Tito Ortiz: Ready for a comeback?
He is only thirty-three years old, however Tito Ortiz seems like he has been in the fight game forever. Ortiz was one of the pioneers who helped bring mixed martial arts to the mainstream. And now that the sport is starting to really explode, Ortiz wants back in.
And why shouldn’t he? Ortiz is hardly past his prime at such a young age. Randy Couture didn’t really start to begin his rise until his early to mid-thirties. So why can’t Tito come back and be a dominant force wherever he winds up fighting?
For whatever reason Ortiz wants to give, he came up short in his last three fights. He dropped one bout to Chuck Liddell and another to Lyoto Machida while fighting to a draw with Rashad Evans. Perhaps he was too busy working on his new book or maybe he was too concerned about satisfying his new girlfriend?
Whatever the case, Ortiz’s last three fights came against three of the top contenders in the light heavyweight division. It wasn’t as though Ortiz was fighting a bunch of pushovers. He has always welcomed the top competition and reputation alone will demand that it will be a trend that should continue.
All indications point toward an Ortiz vs. Renato Sobral match-up at Affliction’s next event. While Sobral may not have the reputation of a Machida or a Liddell, he is still a top quality opponent. Furthermore, a comeback from Ortiz may just be what Affliction needs to help establish its light heavyweight division.
There is nothing that energizes fans more than a comeback. Even though Ortiz is far from being over the hill, his journey back to glory can still be construed as a comeback. And there is no doubt that Affliction will do everything in its power to capitalize on that.
But before Ortiz steps back in the cage or the ring or wherever he fights, he should take a lesson from fellow mma pioneer Matt Hughes. Hughes seemed uninterested and unenthusiastic in his last bout against Thiago Alves. It wasn’t the same Hughes that helped bring mma to the mainstream. So if Ortiz has plans to emulate Hughes during his next bout, he’d be better off sticking to selling books and trying to please the woman who we all once knew as Jenna Jameson.
Recent Comments