UFC offers Lyoto Machida a fight with Tito Ortiz
That’s the scoop according to MMA Weekly:
Ed Soares, the manager for Lyoto Machida, has confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that Ultimate Fighting Championship officials have offered the Brazilian a fight against former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.
According to Soares, Machida has accepted the fight and at this point, they are waiting to find out if Ortiz will accept the bout.
“It would be an honor to fight such a legend as Tito Ortiz,” said Machida. “I would like to see how my technique matches up against his.”
This is a fight that is fitting for both men at this point in their careers. A win against Ortiz would legitimize Machida as a true contender for the 205 lb. crown in the UFC. A win against Machida for Ortiz solidifies his status as one of the world’s best 205 lb. fighters in a crowded division of contenders.
Machida sounds like he definitely wants the fight but the big question mark is the unreliable Ortiz. One would have to think that Ortiz would be more than happy to fight Machida, a guy who is quickly making his way up the ranks. A win over a guy like that could quickstart a comeback for Ortiz. Either way, this match is very quality matchmaking by Joe Silva and a perfect matchup considering where the light heavyweight division stands as of right now.
Loading ...
January 5th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
It is also a way for Dana to justify cutting Tito loose if he looks bad against Machida.
January 5th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
It is just a shame that the next shot at the UFC LH title wont be until the end of the year!!!!
That is a shame. The LH division is so stacked!!!! I just hope fighters dont start to leave because of the crowd of contenders and now the almost year gap between title fights……..
But then again the UFC signed on for 4 more seasons of TUF. I dont know how they are going to do it. They did it with Serra/Hughes, that is put the entire division on hold. They have ran out of ideas for TUF long ago. So We can only expect more delays/moves like this in the future
January 5th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
E Rush, no way they cut Tito loose. They’ll do everything to retain him if for no other reason to prevent him from fighting for another promotion.
January 5th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
I wonder if the UFC will ever be brought up this season. I was surprised to not see the UFC logo on his gloves in the commercials.
January 5th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
bad match up for Machida
January 5th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Would love to see Ortiz accept this fight, but my guess is that he won’t accept this fight unless he extends his contract.
January 5th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
bad matchup for machita… ortiz by ground and pound stoppage 2nd round.
January 5th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
I don’t think we’ll see Tito take the fight.
January 6th, 2008 at 12:24 am
Maybe Tito will have Jenna help him with this challenge, too.
January 6th, 2008 at 12:59 am
Should be interesting, I agree this is a very good matchup. I dont know aboot anyone else but the fact they offered Tito a fight that wasn’t Rashad might suggest Evans is moving to middleweight?
Anyway, if Tito does accept, It would be interesting to see if he can get close enough to Machida to take him down. I dont think he could… Machida by decision after dancing around and bitchslapping tito
January 6th, 2008 at 1:06 am
realistically, in the 205lb class, if ortiz rejects this fight…..then what match really makes sense? Already Griffin-Rampage is set. He won’t get Liddell as Dana will give Liddell the winner of Griffin/Rampage unless it is that unbelievable of a fight that a rematch is in everyone’s best interest for Griffin/Rampage II. An Evans rematch? Well I don’t think people really want to see that so what does that leave?
1) Bisping? He’s moving out of the weight class. And the UFC can’t kill off their “star” Englishman.
2) Houston Alexander/Keith Jardine? Who cares about Jardine at this point? I think the common fan could care less about Jardine even though he beat Liddell. it’s long forgotten….and Alexander is a BIG question mark as to his next fight regarding how the UFC is going to position and market him coming off his recent failures.
3) Wanderlei? Shogun? Sokodju? It’s a crowded division, but realistically, from a business stand point - these are the only guys it makes sense for him to fight to make a blockbuster match and Sokodju i think is a big big stretch to see him in the ring vs Ortiz. So realistically - why not take the Machida fight. BUT IF TITO LOSES……then what? WHat is the next step for Tito if he loses to Machida which would essentially put him (machida) in line for a title fight assuming no griffin/forrest rematch.
Will the UFC resign him? Of course. He’s worth his weight in gold from a marketing/sales standpoint as one of the most recognizable names in all of MMA. As Sam pointed out, there’s no way Tito leaves the UFC.
