Tito Ortiz and Dana White make amends? Tito possibly returing to the UFC?!

[jmt225]

So Tito Ortiz, my personal favorite fighter of all time, for the record, is the talk at any MMA Forum you go to. He did an interview with Tapout radio, and said he's made amends with Dana White (Dana confirmed this on his Twitter). Tito then thanked StrikeForce and Affliction "for giving me an opportunity," which one can take two different ways.

Tito has talked about fighting in the Fall, and coincidentally enough, Joe Silva is currently trying to figure out who to match Rich Franklin up with for UFC 103 (or another pay-per-view). With UFC 103 in need of a good main event (as CroCop vs. dos Santos will probably be a feature bout), and Dana making amends with Tito.... you see where I'm going with this?

It's wishful thinking that Tito would be ready to headline UFC 103, but a Rich Franklin vs. Tito Ortiz main event would be tremendous. Hell, Tito Ortiz being back in the UFC would be tremendous, period.

So, what do you want to see happen with this? You want Tito back in the UFC and possibly fighting Rich Franklin in the near future? Who else would you like to see Tito fight currently in the UFC Light Heavyweight Division? Or do you want to see Tito move on to Strikeforce and/or Affliction?

 

[z99zazn]

I too love the Huntington Beach Bad Boy, and would LOVE to see him back in UFC. I'm slowly getting into MMA more, but I've known who Tito was for a long time, and that has made me like him a lot. If he was to fight with UFC again, I'd be thrilled and a fight with Franklin would definitely draw! I personally would love to see him fight Rampage. Jackson is my other favorite, and I think a fight between him and Tito could be pretty fun to watch.

 

[jmt225]

I personally would love to see him fight Rampage. Jackson is my other favorite, and I think a fight between him and Tito could be pretty fun to watch.

You got some great taste in fighters, and I'm sure Tito and Rampage would tell you the same thing, lol. Those two are actually very, very good friends. In fact, Tito has gone on record saying Rampage is his best friend in the entire sport. So, yeah... unfortunately, that fight is never going to happen unless there's some huge falling out between the two, but that's not likely.

I think before I can make judgment on what I'd like to see Tito do, I want to see how he does against Rich Franklin. If he can defeat Rich (which, I know for a fact if Tito is 100%, he could), then the sky's the limit for Tito in the LHW Division. However, if he drops that fight... then I think a move up to Heavyweight would be the best fit for him. Tito walks around 225 anyway, and he's 6'2, so the transition wouldn't be tough at all. However, I'm certain that if the Franklin fight happens as rumored, and the Tito Ortiz of old shows up to fight him, then there's nothing to worry about. He'll kick some serious ass in that one. That match-up is just too good for him not to do so.

 

[Minor League Brian]

Ew, J. I thought you had taste. How could you enjoy that big buffon? Bah.

Personally, I hope he stays as far away as possible from the UFC and any octagon/ring in general. I cannot stand him. He's worse then fighting a Jardine fight, but then again maybe that's not fair; he fights so badly that it actually makes it entertaining cause he can win with that horrendous technique.

The only good thing that's ever come from Ortiz in my opinion is the highlight reel footage he gave to Liddell with those Knockouts.

 

[andymcg]

Have to laff, look what happened last time Tito claimed Liddell was his best friend ..... Well we all know what happened there.

Anyway back on topic, Ortiz back in UFC ? Im definetly game for it, Tito is the MMA worlds Heel fighter, fans love to hate him.
Personally i love Tito, his fights vs Liddell were epic and some of his trash talking has been hillouris.

Tito said himself he wanted to get his back operation sorted and then return to "Old Tito", now if this is the case we could be in for some amazing matchs with this man. I hope UFC and Tito could approach a deal soon and i cant wait for him to get back into the octagon !!

 

[jmt225]

Ew, J. I thought you had taste. How could you enjoy that big buffon? Bah.

Man, he's single handily what made me such a huge fan of the sport. If it wasn't for Tito Ortiz, I'd most likely be one of those only watching MMA for Brock Lesnar. But Tito Ortiz, with his dominance, charisma, and likability made me a hardcore fan of the sport. I love the guy.

Personally, I hope he stays as far away as possible from the UFC and any octagon/ring in general. I cannot stand him. He's worse then fighting a Jardine fight, but then again maybe that's not fair; he fights so badly that it actually makes it entertaining cause he can win with that horrendous technique.

