As we watch UFC 84’s highly anticipated main event card this weekend, think about a few things before rushing to judgment on what you really think of Tito Ortiz in the context of how it can benefit the UFC or another promotion in the long run. Here are a few factors that surround his matchup with Lyoto Machida:

• Ortiz is fighting the #1 contender after Forrest Griffin for the Light Heavyweight title
• Ortiz has proven that he is a drawing power for the UFC, and that he has a very recognizable name to the casual fanbase
• A win will not only give him a much needed kick up the rankings ladder, but also solidify his spot as a top fighter in the UFC’s LHW division once again.
• The amount of trash talk that Tito will likely spout throughout the media could potentially hurt the UFC’s image as having the best fighters in the world
• And finally… Ortiz may be hated by many, but he still produces buys from those individuals

While many of those factors on the list are small in comparison to the big picture in that Tito Ortiz is one of the higher drawing fighters that the UFC has, combining all of those factors together creates a huge problem for the UFC.

The most prominent issue will be his drawing power. Ortiz has made a career as a hype machine. He’s able to not only use his mouth to promote fights, but he’s also proven it in the cage. While he hasn’t had the most impressive run as of late, we have yet to see if Tito Ortiz at 100% can produce the results he did in the past.

Ortiz’s antics and confidence seem to bring out the haters and the lovers at the same time. We either love him or hate him, but nonetheless, pay to see Tito Ortiz fight. It’s a quality that cannot be thrown away. I’ve sometimes compared his antics to that of Muhammad Ali’s hype tactics when he fought Sonny Liston. Ali would go to Sonny’s gym and heckle him while he actually trained. With cameras rolling, Liston and Ali nearly scrapped at the gym.

While Ortiz isn’t at the same status as Ali ever was, his promoting ability to the fight game is similar. Can the UFC allow him to leave the promotion if he happens to knock off the UFC’s next contender? It would be very doubtful that they would allow such a drawing fighter to leave the UFC and likely land at EliteXC, a promotion with an even bigger stage in CBS primetime. Ortiz’s personality could potentially thrive there.

Regardless of what people think, Ortiz can draw fans with opposite views of him and it’d be a huge mistake if the UFC allowed him to leave, win or loss. If Tito happens to defeat the elusive Lyoto Machida on Saturday night, there is no question that the UFC must keep Ortiz in the mix if they want to continue profiting from his out-of-the-cage personality.

Sean Sherk vs. BJ Penn

The most anticipated bout so far this year has to be BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk. With Sherk’s positive steroid test and the UFC stripping him of his title, he definitely has much to prove to the UFC fanbase. Penn is also trying to prove that he has changed his ways from being only a fighter who relies on talent to a fighter who has the cardio and determination to dominate in the UFC. Any way you look at this fight, it’s going to be an epic war.

Stylistically, it’s a damn good matchup. Sherk has unbelievable cardio, great wrestling skills, and an active enough ground and pound game to keep the fight on the ground. Penn has K-1 striking abilities, good power, world class grappling game coupled with amazing flexibility, and an improved gas tank. Penn should have a standing advantage while Sherk’s wrestling skills should be the controlling factor on the ground. The x-factor lies in Penn’s jiu-jitsu and ability to attempt submissions with Sherk’s massive physique on top of him. If Penn can create some dangerous situations for Sherk, it could cause some shifts on the ground and potentially allow Penn to submit or at least escape to the feet where he can strike.

Historically, Sherk has only had problems with bigger Welterweights Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes. St. Pierre had some great striking abilities to counter his shoots, and Hughes was the better wrestler. Penn will have a striking advantage, but it’ll be interesting to see how his flexibility becomes a factor in avoiding the takedowns.

Penn’s losses were to a much bigger Lyoto Machida, a controversial decision to Georges St. Pierre, Jens Pulver, and to Matt Hughes at UFC 63. Penn claimed to have been hurt during his bout with Hughes, and it’s been speculated whether Penn simply ran out of gas due to a rib injury. Of course, that’s all in the past. A healthier Penn with a bigger gas tank could be the key to success against Sherk in this case. History would certainly point toward those areas needing improvement, and Penn has trained to do so.

Who should I pick? It’s a tough call. Many writers are leaning toward Sherk due to his wrestling ability being a huge problem for Penn. Ben Fowlkes pointed out that Penn has had problems against both St. Pierre and Matt Hughes in the wrestling department, and that his standup striking hasn’t been a finishing factor since Paul Creighton. I disagree. Penn was defeating St. Pierre with below average cardio and damaged St. Pierre much more than anyone I’ve seen. Penn dominated Hughes in their first matchup, and was likely disadvantaged from the rib injury in their second fight. As for his striking, it’s still an effective way to damage opponents which usually causes them to try to shoot to the ground to recover. Penn is damaging his enemies with his strikes, but most of those opponents get submitted as they try to escape to the ground to avoid damage.

