Is Tito Ortiz worth Affliction’s money?
Posted by Adam Morgan
With rumors continuing to swirl that Tito Ortiz is close to signing a deal with Affliction, it got me thinking: is Ortiz really worth all the money that he says that Affliction is going to pay him? Sure, he was a no-show at the presser today and nothing official has been announced regarding his signing with the company but all signs point to him having a contract with them at some point soon. So is he worth the money?
If what Ortiz said to SI.com is true, that he will be getting a contract like no other fighter has ever seen before, then it’s obviously going to be very big money. Now, granted, Ortiz has been known to exagerrate in his past, but exagerration or not, it’s going to be big dollars. He is a hot free agent, there’s no doubt about that. He’s a huge name, a very good trash talker who knows how to hype a fight, and he’s helped build the sport of MMA into what it is today. He knows how to sell pay-per-views and that’s something that Affliction needs help with. I realize these things.
But what assets does Ortiz bring to the table that they’re willing to pay him so much money? Fighting acumen? Hardly. Ortiz’s days as an elite level fighter are well behind him. He’s lost a step in his explosiveness and his striking has always been mediocre. He’s a fighter, just like Matt Hughes, whose game has never evolved along with the sport. In modern MMA you have to be well rounded just to get by. You can’t rely on one thing anymore and Ortiz has always heavily relied on his wrestling and still does. When that’s not going well for him, he has nothing else to fall back on. He’s one dimensional. Is it worth it for Affliction to shell out big dollars for someone who is one dimensional and past their prime?
On top of that, Ortiz hasn’t won a fight since 2006 when he beat Ken Shamrock twice. And he hasn’t won a meaningful fight since he eked out a decision over Forrest Griffin in April of 2006. And now he’s supposed to fight Babalu Sobral in his first fight with Affliction? What if he loses? I understand that Ortiz has a large, dedicated, and loyal fanbase who support him win or lose, but at some point you have to win to keep the fans behind you. People don’t like supporting losers. That’s just the way things go in sports in general. Why are the New York Yankees so popular? Because they win championships? The same goes for any sport. People are attracted to winners, not losers. Especially losers who are past their prime. I’m not saying that Ortiz is a loser at this point in his career. He still has the potential to turn things around. But if he doesn’t start winning, and soon, then his reputation as a top draw may be in jeopardy.
Also, who is Ortiz going to fight? After Sobral, who is there? Antonio Rogerio Nogueira? For hardcores that may be a great fight, but that’s not a fight that Affliction can sell to the casual Ortiz fan. It’s certainly not a fight that could headline a pay-per-view. Past Sobral and Nogueira, the light heavyweight talent pool is extremely shallow in Affliction. Mike Whitehead? Edwin Dewees, a natural 185 lbs. fighter? These are not marketable matchups. The best heavyweight talent is in the UFC and it’s going to be hard for Affliction to find meaningful fights for Ortiz at 205 lbs.
For Affliction, this is a huge risk-reward situation. Ortiz is a large risk, not only from a promoter’s standpoint, but also as far as his performance in the ring goes as well. If he starts to win again and is able to draw pay-per-view buys and help Affliction out on that end, then the deal is worth doing. However, if they dump a bunch of money into a fighter who can no longer put victories together and can no longer be a top draw, then what is the point? To have a big name to sell to the masses for one or two shows? Affliction should be thinking long term about their business plans. Ortiz is not a long term figure. To spend as much money as it sounds like they’re going to spend could very well backfire on them. I don’t blame them for wanting to go out and get Ortiz because the upside with him is very large. But the downside is anything but miniscule.
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I agree that Ortiz’s days as a top-ten fighter are more or less done, but I don’t believe that his value is as a fighter, but as someone who can garner PPV buys. Ortiz has fan appeal from the hardcore fans (who remember him in his hayday), from the new TUF fans (from his stint on TUF 3), and from some people who may otherwise not watch MMA (from his appearance on The Apprentice). I thought the first Affliction card was great, but at the same time, there wasn’t anyone on there that would lure in a casual MMA fan. Do people who are fans in the past few years know who Josh Barnett is? Do they really know who Fedor is? Do they even know who that guy that looks a lot like the UFC HW champ is? I’m going to say probably not. With a face like Ortiz, people will pay attention to what’s going on, and he’ll create buzz all on his own.
I agree with the article, but it should be noted that Tito came very close to a submission win over Machida in the final seconds of their fight. If he’d slapped it on just 10 seconds earlier, he might have eked out a come from behind win. If he develops his submissions, he might extend his career.
As much as I hate Ortiz, he’s the best aquisition that Afflicition can get right now. He’ll bring in the casual fans (since they are the only ones who think he’s still a good fighter) and that’s what Affliction needs.
coulda - woulda - shoulda, Mike.
Every fight has a ton of those.
i think the right comparison for tito in the future is phil baroni, an extremely inconsistent performer that is great on the mic, is still in great shape, and is a pretty limited fighter - but will always have fights and will always be a decent draw.
