Former UFC light heavyweight Champion Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz was a guest on HDNet's "Inside MMA" this past Friday to discuss his future in the fight game.
There were reports a week or so ago that placed Ortiz as the newest addition to the Affliction MMA roster. Apparently those reports were a little premature because Tito's asking price was a little too high for the t-shirt company-turned MMA promotion.
So where does that leave perhaps one of the biggest draws in the history of the sport?
Well, he's still a free agent ... for now.
Ortiz -- ever the business man -- played the fence on where he could land, listing almost every organization as a possible destination -- even the UFC.
Here's a snip:
"EliteXC -- possibility. Affliction -- possibility. UFC -- a small chance of that happening. The things between me and Dana White, I’m shoving it off and moving on with my life."
So after all the back-and-forth, is it possible we haven't seen the last of Ortiz inside the Octagon after all?
It's obvious at this point in Tito's career that he's trying to get one last big pay day. It's like a 28-year-old NFL running back trying to cash in one more time before hitting the dreaded 30.
We know he can't compete at the same level as he used to -- at least not at the same level as his title holding days -- but he's still extremely marketable and could possibly be a great asset for up and coming organizations like Elite XC or Affliction.
It still feels like a long shot that Ortiz will make his way back to the UFC, but at this point anything is possible. If you ask me, it's just another play by Ortiz to get more attention or money from the other companies out there vying for his services.
Either way, we haven't seen any ground breaking contracts yet. He's been a free agent for more than three months now and the only person we've really heard anything from involving a contract or a destination is Tito himself.
At some point he's either going to have to bite the bullet and take less money than he's expecting or he's going to have to just announce his retirement. It appears that he burned too many bridges with the UFC and the other companies just don't have the resources to give in to his high price demands.
His marketability can only get him so far and it can only last so long.
What's going to happen if he signs with Elite XC -- is the promotion going to have to hand-pick his opponents like it does with Kimbo so he doesn't lose? And what happens if he signs with Affliction -- is he going to be worth the money it will have to pay him if he can't beat guys like Babalu and Nogueria?
And we all know how the UFC feels about him and his (0-2-1) record over the last two years.
In short, reality is down here Tito ... come down and join the rest of us.