I’m going to take Penn by TKO/KO here. I think Sherk has some great submission defense, but Penn has the great striking to pick apart Sherk steadily and eventually pound him out. To be perfectly honest, I can see Penn pushing the damage to a point where Sherk sloppily shoots for horrible takedowns that leave him open for the submission, but I think Penn will want to make a statement here.

Leland’s Prediction: BJ Penn via TKO/KO, Round 3

Lyoto Machida vs. Tito Ortiz

I’d have to see some significant changes from Tito Ortiz during the fight to give him a chance in this one. His last performance wasn’t his best, and it led to many fans claiming that Ortiz has past his prime of fighting in mixed martial arts. While I agree that he’s lost some of his old school beatdown skills, he’s still a fairly decent fighter against mid-tier talent. Is Machida a mid-tier fighter? No, he isn’t.

Ortiz has claimed that he’ll push the pace, get in Machida’s face, and put him into a world of pain on the ground where he likely won’t be able to use his elusiveness to evade. Although I believe only a quicker fighter can defeat Machida at this point and that the strategy he claims he wants to use has potential to work, can Ortiz actually pull it off? I don’t think so.

Ortiz hasn’t shown blazing speed in the cage, and Machida eats opponents alive when they bull rush him into the cage. While Machida may not have impressive knockout power, I still believe he possesses it. Great counter-striking has stopped Ortiz in the past, and Machida’s ground game isn’t a weakness for Ortiz to exploit.

Leland’s Prediction: Lyoto Machida via unanimous decision

Keith Jardine vs. Wanderlei Silva

As with most of the MMA action recently, here’s a little in-depth analysis of the betting odds that have been released. Fans can head over to Bestfightodds.com for an aggregation of all the odds around the Internet, but for the most part, they fall within +/- 50. Let’s check out some of the better deals out there for those of you wanting to cash in on some underdogs.

BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk

While I adamantly made my case that BJ Penn will defeat Sean Sherk, I’m still curious about winning money. Sherk’s line is around +200 - +215, which is a solid bet considering Sherk’s dominance in the lightweight division over the years. He’s a solid fighter with a great ground game. If you think he can lay n’ pray his way to victory, by all means, place some money on him.

Lyoto Machida vs. Tito Ortiz

I normally wouldn’t make this bet. He’s at +175 - +185 on most betting lines, and his last few performances haven’t exactly been impressive. Machida, on the other hand, is such a strategist in the cage; it’ll be hard to defeat him in any capacity. Tito has stated he’s 100% though, and at 100%, we may actually see a Tito of old. I wouldn’t bet on it personally, but if you believe Tito can really put Machida into danger on the ground, he is the underdog bet.

Keith Jardine vs. Wanderlei Silva

I like this line a lot. Jardine has great reach to stay away from Wanderlei for the three rounds, and it could end up being another decision matchup that sees Jardine winning. I have a bit of favoritism toward Wanderlei, but when it comes to money, bet on who you think wins the style matchup. This should be a decent bet.

Ivan Salaverry vs. Rousimar Palhares

I’ve been unbelievably impressed with Palhares since his Fury FC leglock display on two quality opponents. Negao and Acacio were crushed by his leglocks, and while Salaverry is a venerable opponent and veteran of the sport, Palhares could very well be a Paulo Filho clone.

Other action…

Yoshida vs. Koppenhaver has been a hot topic with Koppenhaver as the underdog. Stay away from that one as Yoshida has been an animal in Cage Force in Japan. He uses the cage very well to his advantage, and I don’t see Koppenhaver having an easy time with him at all. Plus, he’s only at +135 - + 150, not huge money to be won.

Etim vs. Clementi has been discussed a lot. While Clementi is my favorite to win, Etim has a chance. I would still recommend staying away from the bet on Etim though. He’s taken some beatings in the past and luckily won via some great submission work. He can’t continue to win with such luck as he moves up in competition.

Good luck with your betting everyone, and check out BetUS for your betting needs. Click the link below if you want to get started over there and make some solid bets for this weekend’s UFC event.

