As he prepares to fight at UFC 84, Tito Ortiz wants to make it very clear that it's only the last fight of his UFC career, not the last fight of his mixed martial arts career:
"I'm going to be a world champion again," Ortiz said. "It may not be with the UFC thanks to Dana White, but it may be somewhere else. EliteXC, Mark Cuban's having a show, Oscar De La Hoya's having a show ... I still have a lot of fight left in me."
If EliteXC could sign Ortiz, it would be a huge coup -- and an Ortiz vs. Kimbo Slice fight could be the biggest MMA fight of the year. Ortiz has a huge fan base and his next move will be a big move for the future of the sport.
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Tito Ortiz: 'I Still Have a Lot of Fight Left in Me' Could Leave UFC for EliteXC or Mark Cuban
Posted May 2nd 2008 3:39PM by Michael David Smith
Filed under: Fighting, MMA, MMA/Boxing
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Most Recent Comments
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. I'm sick of Tito and his mouth. Dana trained to fight him in a boxing style match and Tito never showed. He needs to stop talking about Dana. Tito can't beat Chuck who can't beat Rampage ( I will say yet for those who ride Chuck but I don't see it ) so there's no chance of getting the belt there. He's done as champ in the UFC. The LHW division is pretty tough right now. If he signs with Elite he wouldn't fight Ferguson, he's a HW. IF he did the only chance he might have to win would be some wrestling and a possible submission, otherwise Ferguson DESTROYS Tito. This Smith cat needs to catch up a bit more on his MMA knowledge but I'm glad he's doing some fairly good articles about MMA. Screw you Tito :o)
Posted at 12:22AM on May 3rd 2008 by WitchDrgn
2. I really hope Tito beats Machida. That's a tall order but it's possible that Tito can take him down and ground out a g'n'p win. I'd like to see Tito leave on a positive and generate a lot of big hype for another MMA organization. Elite, HD, Affliction, whatever.
Tito could fight Kimbo. Kimbo's only 234lbs, tito comes in over 220 when he fights at 205. Tito would be close to 230 if he fought Kimbo so the weight wouldn't be an issue. Obviously Tito would slaughter Kimbo on the ground and even standing, it's an unknown. We've never seen Kimbo fight (I don't count those few seconds against Tank or Bo). At least we know that Tito has good standup as shown in his last fight against Chuck.
Tito beating Machida is the best thing for MMA and I don't even like Tito.
Posted at 4:36AM on May 3rd 2008 by Nepal4me
3. iz is a chump! How did he perform against anyone good? Liddell, Coutoure....Chump. Go away.
Posted at 2:19PM on May 3rd 2008 by shawn
4. Say what you will about Tito's mouth,fighting and future in the UFC. However,there has been no better coach on the Ultimate Fighter show on Spike T.V.
Posted at 4:50PM on May 3rd 2008 by garynccfl10
5. Agreed Gary...Tito was a hell of a coach. I didn't factor in the fact that Tito is heavier than what he actually fights Nepal so you're right, he could jump up. It would be a great match. I know we haven't seen Ferguson fight anyone with real skills but I just have this nagging feeling that he's got what it takes. I've actually gotten more respect for him after watching a few interviews and hope he take's this to the full extent.
Posted at 6:24PM on May 3rd 2008 by WitchDrgn
6. Tito says in that quote that he won't be champ in the UFC thanks to Dana White. How exactly does that make sense? Is it White's fault that he got beat by Liddell? Can someone seriously say that they think Tito can beat Rampage or Liddell? If not then even if he becomes champ somewhere else it makes that organization's champs look bad if they get beat by a guy who can't beat guys in the UFC. I just don't see why he has put the blame of not winning a title on Dana White and takes no responsibility for his own losses.
Posted at 1:31AM on May 4th 2008 by PB&J
7. PB&J, I can not say that I think Tito can beat Rampage or Chuck. lol, Chuck owns Tito and seemingly Rampage owns Chuck. In fact I think if Forrest doesn't beat Rampage he may have it for a hot minute. You make a great point, as I too wonder why he blames Dana. In the begining he ( Dana ) said that he managed Tito and Chuck and for whatever reason they had a falling out while Dana and Chuck remained close friends. Dana manned up and trained, very hard, for a three round boxing style fight which Tito backed out of saying he was saving Dana. People seem to think Dana White is a chump who can't fight and I disagree. Dana owned three boxing gyms and has been around fighters his whole life. Tough sobs don't keep the company of the weak as a general rule. He might not be a skilled MMA guy but I bet he can fight. I mean his best friend IS Chuck.
Posted at 3:32PM on May 4th 2008 by WitchDrgn
8. All those guys who are second rate at best leave the UFC,Starns,Maniac Tim,Pulver,Laueso,(check spelling) BAS ,Shamrock=both,Moralis,the list goes on and on.When the competion gets too hot they run to a sub par orginisation that has sub par fightersand become big fish in little ponds.PS Kimbo will NEVER,I mean NEVER be in UFC.
Posted at 2:56AM on May 5th 2008 by Glen903
9. Tito has always been terrified of striking and getting punched in the face...Kimbo would massacre him, he's probably mad at Dana for not letting him fight lower-caliber guys so that he can get another title shot and save whatever is left of his career. Tito has not shown any desire in any of his latest fights and is obviously just looking for a paycheck...he always talks a big game and has obviously realized, in recent years, that he just can't cut it anymore so he still tries to sucker fans into buying his PPV's expecting a great performance and then he comes out like a bitch and dissapoints everyone with his man-humping exhibitions.
Posted at 2:55PM on May 5th 2008 by Amir