Tito Ortiz to Affliction?
by Michael Rome on Dec 16, 2008 9:01 AM EST
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Sources...indicated that Ortiz revealed that he has agreed to sign with Affliction Entertainment.
Tito was still in talks with Zuffa as of two weeks ago, and won't be returning to fight until July at the absolute earliest. I expect him to do some promotion for them to help out, but I have my doubts about his sincerity.
Here's my cynical take: Ortiz was never going to sign with Pro Elite, and he will never fight for Affliction. He is pulling this stuff to keep his name in the news, without intention of ever going through with a fight, in order to keep himself relevant and get a bigger offer.
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Dead on the button, Rome. I am becoming of the opinion that Tito has priced himself out of the entire sport.
by Derek Suboticki on Dec 16, 2008 12:07 AM EST reply actions
Uh, I think what he is saying is that he accepts Tito may have been signed, but that Affliction 3 will not happen. I could be wrong. And yeah, that is some industrial strength, Zach Arnold brand cynicism.
With Tito as the headliner Affliction 3 will absolutely go down, and if they handle it even remotely well it has the potential to do PPV business within the low end UFC range, which could change the landscape pretty dramatically. The whole point of Affliction MMA (Entertainment, whatever) was to snag one of these proven PPV guys. Randy Couture was target no. 1 and he didn’t pan out, but instead it looks like they snagged one of the top 3 draws in MMA. If Babalu can beat Sokoudjou, they have a fight for Tito which works perfectly as a PPV main event, and its conceivable that Frank Shamrock may become available too, which is an even more marketable superfight.
Tito will be nowhere close to ready to fight by “Affliction 3” if it ever happens. His July estimate is a joke, he is not superman, he is doing low end to keep interest up. October is being generous, so it would probably be Affliction 5 by then.
There’s no reason to think Tito is any kind of draw without UFC television and hype machine. On cards where hype for him was minimal but still there, like the Rashad/Tito card, they did poor numbers, and it’s not like he did a lot for May. He is definitely a live tickets draw, but Tito is definitely not a top 3 draw in MMA in 2008. Randy, Chuck, Brock, GSP, Rampage, Forrest, and BJ Penn are bigger names to have right now. How in the world is Tito/Babalu with no television on the Affliction model going to change the industry and do 200,000? It won’t.
by Michael Rome on Dec 16, 2008 12:23 AM EST up reply actions
The Rashad /Tito fight wasn’t the main event of the UFC card you mention Anderson Silva was and everyone knows he doesn’t draw a huge PPV number.If the UFC would have had a Tito/Rashad rematch instead of matching him up with Machida the card in May would have been a lot bigger.I don’t agree saying Tito isn’t as big a draw as the fighters you mention.Especially Rampage,Forrest,and BJ Penn name an event they’ve headlined that drew an amount like anything Tito has.The Chuck vs. Rampage fight at 71 had a ton of hype from ESPN and didn’t draw nearly as many buys as they thought it would.
by tylerdurden1 on Dec 16, 2008 12:34 AM EST up reply actions
It’s not 2006 anymore. He was a huge draw at one point, and could be with another major UFC television push. He won’t get any of that with Affliction. Without television, he’s just a name.
by Michael Rome on Dec 16, 2008 12:39 AM EST up reply actions
Also...
if he WERE that big of a draw it wouldn’t matter if he was the headliner or not on that Silva headlined card. Brock was doing big money draws on cards that he wasn’t headlining. PPV numbers aren’t directly proportional to spot on the card. If people want to see Tito they want to see him in the main event, co-main event, opener..etc.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 16, 2008 12:47 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah
you’re right to a degree Tito and Ken Shamrock 2 was the co main event at UFC 61 with the Arlovski/Sylvia title fight the main event and that did 775,000 buys which is fourth most I believe. As for Brock Lesnar’s draw it’s different from him and anybody else because not only do you have UFC/MMA fans buying the PPV you also have WWE fans buying the PPV. Wrestling fans who in all likelihood don’t purchase other UFC events that Lesnar isn’t apart of.
by tylerdurden1 on Dec 16, 2008 3:02 AM EST up reply actions
Its all about the matchup, and Chuck vs. a relative unknown (at the time) in Rampage wasn’t as sexy to the PPV buying audience as Ortiz vs. Shamrock the year before.