I don’t understand how ten seconds would have mattered. Machida was gassed due to trying to finish him earlier that round and got caught, but got out of it anyway. Tito didn’t let it go, Machida got out.
Mike that submission attempt for never close…
I don’t agree that he almost had Machida, it was a sloppy hold and was the only time Tito showed any life in that fight.
That said all Affliction needs is Tito to fight on two cards to get the more fans watching, after that Tito can leave because the big names like Fedor, Barnett, and Arlovski will be show stealers. These guys hurt people and make them look bad and will all be fighting one another, I can’t imagin someone seeing a fight between Fedor, Arlovski, or Barnett and not becoming an MMA fan instantly afterwards. I don’t like Tito but I wish him the best of luck in keeping Affliction alive
With how much they’re paying Matt Linland, it’s frightening to think how much Tito could end up making. Not that I’m saying Tito doesn’t draw. But with the money Afflictions throwing around, Tito could end up being able to swim around in his earnings like Scrooge McDuck.
The biggest question I have is this: Will Randy accept less than Tito? Will Fedor?
I doubt it. If Tito’s deal raises the bar, Affliction will find themselves forking out insane amounts of money if they want to make Randy/Fedor happen.
Mike’s point is valid - and proves that Tito could revitalize his fight game if he would. A case study is Randy Couture’s revolutionizing his fight style and making great strides in fight preparation - looking for exploitable moments that highlight his own strengths. Moving up a weight class, turning himself into a cardio machine and being more ‘wily’ by frustrating his opponents are all aspects that Tito would do well to emulate.
Maturity doesn’t doom a fighter if his game matures - what that submission attempt may have accomplished in Tito’s mind and his future fight construct could be far more profitable than the “almost” and ‘coulda, shoulda, woulda’ that it is today. Fighters often say that losing a fight is instrumental in shaping a future win, and the Machida fight could do that for Tito.
Motive, means and opportunity. Everyone agrees he’s got the opportunity.
who’s to say Tito would get a huge guaranteed salary, he may get a good salary and a ppv cut. So if his name can generate ppv attention he’d get a bigger check. Just look at the attention Brock Lesnar created, don’t matter if he can fight or not. Affliction just needs attention to generate ticket and ppv buy.
Tito is no dummy, he knows his game needs work and he seems to have the balls to enter any fight so I’m thinking he’ll be just fine ant where he decides to go.
tito is past his prime but so are a majority of the name fighters out there.. ( randy coutoure v fedor has got to be a joke, randy as much as i like him, won’t last one round )
but he’s a big name, he’ll help them sell a bunch of tickets ppv buys, and he did beat forrest a couple years ago.
he is a boring fighter though, i’d rather see him v shamrock, kimbo sort of fights then in a fight where his statagy and only way to win in to lay on top of the dude for 3 rounds
If Tim Sylvia is getting $800k then how is it going to take to get Tito? He’s going to want a record breaking salary a PPV cut and by what he said to SI he apparently wants a executive job with the company too. Tito can really help Affliction get some quick attention from casual fans but they don’t really have many people for him to fight and he is declining both as a fighter and a PPV draw. They would be better off just signing him for one fight at a time at this point, if he loses or doesn’t draw like they need him too then they aren’t on the hook of all this other stuff and it’s not like he’s going to ask for even more if he wins.
All of this discussion is meaningless if Affliction does the same poor job of advertising as they did for Banned. Tito won’t draw a dime if no one knows he is there.
Tito gave forrest a beat down
Chuck got tko’ed by rampage
Forrest Griffin won rampage
Chuck liddell got whooped on by kieth jardine,
then wanderlei Silva almost murdered kieth jardine.
In this sport even the superstars take losses.
3 losses in a row.
Wanderlei Silva Record
Loss 31-8-1 (1 NC) Chuck Liddell Decision (Unanimous) UFC 79: Nemesis 12/29/2007 3 5:00 Won Fight of the Night Honors
Loss 31-7-1 (1 NC) Dan Henderson KO (Left Hook) PRIDE 33: The Second Coming 2/24/2007 3 2:08 Lost PRIDE Middleweight Championship
Loss 31-6-1 (1 NC) Mirko Filipovic KO (Head Kick) PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute 9/10/2006 1 5:26
I guess wanderlei and chuck both suck according to your guys way of thinking.
Batman couldn’t have said it better. Adam, I don’t agree with your point of view whatsoever. Why do you label Tito as one dimensional? If he was one dimensional, he wouldn’t have posessed the skills to pull off a very good submission attempt in his last fight. Wether he finished it or not, who almost didn’t jump out of their chairs when he pulled that out of his ass?!? If he was one dimensional, he wouldn’t have lasted 3.5 rounds with one of the greatest strikers in mma history. He wouldn’t have held his own on his feet with Forrest. In both fights against Chuck and Forrest he delivered some good damage via strikes on his own. did you see Chuck’s face after the fight? None of that was done on the ground buddy. So why is he one dimensional? Yes, his wrestling is his base, and his striking isn’t spectacular, but all in all, it ain’t that damn bad either. He looks more and more comfortable everytime he stands up with someone, and when he loosens up and isn’t afraid to take a shot or two, often looks better than his opponent. Oh, and I think the last thing anyone has to debate or worry about is if Tito will continue to be a top draw. I’m no expert, but I can already answer that one.