I have not once seen a boring Tito Ortiz fight. Not once. The guy always brings his best, and the crowd is always into it, whether they love or hate him.

The only good thing that's ever come from Ortiz in my opinion is the highlight reel footage he gave to Liddell with those Knockouts.

Or how about the fact that the UFC would most likely not be alive today if it weren't for what he drew during the "dark" years of the sport? UFC 22 'til around UFC 40... Tito Ortiz was literally the UFC's ONLY draw. Without him bringing in that money, the UFC goes out of business before Dana White is able to buy the company.

 

[Marquis]

Well I'm not a fan of Tito's, so this piece of news doesn't excite me, but it does mean if the deal goes down the LHW division just got even more stacked. Pre back surgery, Tito beat former LHW champion Forrest Griffin, and took former UFC LHW champion Rashad to a draw. And this was when he wasn't supposedly anywhere near 100% thanks to his back. So now after back surgery i assume we will see a much better Tito. I really don't believe Tito will hold the belt again if he returns to the UFC, not with Machida holding it, but i do believe he can become a contender in the LHW division. If a new and improved Tito comes or not I still believe he can give quite a few LHW's trouble. Sadly if Rich Franklin is his first match, i see his return being spoiled. I would have Franklin via UD in that fight.

 

[TheDandTheV]

In fact, Tito has gone on record saying Rampage is his best friend in the entire sport.
.

You never know, Tito also said he and Liddel were good friends and would never fight. On that subject I wouldn't mind seeing Liddel vs Ortiz 3. I would like to see him return and have a rematch against Forrest Griffin, also, who is one of my favorite fighters. I am not the biggest fan of Ortiz, but i would like to see him return and fight some guys he hasn't.

 

[andymcg]

On that subject I wouldn't mind seeing Liddel vs Ortiz 3.

I agree, there should be a Liddell Vs Ortiz 3. Although it looks like Chucks retired, the way there second fight ended was a bit dodgey IMO. Couture was on commentery saying "None of Chucks shots are landing on Tito, hes covered up its fine" n then just as he finsihes saying that the Ref stops the match ?

I personally dont think it was a stopage, and would like to see these 2 go at it one more time.

 

[OIL]

I'm not his biggest fan to be honest. I know he's big in the sport, but I never really enjoyed watching him fight that much. Not sure why, he's very good. But anyway, I hope he comes back to the UFC and has a few more fights. There are many that I would want to see, which is why I want him to return.

I'm sure he has a few fights left in him, and it would be good publicity for the UFC. Well, one can hope!

 

[Final Form Snyper.]

Man, he's single handily what made me such a huge fan of the sport. If it wasn't for Tito Ortiz, I'd most likely be one of those only watching MMA for Brock Lesnar. But Tito Ortiz, with his dominance, charisma, and likability made me a hardcore fan of the sport. I love the guy.

What dominance he fought the second-tier fighters while Chuck was fighting the real conenders...
- Evan Tanner was a natural 185 pounder and looked way smaller than Tito, on the fight see how it ended... illegal head butt

- Wanderlei Silva, way too green in the UFC rules and IMO Tito just layed on him to scrape ecision.

- Elvis Sinosic


Now for Chuck Liddell

Jeff Monson Chuck dominated him pretty much the whole fight.

Kevin Randleman - He was a fuckking monster, he put a hurting on alot of people well ..... Chuck stopped him.

Renato Sobral - Highlight reel head kick stopped him in his tracks in under 3 mins. He was later named to be Chuck's successor, but Chuck stopped him again in even less time.

Chuck was Tito's unofficial "gate keeper" quoted from Dana White.

I have not once seen a boring Tito Ortiz fight. Not once. The guy always brings his best, and the crowd is always into it, whether they love or hate him.

Thats mainly from the circumstances surrounding the fight ie: en and him hated each other, Chuck wanted to shut his mouth and Lyoto just wanted to send a simple message.

Or how about the fact that the UFC would most likely not be alive today if it weren't for what he drew during the "dark" years of the sport? UFC 22 'til around UFC 40... Tito Ortiz was literally the UFC's ONLY draw. Without him bringing in that money, the UFC goes out of business before Dana White is able to buy the company.

He wasn't the only draw don't forget there was a pretty good roster there, Chuck became popular pretty quick they were both riding off Cradle to the Grave and people were starting to recognise them.... UFC jumped on it.

 

[jmt225]

It looks like Tito coming back is a sure thing, now. Details below.

