A) Machida is a contender...moreso than Tito at this point.  So the fight is "big" in regards to Tito becoming a title contender again.

B) I don't really think Tito is worth more than he makes now. Sure, he is still a draw...but is he MORE of a draw now then he was when he signed his current deal?  Don't think so.

I like Tito and have no problem with him.  I just can see why the UFC wouldn't want to give him a bigger deal.  And I also like that the UFC stuck to their guns in making the fight that they thought was right.

Tito seems to understand business more than Dana.  No casual fans care about Machida because he's boring and doesn't speak english.  If he eeks out a decision against Ortiz, it won't do anything for him in terms of legitimacy with the fanbase.  Ortiz/Rampage is a probable 700,000 buy fight built correctly.  Machida/Rampage won't break 450k.  That buy and profit difference alone is worth way more than the increase Tito is asking for.

It's not that Tito is worth "more" now than when he resigned, it's that he was way underpaid for what he contributed.  If the UFC does decline in 2008, it'll be because Dana deciding to exchange Tito, Ken, Randy, and Arlovski for guys that don't draw anything.  It's odd that Dana is the one acting like a Sherdog mark, not understanding what'll do business and what won't.

That last comment is right on the money.  

It's clear that Dana's ego has got the better of him and he is not thinking big picture.  Not to mention...what if Tito wins?  Then Dana is losing a top draw AND Tito has left after beating an undefeated top contender...what would he be worth then?

No matter what road this goes down...it's bad for Dana and the UFC.

Yup agree with two posts above.

Tito Ortiz = Household name.

They invested in building his name for years, that kind of thing is hard to replace.

For them to do a 360 on such a large business investment all because of personal conflict is not a good idea from a business viewpoint.

Tito will get signed anywhere else that he wants to go, and if he goes to M1 he will bring them a lot of exposure.

Tito will be re-signed by the UFC. Look at the reasons listed by the first poster for why. This is Tito making comments in the media that will cause controversy, get his name going more, and ultimately help him when it really comes down to figuring out his new deal. Similar to the Arlovski situation, if Tito wants things to go his way he needs to win this fight. I honestly think this will one of the toughest fights of Tito's career.

Yea Tito's just talking out of his ass. We all like to think Dana doesnt know what hes doing, but hes the president of the UFC and were not.