Sherdog.com's Greg Savage sat down with Tito Ortiz for an interview that has some great insight into the mindset of Ortiz as he steps into the Octagon for his last fight for the UFC this weekend against Lyoto Machida. Savage asked Ortiz during the interview to tell the camera a few good things that Dana White has done for him and the sport in the past. The answers were very interesting and should give fans a look at what the beef is between Ortiz and the UFC. Check it out here, props to Greg Savage.

Ortiz talks about Dana White's tenacity as a manager and as a businessman and how the two occupations differed in many ways. He stated that he loved having White on his side when negotiating contracts, but he became a monster once he took over the UFC with the Fertitta's. He mentions the evidence of Dana White's obsession with becoming a superstar. Namely, he talked about Dana White being focused on heavily in the Ultimate Fighter reality series.

One of the more intriguing ideas Ortiz threw around were once again the figures. He talked about the million dollar deals that the UFC has been pushing, and the fighters aren't seeing any of the benefits. He named off the SpikeTV $100 million dollar deal as a basis for one of his arguments.

The lowdown

Ortiz actually makes some solid points. Although his numbers aren't accurate, the machine that is the UFC remains the biggest money making venture in MMA today. In fact, they make much more than any other promotion in the game right now. With many of the North American promotions failing, the UFC stands to make even more money through sponsorships, events, and exploring new markets. Add in the fact that MMA is pushing to be sanctioned in new states, the UFC could make a killing in some of the larger markets such as New York City.

So, does Tito have a point? Should the fighters be making more money? Of course they should! Although the pay has steadily increased a bit, the UFC still makes much more than the total fight purses at each event. The one underlying factor that we don't know is the percentage of cuts they must give to PPV providers, PPV revenue agreements in contracts to fighters, and production costs.

Has the UFC shit all over Tito Ortiz? In my mind, it's hard to really say without accurate numbers, but Tito Ortiz did manage to help make the UFC relevant throughout it's infancy. The problem for Ortiz is that today is what gets you the big money, and today... he isn't the world championship caliber fighter that he once was. A big win for Ortiz on Saturday could very well put him back into that class though, so this could be a do-or-die fight for his career to take back off again.

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks in the mixed martial arts talent market. With news that Fedor Emelianenko has been rumored to be leaving M-1 Global, the stage is set for another showdown between the MMA promotions to fight for his services. ProElite, DREAM, World Victory Road, HDNet, and the UFC will most likely be involved in some sort of talks with the Russian Sambo champion at some point in the coming months. There is another entry into the sweepstakes that many people may be dismissing due to their recent entry into the market.

Golden Boy Promotions is the newest player in the mixed martial arts scene, and they have also been included in the increasing number of promotions that will vie for Fedor Emelianenko’s services. Headed by one-time Swiss banker Richard Schaefer and boxer turned to businessman Oscar De La Hoya, the promotion seems to have a stable background that could translate into the business turning a profit in the industry. Golden Boy is one of the most powerful boxing promoters in the boxing scene, and produced one of the biggest boxing matches in recent history in Floyd Mayweather vs. Oscar De La Hoya. De La Hoya may have lost, but his company netted huge profits from pay-per-view figures and sponsorships.

The next venture for Golden Boy will be a challenge for De La Hoya and company. Golden Boy has partnered with MMA clothing company Affliction to create a new mixed martial arts promotion. After a Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture photo shoot that pitted the fighters face to face as a promotional advertisement for Affliction, the UFC booted Affliction from its events and banned the label. Now, Affliction has crept into bed with Golden Boy Promotions… maybe Affliction knows something we don’t.

With a high profile MMA clothing company as a sponsor, Golden Boy will now have to concentrate on obtaining talent. MMA has grown big enough to where talent is hard to come by these days and building from the ground up can take an extensive amount of time. Smaller promotions haven’t been so lucky at building talent and most organizations act as feeder systems to the UFC. How can Golden Boy compete?

According to an article by Kevin Iole at MMAJunkie.com back in February, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer commented that there appears to be “turmoil” in the mixed martial arts business in which new companies are forming and fighters are revolting against the current business practices. Tito Ortiz is mentioned in the article as having a representative reach out to Golden Boy to see if the two sides could work together.

Is Golden Boy Promotions is the true dark horse in the mixed martial arts scene? The company has a solid background with big profits and is diverse in not only boxing, but in real estate and potentially other sports. They’ve been rumored to have already signed middleweight fighter Matt Lindland, and are now in the running to possibly sign Fedor Emelianenko to a deal. Could they actually pull this off and turn a profit? History tells us a resounding “No”.