After claiming he was close to deals with EliteXC, Affliction, Strikeforce and a few other players over the past year, MMA superstar Tito Ortiz may be returning to the organization where he first got his start.

UFC president Dana White said Ortiz's return to the organization is a "possibility" during a guest spot on the ESPN 1100 Radiothon (listen live), a 24-hour fundraiser for The Caring Place cancer charity that's hosted by Steve Cofield.

Speculation ran rampant earlier today when White issued a message on Twitter stating, "Welcome back Tito."

So, is Ortiz close to signing a deal?

"Tito and I have been talking, and we've been trying to see if we can figure things out," White said. "It's a possibility."

That's certainly a softer stance than White (and Ortiz) have taken in the recent past.

White, a former MMA manager who once had Ortiz among his client list, has made no secret of his mutual disdain for the fighter. Ortiz cited his broken relationship with White as the reason he was leaving the organization and not re-signing with the UFC after he fulfilled the terms of his previous deal. He's been sidelined by injuries and a no-compete clause ever since his would-be departure.

"I've said many times Tito and I have issues," White said. "We both need to grow up."

Ortiz, who underwent back surgery earlier this year, hasn't competed since a decision loss to Lyoto Machida in May 2008.

Despite his recent layoff, Ortiz (15-6-1 MMA, 14-6-1 UFC) remains one of the sport's most recognizable stars and one of the very top pay-per-view draws in MMA history. Although winless in his past three fights, Ortiz faced three current and former champions (Machida, Rashad Evans and Chuck Liddell) during the stretch.

Ortiz, who won the UFC light heavyweight title with a September 1999 victory over Wanderlei Silva, made a record five consecutive title defenses before a loss to Randy Couture in 2003.

I really hope everything works out here and we see Tito Ortiz in the UFC Octagon in just a couple of months from now.

Now on to you Snyper, I missed your post earlier; I'll address it now.

What dominance he fought the second-tier fighters while Chuck was fighting the real conenders...
- Evan Tanner was a natural 185 pounder and looked way smaller than Tito, on the fight see how it ended... illegal head butt

- Wanderlei Silva, way too green in the UFC rules and IMO Tito just layed on him to scrape ecision.

- Elvis Sinosic


Now for Chuck Liddell

Jeff Monson Chuck dominated him pretty much the whole fight.

Kevin Randleman - He was a fuckking monster, he put a hurting on alot of people well ..... Chuck stopped him.

Renato Sobral - Highlight reel head kick stopped him in his tracks in under 3 mins. He was later named to be Chuck's successor, but Chuck stopped him again in even less time.

Chuck was Tito's unofficial "gate keeper" quoted from Dana White.

It doesn't matter who he was fighting; he was still dominating his fights. Tito Ortiz wasn't the fucking match-maker. He fought who they gave him, and he kicked ass. And while doing so, like I said earlier... he single handily kept the UFC alive. You cannot dispute that fact.

Thats mainly from the circumstances surrounding the fight ie: en and him hated each other, Chuck wanted to shut his mouth and Lyoto just wanted to send a simple message.

Does it matter why his fights are entertaining? No, it doesn't. All that matters is that they are. Tito knows how to hype a fight, and that's a huge part of his appeal and drawing power.

He wasn't the only draw don't forget there was a pretty good roster there, Chuck became popular pretty quick they were both riding off Cradle to the Grave and people were starting to recognise them.... UFC jumped on it.

No, Tito was literally the only draw. That is a fact. Chuck really didn't get popular until he defeated Vitor Belfort. Before then, he was just a mid-carder with a couple of good wins under his belt. Tito Ortiz was still the top guy and the main person everyone was spending their money on to watch.

 

[jmt225]

Ortiz vs. Franklin is now a rumor again!

Drastic changes to UFC 103 appear to be underway.

Adding fuel to the fire, a newly available fighter such as Tito Ortiz or Vitor Belfort could be seeing action in the Octagon on September 19th as UFC.com has recently removed the previously announced rematch between Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson scheduled to headline UFC 103 in Dallas, TX.

The move was not only a surprise to fans expecting a second clash between the iconic fighters but apparently Franklin himself as well. Earlier today “Ace” posted the following message through Twitter:

“I’ve heard the UFC pulled my fight off the website for 103. I don’t know why. They haven’t spoken to me about this and I assume the fight is still on.”

Henderson has not yet responded on the matter via Twitter but assures people he ate some excellent Mako Shark tacos on Friday night.

