Tito Ortiz confirms ongoing negotiations with Affliction, EliteXC, UFC

Tito Ortiz confirms ongoing negotiations with Affliction, EliteXC, UFC
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Aug 30, 2008 at 12:30 pm ET
Current free agent light-heavyweight Tito Ortiz (15-6-1), despite various reports of a nearly-done deal with Affliction, recently confirmed he remains in active negotiations with Afflcition, EliteXC and even the UFC.

Ortiz discussed the dealings while a guest on the most recent edition of "Inside MMA" on HDNet.

"I've got to make sure I make the right business decision for my future," Ortiz said of the negotiations. "I've been doing this for 11 years now. And I still have five or six years ahead of me to compete. And I want to make sure that it's going to be a company that's going to back me, that's going to support me."

Ortiz said that both Affliction and EliteXC were "possibilities" as future employers. And despite years of strained negotiations between Ortiz and UFC President Dana White, Ortiz did not rule out a return to the organization.

"UFC?" Ortiz asked. "(There is) a small chance of that happening. Things between me and Dana White? I'm shoving it off and I'm going on with my life. And I'm going to wash my hands and make sure that my future is going to be very, very great."

"Inside MMA" hosts Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten asked Ortiz specifically about his negotiations with EliteXC as part of a larger discussion on the financial stability of the organization. Ortiz seemed to be impressed by EliteXC's pitch.

"EliteXC, they're not really worried about the brand itself," Ortiz said. "They want to start making superstars. When you have CBS, Showtime and these other networks that are going to back you, you can't do wrong.

"So it's just a factor of them signing a big name -- like myself. Guys will follow. Once guys follow and see that the company wants to take care of them -- not worry about their brand, but worry about making superstars as EliteXC is trying to do -- that will be the next step for all of us."

Ortiz said that negotiations were still in the early stages with EliteXC, and that he felt he was at "about a two" on a scale of one to 10 in progress. But "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" felt his services would be beneficial to the overall success of the EliteXC brand.

"You never know who they sign with," Ortiz said of EliteXC. "If they sign a Tito Ortiz they're going to be in business for the rest of their careers."