Once again, we move into the realm of thinking that was parallel to the thinking when M-1 Global entered the market. First and foremost, the UFC is the only mixed martial arts promotion to have made a large profit in the North American market. Nearly every single promotion besides the UFC has lost money to an extent in the United States, and it will likely continue. The UFC has not only locked up many of the best fighters in the world, but they’ve also managed to grab a cable television network deal, loads of sponsors including blue-chip sponsors, and their pay-per-view buyrates are steadily bringing home the bacon.

Golden Boy won’t be able to secure top talent in the market. Tito Ortiz can draw people, but who will he fight? Fedor Emelianenko has already proven to be a poor draw in his battle with Matt Lindland in BodogFIGHT, so what are the real benefits for Golden Boy? The biggest upside is their relationship with HBO, but how do they draw more fans to HBO than EliteXC has drawn to Showtime? It’s essential for a promotion to draw big numbers to make a profit, and I don’t see Golden Boy’s roster exploding with enough great fighters to make a fan buy the HBO package or even tune in.

Is Golden Boy the dark horse? I don’t think so. Tito Ortiz and Fedor Emelianenko may turn a profit for one event if Golden Boy happened to sign them, but the fact is that in the long run, Golden Boy will run into the same problems that other promotions have. The only thing that may keep them alive is the simple fact that the company is diverse in its revenue streams, but would you want one stream bringing down your profits? No, not if you’re a businessman.

Renato Babalu summed it up in a few choice quotes over the weekend. He told PunchDrunkGamer.com in an interview recently that he "heard that Tito is not going to fight him anymore" when asked about Machida vs. Tito. Of course, many fans are taking Babalu's words lightly. After all, it isn't official as to whether the fight is off or not.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this matchup won't be happening for a couple of reasons. First, Tito Ortiz probably doesn't want to leave the UFC with a loss, and more importantly, I don't think he wants to leave the UFC. He's playing hardball, and with an impressive win over a mid-echelon fighter, he may be able to convince the UFC brass that he is worth the amount of money that he is asking for. It definitely depends on the kind of drawing power he can get in his next fight.

Secondly, Machida's style doesn't suit anyone in the division, and it certainly doesn't suit Ortiz. Ortiz's bread and butter has been his ground and pound tactics for most of his career. Back problems have hindered his performance in the past couple of years, but he has recently stated that the current time off should allow him to heal. Even if he's healthy, Machida is elusive, non-engaging, and a man of frustration to everyone. Ortiz likely wants an exciting fight that he can build up himself to draw big money, big buys, and bring him a large purse.

Don't be surprised if this fight doesn't happen.

Former UFC light heavyweight Tito Ortiz has confirmed that he will fight Lyoto Machida at UFC 85. This is really a double-edged sword for the UFC and for Ortiz himself. Let’s face it, Ortiz is a huge draw. Regardless of how you feel about his fighting style, he has the uncanny ability to sell fights. The problem is he also likes to publicly criticize his employers. The main question to the UFC is this: Is he worth the money?

Ruffled Feathers

Tito Ortiz has expressed his displeasure with the UFC and Dana White many times. The feud has gone so far that Ortiz actually asked for a sparring match against Dana White to be put in his contract. As we all know, Dana tried to use this opportunity to get some publicity for the UFC and get a few charities some money. Ortiz didn’t like this idea (he thought the UFC was pocketing the money), and he wanted his cut of the money that the UFC was supposedly making. Ortiz claimed that he had never heard that the money was being donated to a charity, and said the UFC blew the whole thing out of proportion. 

The real question here is what happened to Dana and Tito’s relationship? I really think it stems from Dana forcing Tito to fight Chuck. I think he felt betrayed by the UFC and Dana after they made it look like Tito wouldn’t fight Chuck, and that Tito was scared of him. I think Tito felt that Dana had basically “thrown him to the wolves” and was giving up on Ortiz.

Tito’s Competition

Outside of a controversial decision win over Forrest Griffin, what has Tito done for the UFC lately? Well, let’s look at his last 5 fights. He has the split-decision victory over Griffin, two wins against an over-the-hill Ken Shamrock, a TKO loss to Chuck Liddell, and a draw with TUF alum Rashad Evans. Not that stellar of a resume there.

Now let’s look at Tito’s pay for his last two fights. Against Chuck Liddell and Rashad Evans, Ortiz made $210,000 just for fighting. Obviously this doesn’t include his pay-per-view percentage or any bonuses, but according to those figures, it makes him the 4th highest paid athlete in the UFC (Chuck, Randy, Mirko “Cro Cop”). Tito has been reported as saying that he made well over a million dollars in his last two fights. 