January 6th, 2008 at 1:19 am
Tito is Machida’s kryptonite and Joe Silva/Dana know this. They are sacrificing the unmarketable Machida to the wildly popular Tito Ortiz. Tito by LnP at worst.
January 6th, 2008 at 4:58 am
Shogun must be a little dissapointed … i think he was expecting to face Tito
January 6th, 2008 at 10:02 am
According to the quote, they are still waiting for Tito to accept. I have serious doubts that Ortiz will take a fight with Machida.
And if I was the UFC, I’d be pushing to make Ortiz vs. Wanderlei Silva II.
January 6th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
I get the sense that Tito is trying to move into venues ohter than fighting. His Hollywood hopes and Apprentice stint would seem to be a distraction to a serious fighter. If he could turn himself into an actor or media personality who didn’t depend on fighting, I’m not sure he’d be back in MMA. He’s good for marketing, but his recent fights have been so-so.
January 6th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
If Tito bails, the logical match is Machida v Evans. If Evans steps up, then Tito will look cowardly… he’ll be forced to fight the winner…
I don’t agree that people have forgotten about Jardine. For some reason, he’s just not all that interesting, even if he’s winning, but Machida v Jardine could also be a logical fight.
the Tito v Silva II idea is brilliant, but I think Tito needs a fight before Silva will be ready. I suppose the UFC can hold Tito off for a few months… but they should keep Machida fighting, keep him out there in the spotlight.
January 6th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Anton, the rumor going around right now is Evans vs. Thiago Silva in the spring.
January 6th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Interesting… so, for Tito it comes down to W. Silva or L. Machida… after that, who else is there? Houston Alexander? Stephan Bonnar?
January 6th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
There are 4 guys who should get a title shot if they beat 1 Top 5 fighter: Liddell, Machida, Jardine and Thiago Silva. I think Jardine is first in line, with his wins over Liddell and Griffin. I’d give him to Silva for an explosive striking war; winner fights the winner of Jackson/Griffin for the belt.
Liddell vs Machida is an awesome match-up. Can the technician dismantle the knock-out artist? Whoever wins will gain vast credibility. Leading to a fantastically hyped fight against the winner of Jackson/Griffin vs Jardine/Silva for the LHW title!
And I’m with Caplan on Ortiz vs Wanderlei Silva II. I think that has the potential to surpass Liddell vs Silva in both hype and content. It would just be a megafight.
As for Machida vs Ortiz - it makes NO SENSE! Say no, Tito!
January 8th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
I’m with klown on those great matchmaking concepts. I only disagree with the thought of Jardine being next in line. That KO by Huston in his UFC debut replays in my head everytime I hear Jardine’s name. As was said before, he just isnt that interesting to watch. Yes he will brawl, but from a marketing standpoint I dont think many people care when Jardine wins (in fact his loss to Huston was probably the most INTERESTING footage of Jardine yet)
Jardine’s victories over Forrest and Liddell were impressive, but I need to see more before I care to watch a title fight featuring Jardine.
January 8th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
On another note, even though Chuck is just rebounding from his loosing streak, I think he is the more likely candidate to be selected by the UFC for a title fight.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
machida will win hif he prepares serious cardio.
machida could get to that level cardio wise in a 3-4 very tough months.
but,
tito can’t acquire the skills to hang with machida in 3-4 months.
interesting fight though.
i predict machida will win, and get a better test from shogun or rampage. griffin would be a good test too, so machida is lucky to have to face a gnP tough wrestling guy like Tito to prepare for Rampage in particular
January 25th, 2008 at 12:00 am
“”On another note, even though Chuck is just rebounding from his loosing streak, I think he is the more likely candidate to be selected by the UFC for a title fight”"??
Machida should be the guy next inline for the tittle shot, he won his last 4 fights in UFC…who else in the LHW has won that many fight against all top name.
Dana! you know Rampage is no match for Machida, I mean didn’t you see how Dan Henderson landed so many punches on Jackson, that was a very close fight. The reason why Jackson won is because he was holding Dan down on ground but if you count who landed the most punches, I think Dan should of won.
Rampage you will lose buddy…
Forrest got luckly with sogun, Sogun ran out of juice in the second round.