, Dana White.
After losing to Machida last year, Ortiz decided it was time to move on with his career. Since then he has appeared as a “special guest” for multiple MMA promotions such as EliteXC, Strikeforce, and Affliction. He has also mentioned a number of “rumored” deals with other MMA promotions in the past, but nothing has yet to come to fruition. Perhaps this time we will finally see the return of one of MMA’s true “bad boys”.

http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2009/06/...lu-in-october/

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