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?