It is hard to say accurately what Tito is worth. He probably isn’t worth anywhere near what Affliction may pay him, but he is probably worth more than all of their other fighters combined.
Affliction paid somewhere in the $1.5 million range for Fedor, $800K for Sylvia, $750,000K for Arlovski, $200,000K for Lindland, $200,000K for Rothwell, several hundred thousand for Barnett, etc.
As much as I hate to say it, but Tito puts more asses in more seats and sells more PPV’s than all of those guys combined.
Does that mean Tito should get paid the combined amount of these fighters? Hardly. Affliction severely overpaid every single person on their card.
I don’t really like Tito, and I think it does say something about the sport that he is still one of the most marketable names out there. I don’t like his fighting style, I don’t think he is a top fighter anymore, and I really don’t like his attitude. But Tito has a significant fanbase, he sells a fight well, and he brings along a more casual viewer. I remember going to his fight in Anaheim, and I was sitting in a crowd of about 30 fans that had driven up from Mexico just to see Tito. They knew nobody else on the card, but they LOVED Tito! That is how strong his fanbase is, and that type of loyal, casual fan is why he is a decent investment.
Affliction has to be careful, though, because I think there is truth in Dana White’s comment that Tito no longer wants to be a fighter. Tito may take one fight and then cut and run to his movie “career.” But if Affliction continues to spend too much on all fighters, they may need be around past the one fight Tito has with them anyway.
Just to add one more thing…
I do wonder how Tito’s loyal fanbase is still doing these days, given that it has become increasingly obvious that he isn’t a top fighter any more. I imagine he still has plenty of fans, but that it has dwindled some.
I guess we will find out when/if he is able to make Affliction a success.
Some people will always by the PPV to see certain fights fight because of their personas but I believe most fans want to see top 10 fighters square off against each other and the sport has passed Tito by in that regard. If you believe the majority of the fans are tuning in just to see theatrics then this is no more a sport then the TV wrestling stuff.
Not a big Tito guy. However you have to say he is worth more than they paid for Tim Sylvia and he is not on the level of Fedor. So his rate should be somewhere in between those two. Does he have a blind fanbase sure he does. They watch his biscuit-head everytime out. They also make excuses for why his is been getting his ass-kicked. That said the man has past glory he can still hang his hat on.
Tito isn’t worth more than Arlovski, Fedor, or Barnett. I think the continual degradation of AFFLICTION is just the result of all the Haterade everyone’s been drinking. Look. . .Affliction is early in its infancy stage & hasn’t even really been given a chance to develop, learn & grow. It’s not the UFC & never will be the UFC, but we cannot continue to hate on Affliction just because of its roster. Give it time & more fighters will migrate over, the organization will be larger w/more asses in the seats & people @ hm purchasing PPVs. I think Affliction caters more so to the “harcore MMA fan” vs. the mainstreamer common day man/woman who doesn’t know as much about the sport or its fighters & their specialties. Affliction has a great product & w/time will deliver even a better brand to the MMA fan. I’d rather have an organization that can cater to the hardcore fan so not every armchair MMA expert can run his mouth about the sport then they don’t know shit about it. Hey Rome wasn’t built in a day. . .so if Affliction wants to ink on Tito, that’ll make for some entertainment seeing him get his ass kicked again & again by reall fighters who’ve evolved w/the sport. I say he jumps up to HW & fights my boy Arlovski. That’ll be great boxing practice for Andrei. Sorry for the novella like reply!
Is Tito worth the money? The question should be “Can Afflliction afford to pay Tito the money?” You can’t leak thousand of dollars forever, and getting Tito is just attaining someone who will badmouth his every opponent, and then probably lose, or at best eek out a decision…unless…Affliction aquires Ken Shamrock that is.
Ortiz is a sideshow fighter, someone who you watch because you want him to lose, who is long on wind and short of aquired skills. If Affliction wants to become as big as the UFC, they need to get fighters that are BETTER than the UFC, and so far that has been their plan. I don’t see Tito in that scenario, and certainly not for the price that Tito is quoting.
“Is Tito Ortiz worth Affliction’s Money”- In my opinion, no.
Not if he is getting as much as he says he is in the SI article. Tito’s best days are behind him, and the only guys he could fight to prove otherwise are in UFC. The only contract that would make sense to me is one heavy on shares of the PPVs, and I think Tito is over estimating his drawing power. I’m not paying $40 to see a guy who isn’t even a top 10 LHW in matches that have no relevance in determining who the best person in the world at the weight class is.
Good for Tito…bad for Affliction
To elaborate,Tito had become a UFC gatekeeper.
He don’t know how to finish anymore,except when it comes to babymaking.
BUT,apparently he’s good in the business of marketing Tito.
[...] too long ago I wrote a piece about Tito Ortiz and whether or not he was worth Affliction’s money. My feeling is that he’s not and while he is worth a good deal and big bucks, he’s not [...]