Tito Ortiz looking for further role with Affliction?
When free agent light-heavyweight Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) was announced as a special guest at Affliction's recent press conference, rumors began to swirl that "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" would be fighting for the upstart organization.
Those rumors were immediately halted when Ortiz was introduced as a broadcaster, and not a fighter, for the Jan. 24 "Day of Reckoning."
But Ortiz later hinted to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the organization may still be in the running for his services as a fighter.
"When I'm 100 percent, I feel really bad for a lot of these light-heavyweights who are competing in Affliction," Ortiz said. "Because I beat one of the guys -- and I guess there's three more on the card to do.
"Everybody else keeps saying, 'What do you think of 'Babalu' (Sobral) here? What do you think about (Vladimir) Matyushenko here? 'Little Nog,' now Sokoudjou. Like I say, 'Fresh meat.' Once I'm 100 percent, people are going to get the best fights possible in a Tito Ortiz fight."
Ortiz is currently recovering from a recent surgery on his back that included the fusion of three of his discs. The 33-year-old said he still needs another six months of rehabilitation in order to recoup fully from the procedure. That time frame fits perfectly with the termination of his UFC contract.
"Yes, (the UFC can match any offer I receive until June) if they choose," Ortiz said. "I've got to stick to my fight contract on that and just wait for it to finish out. You know (Andrei) Arlovski did the same thing, too, when he was waiting. Why give them a chance to match it?"
Ortiz said his desire to compete outside of the UFC has nothing to do with financial offers.
"It's just respect value," Ortiz said. "It's not about money anymore. I have all the money I need in the world. I have nothing to worry about money-wise. It's about respect now, and [UFC officials] don't respect me as a person. They don't respect me as a fighter. They don't respect me as a businessman.
"I'm going to go somewhere where people do respect me and do treat me the way that I think I deserve to be treated after 11 years of competition and after five title defenses -- and doing some of the pay-per-view buys that no other fighter in MMA has ever done. But I've got to give thanks to all my fans that have been helping me promote myself and helping me get those pay-per-views."
Ortiz was in this same position just a few short months ago with EliteXC. The collapse of that organization prevented Ortiz from signing, and the former UFC champion feels that he could have proved valuable in saving the financially doomed promotion.
"There was a little hesitation (in negotiating) there in the beginning after [the EliteXC] fell through," Ortiz said. "(EliteXC Head of Fight Operations) Jeremy Lappen is an awesome guy, and I kind of feel bad for him. I know that the rug got pulled from underneath his feet, as it did mine.
"I think CBS should have taken a little look into it and maybe taken a chance and thrown the dice on me. I would have bet on myself."
Ortiz believes Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio and his organization understand the value he can bring to the promotion.
"Affliction is the group who understands that now," Ortiz said. "I think bringing Golden Boy Promotions along with it is what intrigues me 100 percent to come aboard, because Golden Boy knows how to promote fighters like no other.
"I'm really excited to be a part of this. It would be nice to see a '24/7' with Tito Ortiz in it. I think a lot of fans would love to see that, also."
While it would seem there are many positive signs that Ortiz will soon find himself within the ropes of Affliction, the fighter himself stopped just short of confirming the possibility.
"There's a possibility of that happening," Ortiz said. "But right now I'm just going to focus on commentating and let the fight stuff fall in place when it does."
When free agent light-heavyweight Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) was announced as a special guest at Affliction's recent press conference, rumors began to swirl that "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" would be fighting for the upstart organization.
Those rumors were immediately halted when Ortiz was introduced as a broadcaster, and not a fighter, for the Jan. 24 "Day of Reckoning."
But Ortiz later hinted to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the organization may still be in the running for his services as a fighter.
"When I'm 100 percent, I feel really bad for a lot of these light-heavyweights who are competing in Affliction," Ortiz said. "Because I beat one of the guys -- and I guess there's three more on the card to do.
"Everybody else keeps saying, 'What do you think of 'Babalu' (Sobral) here? What do you think about (Vladimir) Matyushenko here? 'Little Nog,' now Sokoudjou. Like I say, 'Fresh meat.' Once I'm 100 percent, people are going to get the best fights possible in a Tito Ortiz fight."
Ortiz is currently recovering from a recent surgery on his back that included the fusion of three of his discs. The 33-year-old said he still needs another six months of rehabilitation in order to recoup fully from the procedure. That time frame fits perfectly with the termination of his UFC contract.
"Yes, (the UFC can match any offer I receive until June) if they choose," Ortiz said. "I've got to stick to my fight contract on that and just wait for it to finish out. You know (Andrei) Arlovski did the same thing, too, when he was waiting. Why give them a chance to match it?"
Ortiz said his desire to compete outside of the UFC has nothing to do with financial offers.
"It's just respect value," Ortiz said. "It's not about money anymore. I have all the money I need in the world. I have nothing to worry about money-wise. It's about respect now, and [UFC officials] don't respect me as a person. They don't respect me as a fighter. They don't respect me as a businessman.
"I'm going to go somewhere where people do respect me and do treat me the way that I think I deserve to be treated after 11 years of competition and after five title defenses -- and doing some of the pay-per-view buys that no other fighter in MMA has ever done. But I've got to give thanks to all my fans that have been helping me promote myself and helping me get those pay-per-views."
Ortiz was in this same position just a few short months ago with EliteXC. The collapse of that organization prevented Ortiz from signing, and the former UFC champion feels that he could have proved valuable in saving the financially doomed promotion.
"There was a little hesitation (in negotiating) there in the beginning after [the EliteXC] fell through," Ortiz said. "(EliteXC Head of Fight Operations) Jeremy Lappen is an awesome guy, and I kind of feel bad for him. I know that the rug got pulled from underneath his feet, as it did mine.
"I think CBS should have taken a little look into it and maybe taken a chance and thrown the dice on me. I would have bet on myself."
Ortiz believes Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio and his organization understand the value he can bring to the promotion.
"Affliction is the group who understands that now," Ortiz said. "I think bringing Golden Boy Promotions along with it is what intrigues me 100 percent to come aboard, because Golden Boy knows how to promote fighters like no other.
"I'm really excited to be a part of this. It would be nice to see a '24/7' with Tito Ortiz in it. I think a lot of fans would love to see that, also."
While it would seem there are many positive signs that Ortiz will soon find himself within the ropes of Affliction, the fighter himself stopped just short of confirming the possibility.
"There's a possibility of that happening," Ortiz said. "But right now I'm just going to focus on commentating and let the fight stuff fall in place when it does."