Tito Ortiz Without a Contract

Not only has Tito Ortiz not signed with Affliction after all, but it now appears that the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” is searching everywhere under the sun for an offer to his liking.

What we do know is that Ortiz remains unattached to any particular promotion at this time, and is by all definitions a free agent roaming the open market.

So why has Tito yet to strike a deal? Well this might come as a shock to some of you, but it seems that Ortiz has a bit of an attitude about him which could be delaying that fat new contract.

From The Dayton Daily News:

“…Earlier this month, Ortiz announced that he had reached a deal with Affliction — a long-term deal that he claimed would make him the highest-paid fighter in MMA. At a press conference the following day, though, Affliction would barely confirm the company was even in negotiations with Ortiz.

Now, according to industry insiders, Ortiz is hosting formal negotiations with all the top promotions — Affliction, EliteXC, the AFL and even, surprisingly, the UFC.

“I don’t know if we’re really negotiating, or simply helping Tito stroke his giant ego,” one frustrated company representative said Sunday, Aug. 17.”

While it certainly would be a trip if the relatively unknown AFL scooped up Ortiz, I think it would be even more absurd if he were to fall back in line with the UFC. I understand that a man of Tito’s ego desires the largest stage and publicity possible, but given the raw, oozing hatred Ortiz and Dana White share, the idea of a re-signing is just beyond my comprehension at this point.

There is also the possibility of EliteXC winning Ortiz over, but the folks at ProElite are reportedly going through some financial troubles lately, which is quite the roadblock when considering a fighter who no doubt is shooting for a seven figure deal. I personally believe that Ortiz will ultimately accept a more reasonable offer from Affliction, as I feel like they are the only party that could really come close to meeting Tito’s money line, while still offering decent pay-per-view exposure as well as a legitimate opponent.

Ortiz, 33, last competed at UFC 84: Ill Will this past May, suffering a unanimous decision loss to light-heavyweight contender Lyoto Machida.

Source: www.mmafrenzy.com