Outside of his lackluster competition, Ortiz does something few others in the UFC can do: he sells a fight. Whether you love him or hate him, you will tune in to a Tito Ortiz fight. His fight with Chuck Liddell still holds the record for the most UFC pay-per-view buys. He does just the right amount of trash talking, and if he’s faced with the right opponent, he can outsell even the most competitive fights. Most people tune in hoping to see him get smashed, while others tune in to see how the drama will play out. Let’s take the Shamrock fight for example. Nobody in their right mind thought Ken had a chance at beating Ortiz, but they both created enough drama to make the fight interesting. There’s something to be said about Ortiz having the most watched fight in the UFC and it wasn’t even for a title.  The question is: does this ability to sell a fight make him worth more than what he’s currently getting paid?

My Take

I think that the UFC needs Tito Ortiz, and Tito Ortiz needs the UFC. Imagine a scenario in which Tito Ortiz leaves the UFC. There aren’t that many fights out there for him. Maybe a match with Babalu in Strikeforce? A rematch with Frank Shamrock in EliteXC? I can tell you this though, if Tito and Frank Shamrock ever do fight again, it could break many records. Both of those guys are absolutely amazing at what they do. They can sell a fight and they both give off professional wrestler personas. Those are two viable options, but can Tito be happy with being a second rate “champion”? 

Tito is a businessman, plain and simple. He has developed his own clothing line and turned it into a successful business. He’s had success on “The Celebrity Apprentice,” and he may use that mainstream success to carry over to MMA. However, it looks as though the UFC has given up on Ortiz. Matching him up against Machida, an elusive, defensive fighter that doesn’t speak English is all but the final nail in the coffin. Ortiz isn’t going to be able to hype this fight like he could against someone like Shamrock, Forrest Griffin, or even Rashad Evans. It looks as if the UFC is going to send Tito packing with what they hope will be a decisive loss to Lyoto Machida. 

What should Tito do?

As a fan of the sport, I’d love to see Tito stick with the UFC. Although I feel that his style is old and the game has somewhat passed him by, he can be an effective gatekeeper and still be a cash cow for the UFC. With the right matchmaking, he can still bring in a ton of pay-per-view revenue. What do you guys think, does Ortiz deserve a raise? Where does he go if he leaves the UFC? What kind of fights are out there for him? Will this hurt the UFC in the long run?

The UFC reportedly offered Lyoto Machida a fight with Tito Ortiz for an upcoming UFC event in the early part of 2008. Ortiz has been on hiatus as he claimed injuries have set back his career and ability to fight effectively. He also has had offers to do television and accepted a role as a contestant on "Celebrity Apprentice". He's also a clothing mogul with his own line labeled as Punishment Athletics. It's safe to say that Tito Ortiz has other opportunities past mixed martial arts. Regardless, he is still a big draw in the UFC due to his exposure to the casual fanbase in America. He also has great marketing sense and is able to put forth quite an effort to create a lot of hype out of a fight that seemingly looks like a regular matchup between two fighters looking to move forward. 

The question is why would the UFC matchup a guy who is very marketable with a fighter who seemingly strolls through mid-echelon talent and frustrates nearly all of his opponents? There are a number of potential reasons.

Vitor Belfort wants to make a legitimate return to the UFC's Octagon, and he marked a line in the sand by calling out Tito Ortiz. On December 13th, TAGG Radio had Vitor on their show where he confirmed that he had spoken with Zuffa officials regarding a possible return to the UFC. He said that a deal is very possible and that he would like redemption against Tito Ortiz. Can the "Phenom" really make an impact in the new Light Heavyweight division that the UFC has put together? To give us a sense of where Vitor is currently at in his career, let's take a small look at his most recent fights.

Vitor's recent conquests

Vitor has recently fought two battles in the British promotion, Cage Rage. He defeated Ivan Serati by TKO in April and won with a somewhat lackluster performance against James Zikic to obtain the Light Heavyweight Cage Rage title. Many fans have been very critical of his bout with James Zikic in particular. Vitor's performance was considerably less eventful than you may be used to, but James Zikic is not a slouch. Zikic has draws against great ground fighters such as Fabricio Werdum and Jeremy Horn. If you watch the fight, Vitor basically plows into Zikic and tries to pound him, and Zikic is able to make Vitor miss and maintain a very good defense to Vitor's offense. Vitor did more on top and was able to win the victory, but the only real story that came from the fight was that Belfort didn't look good in his performance.

