Despite the flood of rumors, Tito Ortiz still remains unsigned by Affliction. In recent days, many have speculated that Ortiz will take on Renato “Babalu” Sobral at Affliction’s next event on October 11th. But Affliction president Tom Atencio cannot commence talks with Ortiz until August 3rd.
Both Ortiz and Atencio have publicly stated they each want the fight to happen, but for now they each must play the waiting game. Atencio told MMA Weekly that “it’s in the works”. That simple statement implies that fight fans can rest assured that they will see Ortiz inside an Affliction ring come October.
Ortiz has made no secret about his disdain for Dana White and will be fighting more than Sobral in a couple of months. In all likelihood, Ortiz will join an organization who has just started to trade blows with the mighty UFC.
Affliction Tito Ortiz, Tom Atencio
The battleground has been already been set for this coming Saturday night. During its first ever live event, Affliction will go toe to toe with the UFC. It may be only one battle but, considering all the pre-fight activity, it may be a battle that turns into a larger war.
It is obvious that there is no love lost between the two organizations. UFC President Dana White has come out and publicly denounced the clothing company. In turn, Affliction president Tome Atencio has played a more passive-aggressive role and even went as far as to insinuate the two organizations could work together in the future. That simple statement may have just been enough to make White’s blood boil. Read more…
Affliction, Recent News, UFC Afflcition vs. UFC, Dana White, Tom Atencio
Earlier this week, UFC President made some scathing remarks regarding Affliction’s latest attempt to join the growing contingent of mma organizations. Prior to that, White banned UFC fighters from wearing any Affliction attire whatsoever. And now, Affliction President Tom Atencio claims he wants to work in conjunction with the UFC.
Atencio recently told TAGG Radio that he could see Affliction and UFC putting together some sort of unified title event. However, he also didn’t hesitate to state that White is obviously threatened by Affliction.
So where does Atencio really stand on this matter? Is he offering White and olive branch in an attempt to have the two organizations work together or is it just nothing more than idle chatter?
Whatever the case, it could lead to an interesting future in the sport of mixed martial arts. In addition to watching fights inside the cage, fans could be treated to a war of organizations as well. Mmajunkie.com has more on Atencio’s latest comments.
Affliction, UFC Affliction, Dana White, Tom Atencio, UFC
UFC president Dana White threw a counter punch after Affliction decided to launch its first ever pay-per-view event. Now, Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio claims that he finds the move flattering. Flattering? That might not be the first word to pop out of someone’s mouth after being a hit by a much stronger opponent.
Atencio also made the claim that the UFC would not have made such a move if it didn’t see Affliction as a legitimate threat. With the popularity of mma continuing to climb comes the advent of more organizations there are and the better it bodes for the sport. That also means the UFC will have be in for more of a fight in the future.
The UFC threw a similar punch to the EliteXC back on May 31 when it countered EliteXC’s first network television event with a Chuck Liddell special on Spike TV. Regardless of how many people did tune in to watch that Kimbo Slice debacle, the EliteXC probably wasn’t very flattered by White’s move. MMAjunkie chimes in with the entire Atencio interview.
Affliction, Recent News, UFC Affliction, Chuck Liddell, Dana White, Kimbo Slice, Tom Atencio, UFC
Recent Comments