Maybe It Is About The Respect

by Michael Rome on Jun 3, 2008 5:30 PM EDT in MMA News

In this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reports that Tito Ortiz told him the new offer made by the Fertittas was the best money deal he could get anywhere, but he will not re-sign with UFC unless Dana White issues a public apology for calling him and Jenna Jameson morons and idiots.

In another note, he reports that internally the UFC is predicting 550,000 buys for the show, which is much higher than I would predict, but they think the Tito/Dana stuff piqued enough interest to push the number up.

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I expect it to do between 500,000-600,000 buys…somewhere in there. The hype for UFC 84 had been building for a while.

by Tha Realness on Jun 3, 2008 5:39 PM EDT reply actions

I don’t see what’s the big hype about Tito? His glory days are over, his game hasn’t improved. He is guarantee to fight cans should he go to another promotion. His fight with Machida was one of the best fights i have seen this year, only due to Machida’s performance. All i want to say is that he should either shut up and fight, or retire.

by igorpunck on Jun 3, 2008 5:45 PM EDT reply actions

No credit...

...for Tito’s triangle? That would’ve stopped a lot of fighters.

by Luke Thomas on Jun 3, 2008 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions

one sick submission attempt and a desperate barrage of punches in the 3d round doesn’t justify his stardom status. Every time i hear about Tito i remember his dull fight with Evans. He beat Ken “Senior Citizen” Shamrock but so did Robert Berry.

by igorpunck on Jun 3, 2008 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions

And he beat

Matyushenko, Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Mezger, Evans (yes, it was a tie, but even if he had conceded the TD against Evans when he grabbed the fence, he would’ve won), ran the light heavyweight division for almost 4 years, coached on the most successful TUF season ever, was a main event fighter for the two biggest UFC PPVs in history, and had the best performance against Machida of ANYONE he EVER faced.

I can’t imagine why he thinks he’s valuable.

by Luke Thomas on Jun 3, 2008 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions

There’s kind of a new line going on about that fight, that Tito absolutely did nothing the whole fight until the triangle. This is really not true. Before the fantastic knee to the liver from Machida, Tito was winning that third round with solid dirty boxing. His anger seemed to be paying off.

by Michael Rome on Jun 3, 2008 7:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Yea really, his style was doomed against Machida, he certainly lost fair and square, but he did better against Machida in my opinion than say, Sokoudjou, Rich Franklin, or most anyone else.

Bottom line is UFC knows he will be a gigantic draw for Elite XC, and his bargaining power just skyrocketed with Elite XC’s ratings. I suspect a Network TV UFC with a Chuck Liddell fight on top and Tito Ortiz v. Wanderlei Silva or Rashad Evans would do quite gigantic numbers.

by Michael Rome on Jun 3, 2008 6:03 PM EDT reply actions

Maybe...

...the numbers would be gigantic, but so would the headache (no, that’s not a “Tito has a giant head!” joke). Even a corporation selling an entertainment product, which is what UFC is, has to pull the chute on something when the hassle of maintaining it outweighs the benefit. You can’t have a mid-tier fighter making champion money, openly undermining the organization President, and causing chaos and conflicts between fighters and the organization generally (misrepresenting Machida’s pay? throwing GSP under the bus?). It’s not worth all the PPV buys in the world. And to have Dana publically apologize to Tito would just be silly; it would destroy his credibility as President, especially given that Tito has given as least as good as he’s taken on the hyperbole front.

by AJB on Jun 3, 2008 6:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Tito will remain in the UFC. Dana’s lack of respect aside, I think Tito will go where the money is, and what the best possible venue for him would be, which would be the UFC. Because if anything, EliteXC’s debut on CBS not only gave Tito leverage, but it also gave Dana leverage against the networks. I think Tito will eventually go where the best money/product combination is, and that’s at the UFC. He doesn’t think of himself as a second rate fighter, so why would he go to a second rate organization?

by pud333 on Jun 3, 2008 6:37 PM EDT reply actions

And in other news...

I’m getting really sick of hearing about Dana and Tito. they both behaved poorly and this is the result.

"They said you was hung!!"

"And they was RIGHT!"

by BJJDenver on Jun 3, 2008 9:55 PM EDT reply actions

550k buys? I don’t see it but who knows…. i mean look at the card..

two guys with no fanbase and questionable appeal of their fighting style (Machida, Jardine)
A guy that can draw well when booked right, which he wasn’t on this card…in Tito
a guy in Wandereli who put on a good fight with chuck but before the fight hadn’t had that IT moment that made him a star in the UFC fans eyes…(which he did deliver during the PPV)
and topped off with a title fight between lightweights… I love Bj Penn, but i will be the firs to admit he isn’t the biggest ppv draw in the world… his headliner of the UFC 80 card did about 210k buys…roughly what franlin did in his overseas gig….. his other main event or semi main ppvs slots did roughly slightly avg with what a normal ppv does 400 to 425…. and those were against bigger names like GSP and hughes…. maybe Penn got a big boost off of the TUF season he coached but I don’t see it…...I figured before the PPV that it would do around 425 to 450k…....... 550k my be Dana’s ego talking…..

by robnashville on Jun 3, 2008 10:24 PM EDT reply actions

It’s funny. I always hated Tito until after his second loss to Chuck. For some reason, I came around to liking the guy. He handled the loss with class. It also marked the definitive end of Tito Ortiz as a contender. So afterward, he went from gatekeeper to whipping-boy to underdog. I rooted like hell for him against Lyoto, and thought his third-round performance was very gutsy. I won’t say he “figured out” Machida, but he certainly did markedly better than in the previous rounds. I would contend that he even won that round. Machida’s knee (devastating as it was) was his only significant offense of the round.

Anyway, I would watch Tito no matter where he goes. He may not have the skill to be a top-tne LHW anymore, but his training, strength and athleticism give him a chance in just about any fight he may find himself in.

by Popetastic on Jun 4, 2008 1:12 AM EDT reply actions