Belfort still defeated a fairly strong Ivan Serati, went to decision with a heavy-handed Dan Henderson, lost by decision to a very lengthy Alistair Overeem, and lost by a close split decision to Tito Ortiz. Although Serati isn't in the same realm as far as ability of those other names, Belfort still had a decent run in 2006. He may not have won most of those fights, but hanging with Henderson and not being incapacitated is a feat in itself. If Vitor can stay steroid free and begin to see real gains in his power again, we could see at least a mid-echelon fighter with the ability to upset some upper-echelon fighters.

What can Vitor do in the UFC?

Vitor can do a lot in the UFC. First, he can lend credibility to some of the mid to upper echelon fighters trying to make their way up to the top. Beating someone who has been in the business of MMA for a long time and was successful goes a long way in building a champion-like résumé. Secondly and tied to the first advantage, he can keep the fighters who just aren't ready for the upper-tier of competition down where they belong. He can act as a gatekeeper for the upper portion of the division. Not only does this help those fighters who can't get past someone like Vitor realize that they must improve in certain aspects of their game, but it again adds to a fighter's record if they do overcome his skillset.

Lastly, Vitor can break out of that gatekeeper mold with a good string of solid performances. We never know what can happen in a mixed martial arts fight, but Vitor Belfort does have the skill to produce upsets. He always has that element of power in his hands that can beat anyone. A slick ground game and a black belt in jiu-jitsu along with some great boxing technique is a formidable obstacle for any up-and-coming fighter. As a gatekeeper to the top dogs or a legitimate contender, Vitor can serve a purpose and produce exciting fights with some motivation in his training.

Tito vs. Vitor?

People love to hate Tito Ortiz, but that's exactly what the UFC and Tito want. As much as many hardcore fans hate to admit it, Tito Ortiz is recognizable to the casual fans and people still pay to see him get beatdown, which never really happens. Tito could sell this fight. It's a rematch of a close decision win for Tito, and he would spin the matchup with a mean streak, most likely telling fans that Vitor doesn't deserve a shot at him and that he already beat him. If Vitor comes back with the same venom, fireworks could erupt and that's what the UFC wants. Hell, even hardcore fans may want to see an amped up Tito vs. Vitor Belfort matchup. Any fight is better with the increased tension and animosity between the combatants.

Can this fight work? Yes. Can it sell? To an extent, Yes. It won't be a huge blockbuster pay-per-view matchup, but it most certainly should be in the interests of the UFC to bring Vitor to the UFC as a mid to upper echelon gatekeeper with the possibility of being a real contender. The Tito Ortiz fight alone could definitely be a refreshing splash back into the days when Ortiz amped up fights by getting his opponent to fire back at him with anger. Let's see it happen, why not!?

In the latest chapter of the saga that is Tito Ortiz, the "bad boy" of the UFC has seemingly caused multiple rumors to be released onto the Internet as to who he will be fighting next in the UFC. The presumption was that he would rematch Rashad Evans due to the draw that occured between the two at the UFC 73: Stacked because of a Tito Ortiz fence grab that ultimately caused the scores to be even at the end of the bout. With Ortiz's contract discussions in play, Ortiz has been flapping his gums about potential matchups that may or may not be in the works. Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson, and the already mentioned Rashad Evans are all possible matchups. It seems odd since Rashad Evans was the fight everyone assumes was going to happen and was said to be happening at UFC 78. It appears that matchup is still happening, but Ortiz has continued the rumors about other fights replacing that matchup. With all the other potential matchups in the air, are there benefits to the other possible opponents? I wanted to take a look inside those potential matchups to see if there really is a bigger benefit to producing those types of matchups. Would a Silva-Ortiz or Henderson-Ortiz fight be a fight that could save the year end events?

Rashad Evans rematch will disappoint

At UFC 73, Tito Ortiz vs. Rashad Evans was a highly anticipated matchup for the mere fact that it was a stepping stone for Rashad Evans to defeat to begin a run into the top contendership of the UFC Light Heavyweight Division. For Ortiz, it was a battle to prove whether or not he was still a fighter that could sneak into contention and cause some trouble and possibly a run for another title. Most MMA fans laugh at that prospect, but Tito Ortiz has the skills to come to life. Lately, his cardio has been under critique even though he trains in Big Bear, California, renowned for providing some altitude training as well as great camps full of top-tier fighters.