As far as Penn vs. Ortiz, UFC 80 was built around B.J. and it barely registered. Then he splits the bill with Ortiz at 84 and that PPV does well. Although it should be pointed out that PPVs like 73, 84 and 92 are kind of unusual in that they are selling the idea of “3 Superfights!” like back in the SEG era.
I think they’ll find a way to market this fight, even if they don’t have TV beyond HDNet. Tito is a D-lister and a lot of people read crap like TMZ these days. I’m not saying its a slam dunk, but promoting Tito Ortiz, who is unquestionably one of the biggest names in MMA is not rocket science, even if the UFC has moved forward with other stars
I know we’ll go round and round in circles on buyrates, but the Penn UK buyrate against Stevenson isn’t saying much, I can point you to Rashad vs. Bisping doing better than Ortiz/Rashad with no other fights to support it.
I don’t see things working out here, though I do want to be wrong. I am going to Affliction II in Anaheim, and I’m stoked about that card. I just don’t see how it makes sense.
Here’s something about Tito’s return: Last time he was originally returning in October, and then February, and then May. If he returns in 2009 I’ll consider it a positive.
by Michael Rome on Dec 16, 2008 1:01 AM EST up reply actions
Umm
You do know that Affliction is talking about holding their 3rd event in January or February of 2009? BTW, Tito isn’t even close to the PPV draw that he used to be. Affliction signing him hurts them more than it helps.
http://mma4real.net/
by Tha Realness on Dec 16, 2008 3:32 PM EST up reply actions
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2008/12/15/694383/tito-to-affliction-finally
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Did you know we are in high demand, Laura?
by Eugene Schelfaut on Dec 16, 2008 12:08 AM EST reply actions
I really don’t see the point of Tito signing with Affliction (or anyone) 5 months before he is able to fight.
I agree unless Tito has received an offer he didn’t think was going to be surpassed by someone else,and if he can’t fight until July at the earliest then he’s going to be out more than 5 months.He’s stated before he’s only going to compete 4 or 5 more years so if he signs a deal I’m sure he is going to be well compensated.Affliction needs to sign a guy like Tito Ortiz. He’ll be a recognizable name to even the casual MMA fan that will draw viewers unlike some of the other guys they’ve paid big bucks too like Sylvia and Lindland.
by tylerdurden1 on Dec 16, 2008 12:23 AM EST up reply actions
But even then, why lock yourself in with Affliction when you can’t fight and you don’t know they’re going to be around.
I don’t get why he would lock himself in, especially when healthy, when he isn’t sure the company is going to last for the length of the contract.
The way the mma landscape is today, I don’t get why anyone would sign a contract with anyone but Zuffa if they weren’t going to have a specific fight lined up, and everything for the card in place, I don’t see the point in locking yourself into something that is not certain.
Here’s my cynical take: Ortiz was never going to sign with Pro Elite, and he will never fight for Affliction. He is pulling this stuff to keep his name in the news, without intention of ever going through with a fight, in order to keep himself relevant and get a bigger offer.
That’s pretty much my take on the situation too. I have always said Tito would end up back at the UFC. I personally don’t think Tito has a heck of a lot of time left in the sport, and the UFC is the best place for him to cement a legacy. Go out playing in the big leagues rather than get snuffed out in the minor leagues, you know?
Affliction is using ortiz and Tito is using affliction….
Tito is becoming stale so to try to get zuffa nervous this “news” suddenly pops up.
Tito knows within 3 months his last perceived bargaining chip will be gone… so his best bet is to try to get Zuffa to maximize their offer now.
Affliction has a press conference coming up this Wednesday… they need some buzz – so why not fuck with the media again.
Remember the tito no show the last time they pulled this shit?
Now is it possible they have come to terms? Sure anything is possible but not everything is probable…
Tito wanted some serious coin upfront, now with the whole elite debacle he’s gonna want more.
So you’re telling me Affliction who is a breath away from death is going to give a signing bonus to a guy who just got out of a complicated surgery? where you don’t even know for sure when he’ll be able to compete?…
On the flip side:
Tito is pretty dumb but not dumb enough to sign a deal without a signing bonus… especially with a company where we don’t even know if the second show will actually happen.
So let’s see…
We have a boy who has cried wolf one too many times and an organization who canceled their second show only to announce a “partner” who is now going head to head against them on their second show…
by mmalogic on Dec 16, 2008 1:21 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
I think at this point Tito doing a few with Affliction isn’t even a bad thing for Zuffa. He could actually get 2 wins and come back on a better streak. The “return of Tito Ortiz” would eventually draw well.
by Michael Rome on Dec 16, 2008 1:33 AM EST up reply actions
It would be awesome if Tito could sharpen his saw on someone else’s dime… I just dont see it happening.