Whether the Team Quest icon and former UFC Middleweight Champion will face new opponents, each other, or anyone at all come UFC 103 remains up in the air at this moment.

Dana White has also been quoted as saying he's working on a card that's going to be "bigger than UFC 100", and reading these rumors makes me think he was referring to UFC 103. If Tito Ortiz vs. Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson vs. Vitor Belfort is added to that card... then shit, that is one epic fucking card and one most people would definitely expect to be better and bigger than UFC 100.

Man I hope it happens. But either way, honestly, I'm just on cloud nine that my man Tito is back in the UFC officially. You know, for the past year I kept saying now is the best time to be a fan of MMA, and I was saying that without my favorite fighter of all time anywhere in the picture. And now that he's back, especially with the UFC and not another promotion, it just makes the sport that much better. I cannot wait for his first fight.

 

[Final Form Snyper.]

Hmmm this would be an alright fight, if there was a chance for Tito to win, he doesn't have the power to knock Franklin out, but he could always smother him and try and land the only punch he knows how to throw.... the Overhand right, Rich is the over all better MMA Fighter IMO. He knows good submissions and is a very slick wrestler, Yushin couldn't take him down.... Yushin has a reputation to be able to take most people down, he is very strong. Tito would no doubt get picked apart till Rich ended the fight with a TKO. Ring Rust will also be a facter since he hasn't fought since UFC 84 and even that wasn't a fond memory for him.

 

[jmt225]

Hmmm this would be an alright fight, if there was a chance for Tito to win, he doesn't have the power to knock Franklin out, but he could always smother him and try and land the only punch he knows how to throw.... the Overhand right, Rich is the over all better MMA Fighter IMO. He knows good submissions and is a very slick wrestler, Yushin couldn't take him down.... Yushin has a reputation to be able to take most people down, he is very strong. Tito would no doubt get picked apart till Rich ended the fight with a TKO. Ring Rust will also be a facter since he hasn't fought since UFC 84 and even that wasn't a fond memory for him.

If the fight was happening in like, November, I would have nothing but faith in Tito getting the job done. But September just seems a little too soon. However, that still doesn't mean Tito wouldn't stand a chance. If he's been taking care of himself during his time off and maintained his weight and strength... he very well could defeat Franklin. Fight time.. Tito is around 225 pounds. That plus his wrestling credentials... he could take Franklin down; there's no doubt in my mind about that. And if he gets Franklin down, and Tito still has the cardio he had before the injury, then he can work his amazing Ground 'N Pound on him. And there's no way Tito would ever get caught in a submission. It hasn't happened since his first fight in the UFC, and I don't expect someone like Franklin to be able to pull it off. Quite frankly, if someone is getting submitted... it's going to be Franklin. Tito showed in the Machida fight that he can pull off submissions when the situation calls for it, and that was against a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt.

On the feet, though... Franklin definitely has the advantage. So, if he can stop Tito's takedowns and keep the fight standing... then yeah, Franklin's either winning a decision, or knocking Tito out.

 

[Final Form Snyper.]

Tito damaged himself by fightong injured... he looked terrible against Lyoto, Machida took him down a number of times and Tito injury or not couldn't take the lighter fighter down to save his life, Rich is an amazing well rounded fighter, he was always very large in the MW division, so less weight cut only helps Rich out more in cardio, which is something he also has... maybe not Tito cardio but a fair amount of stamina in his own right. Back and knee injuries are the ones that will effect you for a long run, years hell I'll say it maybe even decades (especially with back injuries) so 2 years mightn't be enough time. It almost seems to me that this fight is in alot of favour to Rich, beating Tito will lift him pretty high into the division.. even though beating Tito these days is more of a bragging right than an accomplishment.

 

[Marquis]

Former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz has re-signed with the UFC, ending months of speculation regarding his future. UFC President Dana White, with whom Ortiz has enjoyed a well-publicized love-hate relationship, announced the deal on Friday during a teleconference. Terms were not disclosed.

“Tito Ortiz is still a guy fans want to see fight,” White said. “He’s ready to compete at 205 pounds. A lot of people love him, and a lot of people love to hate him. He’s back. Tito and I set all our differences aside. Tito Ortiz will retire in the UFC.”

Ortiz, who originally anticipated a September comeback, has targeted a return in November or December. White indicated Ortiz could possibly square off with UFC hall of famer Mark Coleman.

“Coleman comes to fight,” White said.