After the draw between Ortiz and Evans due to Ortiz's fence grab, the rematch was already being announced by Dana White. Many fans sighed in dismay due to the fact that fight was uneventful the first time around. Evans looked scared to be countered by Ortiz's sprawl and his striking was subpar. Ortiz looked to be pushing the pace, but began to tire late in the 2nd round. Let's get one thing straight, Tito Ortiz won the fight. He drew only due to the fence grab, that's the obvious insight on that fight that everyone clearly knows. But a rematch of an already boring fight that had some anticipation leading up to it only to be proven to be unexciting is something the fans do not want to see. Unless we see a Rashad Evans who will use his wrestling more and strike with a bit more aggressiveness, the fight will most likely go the same way it did the first time. For Ortiz, the rumor mill began most likely due to the fact that he wants a bigger fight, more money, and an easier route back into the picture. Is this rematch the only option right now for Tito Ortiz?

In my mind, yes. Tito needs to prove he can be put into the lower top-tier of fighters with a win over an up and comer. He barely beat TUF fighter Forrest Griffin in a controversial split decision. He beat down an older, slower, and gassed Ken Shamrock twice and basically hyped the fights so much that by the time they came around, people were actually somewhat excited for them. A very good job in self-promoting those matchups by Tito Ortiz, you have to give him a bit of credit for that, but it doesn't put him close to even breaking into some of the top contenders in the Light Heavyweight Division. The UFC thought so by pitting him against Liddell in a grudge match that ended with Tito being caught in the third round. Close to seven months later, he gets downgraded to fighting Rashad Evans after fighting the champion, Chuck Liddell. He proved that he wasn't what he used to be. I think he sorely needs an impressive win over a great wrestler like Rashad Evans to really begin a climb toward the top. With the Light Heavyweight Division being flooded with new fighters, Tito isn't in that top tier yet. He hasn't fought consistently this year, and needs to string some wins together before his time is over.

On the flip side, I think a rematch will disappoint. It was fairly unexciting during their first encounter. Rashad's style doesn't counter Tito's style all that well. Pitting two takedown fighters against each other and having one of them shy away from using his primary skills didn't bode well for the fight the first time around. Ortiz's defense is a lot better than most fighters Rashad has faced. His boxing wasn't as effective as it has been in the past when he fought Tito before. We could have the makings for another boring fight, or we could see a much improved Ortiz or Evans. Rashad is now stuck in the Ortiz charade not knowing whether he will be battling the Huntington Beach Bad Boy or having his fight pushed back because Ortiz shmoozed the Joe Silva into a different matchup. For right now, Evans-Ortiz is still the matchup that is up for UFC 78. Will it go on? Nobody knows, but there are two other potential matchups that have been rumored.

Dan Henderson wants to fight at 205

It's been reported in a few publications and in interviews that Dan Henderson wants to fight at 205. The consensus from the MMA community is that Henderson should drop to Middleweight and give Anderson Silva a run for his money. I fall within the latter group. I think Henderson would be an excellent matchup with Anderson Silva, and I'd actually go as far to say he would dominate the Brazilian striker. Last week, rumors surfaced from Ortiz that Henderson may be a possibly matchup that could be set soon. If this fight happened, what would the UFC's thinking be behind it? Are they trying to load up some type of end of the year card with potentially great fights? Of course they are, but Ortiz vs. Henderson?

First of all, Henderson's standup is much better than Ortiz's standup. Henderson's power alone would probably crush Ortiz early in the fight. His wrestling skills are more honed that Ortiz's ground game, although you can knock Henderson to some extent due to some of his showings in PRIDE. During his PRIDE reign, he was outwrestling by some far less skilled ground fighters. To me, this potential matchup is murder for Ortiz. If Ortiz has been renegotiating a new contract, the obvious reason as to why he will be coming back is to sell tickets. Henderson isn't the type of guy to play along with that notion. Also, you can't sell too many tickets talking a huge smack game when you get destroyed by a big name fighter such as Dan Henderson. It doesn't work that way. If the UFC wants to get their money's worth out of Tito Ortiz, I think lower level fighters are the way to go until he proves himself to be back in shape and fighting at a high level again.

Wanderlei Silva rematch in the works

Another hot rumor that has been out there is the possibility of a Tito Ortiz vs. Wanderlei Silva rematch. Rematch you say? If you haven't seen it, Ortiz fought Silva back in UFC 25 in which he threw Wanderlei down to the ground for most of the fight and dominated him in ground and pound fashion. He didn't TKO Silva, but won an unanimous decision. If you watch the fight in-depth, you can definitely see Wanderlei's size difference from then to now. He is much bigger, stronger, and has a much better takedown defense than he used to. The rematch rumors were first spoken by Ortiz during a speech at Little Creek Casino in Shelton, WA this past weekend, sourced by Fightlinker. I think this is a horrible fight right now for a number of reasons.