You’re also assuming he will win his next 2 :)
His biggest fights are rematches with forrest, rashad, wand…
If he was in play now Anderson Silva would have had an opponent for 95.
I’ll say this again – I want to see Anderson Silva vs. Tito Ortiz.
"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007
by lovingmma25 on Dec 16, 2008 10:47 AM EST up reply actions
This is Tito we are talking about, I won’t believe anything he says until it actually happens. The Tito contract is getting to be like Bigfoot, lots of “sightings” but no real proof of it’s existence. Tito does like to keep his name in the limelight as much as possible and he’s never shied away from using negotiations just to peak interest in himself. I’ve got a feeling this is just advertising by rumor for Tito putting in an appearance at the next Affliction show.
Of course even if Affliction does sign him you know it won’t be cheap and there is no telling when (or if) he will be able to fight again or how well he will be able to compete when he does come back. It would also be hard to put a finger on just how well he would draw at this point as he has never done anything outside of the UFC media push and all his big draws have been when fighting other big draw names. Tito vs Ken Shamrock 4 might be a better draw than him vs anyone Affliction has currently signed but what hardcore fans wants to see that. He is a very expensive risk to take for Affliction, especially when there is no reason at all for them to sign him now instead of waiting till he is actually able to fight.
I guess Tito is putting in an appearance at the next Affliction press conference(Atencio does seem to love having press conferences).
Wasn’t the Tito Ortiz/EXC thing basically confirmed by, I dunno, everyone? And it didn’t happen because of the standup scandal having CBS pull out? I have no problem with cynicism if, you know, its reflective of actual circumstances.
It was reported by everyone it was never confirmed because a contract was never actually signed. How can you confirm personal intentions or what someone is actually thinking? We have had everyone reporting that Tito was in negotiations and on the verge of signing all sorts of places and we went through this before he re-signed with UFC the last time too. If Tito was seriously going to sign with EliteXC then why didn’t he sign with them before the event instead of making a big deal of just being at the event and once again being “on the verge of signing” someplace? Cynicism comes from the fact that we have heard this same story over and over again from Tito.
No it wasn’t confirmed. There was never a contract, Tito was just talking with them. They were also trying to sign Kurt Angle before falling apart, of course they weren’t close.
by Michael Rome on Dec 16, 2008 2:02 PM EST up reply actions
Tito knows Affliction will be going under and that’s only a matter of time. He’s no dummy and has some business sense. He’s posturing and I’m sure his pride is still wounded from Dana.
If Dana were smart he would sign Tito ASAP for big bucks because outside of Chuck he has no big meal tickets at LHW right now. Machida def aint going to be selling any PPV’s for him.
Why?
Dana doesn’t need Tito at all. The UFC’s LHW division is the deepest division, and has all sorts of marketable stars,
Rampage, Griffin, Wandy, even Evans does decently with PPV.
http://mma4real.net/
by Tha Realness on Dec 16, 2008 3:28 PM EST up reply actions
And to look at some up-and-comers that could be marketable (though they’re far from stars at present): Cantwell, Cane (the perfect heel), Thiago Silva (if he gets past Machida…), even Ryan Bader has potential. Shogun could be a draw if he can come back strong, and Anderson Silva drew really well at 205 in the UFC counter-programming to Affliction. This is all just spit-balling and theorizing, but the fact remains that there’s a great current core and a few blue-chippers in the LHW division. The really don’t NEED Tito as much as he needs the UFC.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
Tito in the UFC is better for both parties. Despite not being the best fighter, Tito is a great draw for Zuffa. They stand to make the most money by working together.
I agree somewhat – like when that Bedlam card was falling apart it could have been rescued by putting in Tito Ortiz. When those types in incidents happen – Tito fits in nicely because even though the card may have lost one of the original fighters for the main card – you put Tito in and the card is somewhat saved.
Either way it goes no one who is a mma fan can deny that Tito is a major draw.
"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007
I’m not very familiar with his current discussions with Zuffa (and maybe Rome or logic could shed some light), but I get the impression that he has a standing offer from Dana and co that they are refusing to adjust. Sort of a take it or leave it proposition. He’s purely being stubborn, but he painted himself into a corner with all of his big talk in exiting. I’d imagine that when he heals up, nothing new will have occured and he’ll show up in Vegas with a pen in hand..
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