UFC 132: Tito Ortiz doesn't care about being the betting underdog against Ryan Bader

But if you're a betting man and want to make some money, lay your cheddar on "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy."

That's because Tito Ortiz, with his back pressed firmly against the wall now that Octagon kingpin Dana White has openly stated he's gone if he loses one more time, is confident in his match-up against Ryan Bader.

Confident enough to say that despite being a 5-to-1 underdog, he's the safe bet come Saturday, July 2, 2011, at UFC 132 in Las Vegas, Nevada:

"I learned this in high school. Rankings don't mean shit. You could rank anybody where you want but at the end of the day when it's time to step in the cage and you fight, the man who has a smile on his face, the man who's confident, the man who has everything behind him, knowing he's going to win, that's what it comes down to. That's why it's called betting -- cause you're laying a bet. And you're taking a chance. That's peoples choices. I'm a betting man. I may make you some money then. It is what it is. I don't pay attention to that shit man. That's for people to make money. People want to make money on me? Bet on me."

The lines being what they are, few have elected to take his brilliantly articulated advice.

And what about the flip side to the coin, Mr. Bader. How does he feel getting saddled with such a big line in his favor when he hits the MGM Grand Garden Arena to take on the fading legend?

"I feel the same way, you know. ... Anybody can beat anybody on any given day. I don't even pay any attention to it whatsoever. I'm going in there with a goal, I've been focused in this training camp and I have one job to do, go out there and win and look good doing it. I'm prepared for that and that's all that matters to me."

Bader (12-1) saw his undefeated record (and quest to become division number one contender) go up in smoke against fellow light heavyweight sensation Jon Jones at UFC 126 back on Feb. 5.

The TUF 8 champion is probably eager to get back on his horse and gallop into his 205-pound rodeo with Ortiz, which on the surface may appear to be the path of least resistance in the promotion's competitive light heavyweight division.

Ortiz (15-8-1), who hasn't won a fight in nearly five years, recently ditched Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC Fight Night 26 in Seattle thanks to some stitches and a "minor concussion" that compelled him to withdraw from the March 26 event.

His last appearance was a lopsided unanimous decision loss to former TUF student Matt Hamill at UFC 121: "Lesnar vs. Velasquez" back in October 2010.

Will this next appearance be his last inside the Octagon?

It will if he loses, which the oddsmakers overwhelmingly believe he will. But they don't matter ... right?