First, Wanderlei Silva is a huge signing for the UFC and Dana White has publicly said that Wanderlei was a guy he dreamed about signing. Dana seems to have the notion that Silva is a guy who can make the UFC a lot of money. Instead of setting up Silva for a possibly lay and pray beatdown by Ortiz, get him some experience in the cage first unlike the other PRIDE fighters that have been sent in too early. I'm not saying that Ortiz would necessarily win in that manner, but I'd rather see a tune up fight for Silva before a major fight. A lot of you may think that an Ortiz vs. Wanderlei fight may not be a major fight, but with the Ortiz hype machine in full gear before the fight, it will become a ridiculous spectacle. Be assured, Dana White would be hoping Ortiz exploits the hell out of the media to anger Silva into a war of words.

Second, Ortiz would probably be signed to a new deal. One fight into his new deal, he possibly gets devastatingly knocked out by Silva after a much hyped campaign by Ortiz to bring in the big dollars. Fans watch him as he gets destroyed and of course, many fans love it! But now what happens? Ortiz's value in the light heavyweight division begins to go down the tubes. People will say that he dodged the rematch with Evans, he got destroyed by Silva in their rematch, and his days as a top ranked fighter are over, needless to say, they may already be over. With the amount of talent in that division, Ortiz is almost a lock for underperforming and being beat out of the division. I'm not even going to get into the type of fights he may get if he beats Evans in a rematch. Can someone say Lyoto Machida? Nobody wants to fight that guy, and he's coming up through the rankings and may run into Ortiz soon. Fact is, having someone like Ortiz, although hated, produces hype and brings in more PPV buys and sales. Getting him possibly murdered by Silva would not bode well. Let Ortiz prove his worth, give him someone lower or the rematch with Evans and let him make you some money on some of the lower level light heavyweight bouts. Give him a huge fight later on into his contract.

Last, Wanderlei Silva has already mentioned that fact that he would like to fight Forrest Griffin to avenge Mauricio Rua's loss at UFC 76. I believe that this is a much better matchup for the UFC to promote. The whole "avenge" storyline will be hyped to death, the UFC vs. PRIDE debate will be brought up again and again, and it's a fight that if Griffin can win, will solidify a shot at the title for him. On the other hand, Silva will have the chance to have a strong showing against a guy who has had success, but isn't exactly the best fighter there is in the division. The matchup makes much better sense to me, but due to Griffin's horrendous gash that he received from "Shogun" in their matchup, we may not see this fight for quite some time.

In retrospect, Ortiz could market the Silva battle as a rematch, and would be the right guy to pull Silva into a war of words. Ortiz is a master at hyping fights and to his credit, many fans may hate him but he always seems to do well in the pocketbook. The UFC could work a rematch angle, as well as another UFC vs. PRIDE debate just like the rest of the fights. Wanderlei would definitely get upset over any comment Ortiz makes, and the war of words alone would make this fight hotly anticipated. Wanderlei's debut in the Octagon alone would make any hardcore MMA fan want to see this matchup.

Putting it all together

Until Ortiz's contract is figured out, we won't find out what's going on with his next matchup. He has one fight left on his contract, and he has stated that in his dealings with the Fertittas, owners of the UFC, he was offered the deal that he wanted. So why hasn't it been signed and the matchup confirmed? I have no idea. Rashad Evans is now waiting in the wings of the contract negotiations. Rashad could be matched up with someone like Houston Alexander or Lyoto Machida if the Ortiz fight does not happen. To be honest, I think Rashad gets destroyed in both fights, but that's speculation as far as if those fights would happen in light of Ortiz being matched up with someone else.

Henderson and Silva are a bit more intriguing, but I don't think Ortiz deserves that kind of huge matchup. But what do I know? I know that Ortiz is a media mogul for the UFC. I know that no matter who they put Ortiz in with, he will hype that fight to the max and every casual MMA fans who doesn't realize that Ortiz hasn't beaten a top contender since 2006 will eat the hype up with a spoon in hand. Eventually, even the hardcore fans will show some interest, although the consensus would be that Ortiz would be beaten. I doubt the Henderson rumor has any truth to it. Wanderlei Silva vs. Tito Ortiz does have some merit though. With a big marketing scheme that the UFC can deploy for that matchup and the hype that Ortiz could create with a bit of smack talk with Wanderlei Silva, the matchup could become a hotly anticipated rematch. Don't hold your breath though.

SOURCES

Fightlinker.com: Tito vs. Wanderlei Silva or Rashad Evans
TaggRadio: Tito vs. Henderson <--- Debunked, but still worthy of analysis

Apparently, some people did not believe the rumors were true or didn't read any MMA news for an entire week... here you go.