Ortiz (15-6-1), who underwent back surgery in 10 months ago, has not competed since he lost a unanimous decision to reigning light heavyweight king Lyoto Machida at UFC 84 in May 2008. Though he was dominated for much of the fight, Ortiz nearly submitted the unbeaten Brazilian with a third-round triangle choke, reminding his detractors that he remains a viable threat at 205 pounds.

Ortiz believes he has buried the hatchet with White.

“Time really cures everything,” Ortiz said. “Dana came to me and was a man of his word. Me and Dana made up.”

Once the face of the UFC, the 34-year-old Californian has not won a fight since he stopped UFC hall of famer Ken Shamrock on strikes nearly three years ago. Still, he counts victories against Brazilian legend Wanderlei Silva, one-time International Fight League champion Vladimir Matyushenko and former UFC titleholders Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin and Evan Tanner among his 15 career wins. Five of Ortiz’s six career defeats have come to current or former UFC champions.

The lure of the UFC’s deep light heavyweight division proved too great for Ortiz to turn down. Ortiz had reportedly drawn significant interest from Strikeforce.

“For me, personally, it’s about the competition,” Ortiz said. “Financially and everything, I’m OK. Competition was the biggest factor. If I fight for Strikeforce, who am I going to fight? The best fighters are in the UFC. I’m happy. You’ll never hear anything about money out of my mouth ever again.”

Ortiz declared himself fit for competition.

“I’m healthy,” he said. “There’s no more pain, no more numbness going down my legs. Everybody in the light heavyweight division better watch out.”

So its official, Tito Ortiz is back in the UFC. Although not a fan, I am a little excited about this. As pointed out with his recent back surgery, we should see a new and improved Tito. The Addition of Tito along with the addition of Vitor apparently at 205 makes that division even more stacked. 205 was already what i consider the best division, now it's just gotten better. Like i said previously, i can't see Tito being a champion again, with Lyoto around, but i can see Tito being a contender. In his last two fights in the UFC he managed to lose to a decision to Lyoto, which there should be no shame in, but he did take former UFC LHW champion Rashad to a draw. That's decent considering his back was messed up. So looking forward to seeing if we see a new and improved Tito.

 

[X]

Nice. Even though I despise Ortiz and think he's generally just a piece of shit excuse for a human being, you can't deny the talent he has. His name recognition alone is going to draw in fans and help UFC buy rates (not that they need any help in that department).

It was only a matter of time anyways. Him and White are like long time lovers, hate each other one day and love each other the next. Should be interesting to see where he goes from here. Still think he's a gigantic douchebag though.

 

[SavageTaker]

It’s nice to know that Tito and Dana buried the hatchet and are going to be working together again. Tito should a nice addition to the light heavyweight, not that the light heavyweight division needs any help but it’s always nice to have more talent added to it. Especially if the guy added is someone with the talent of Tito. I don’t care how much of a douche Tito is, I’m still excited for his first match since the announcement of him resigning. He is a very nice addition to the Lightweight Division and I hope to see some good fights with him in them.

 

[jmt225]

Oh yeah, it's a done deal. I'm freakin' stoked.

However, a fight against Mark Coleman is not what I want to see. First of all, Coleman's boring and older than dirt, but more importantly... he could still cause some problems for Tito, lol. Coleman's looked good in his last couple of fights and with his size and credentials in amateur wrestling, this would be a very dangerous match for Tito. However, if Tito would focus on his submission game, then he certainly could catch Coleman in something before the fight's over, as Tito's one of the most naturally gifted, underrated Jiu-Jitsu fighters out there. Unfortunately though, he's never been one to set his game plan for a win via submission. Hopefully that changes though. If not, he could drop a decision to someone like Coleman, which would really fucking suck.

Anyway, nevertheless, I cannot wait to see his return to the Octagon. Great day for die-hard Tito fans as myself.

Oh, and as my friend posted on Facebook, here's the quote of the day:

"If I fought Frank Shamrock again, it would be the first death in MMA history." - Tito Ortiz

 

[andymcg]

I think Dana is somewhat testing Tito in his first fight, if it is to be Coleman. Testing his abilty, definetly not ..... testing his attitude, definetly yes.

Dana is puting Tito against a pretty much past it fighter in Coleman (no disrespect ment), and i think this will test Titos attitude on how he will approach this fight.

I believe this fight will set out Titos UFC path, a lose will see him slumber, a win will see him move up and possibly head back towards the LHW title through time.