reeder08

I know UFC 61 isnt fully sold out yet but the floor seats are. Funny how Dana says the UFC didnt need Tito but considering the UFC didnt even sell out Hughes vs Gracie Id say Tito seems to draw very well no matter who he fights. Id say the publicity he draws is worth the money he asks for.

Ring_Raider_07

It's the cardio.


Tito's the man.

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Favorite Fighters (in no order): Fedor, Babalu, Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Jeff Monson, Drew McFederies, Quinton Jackson, Georges St. Pierre and Paulo Filho.

Chicago Cubs: NL Central Champs!

Nimmy

lets be honest alot of people dont like ortiz, its bcause he invites hype. Look at all the fighters from eras past, can you really tell me the Tyson Holyfield bout was a great fight? no its a classic beause it was controversial, i think ortiz is a great fighter but he has the attitude that is really marketable, he is a funny assed guy and shamrock takes the bait.

Mulla

Not to take anything away from Tito, but I dont think you could put the fact that UFC59 sold out down to him alone. Im sure his return contributed a lot towards the tickets selling out, but that was also the first UFC in California and also the rematch between AA and Sylvia would have attracted a lot of fans too.

sitnspin

When Tito left, he was asking for more money per fight than the UFC had ever paid anyone, and his point was that the organization had grown largely off his appeal and still relied on his involvement. I think Dana was right to say that they'd be fine without him, because NO fighter is bigger than the sport itself.

At the same time, I predicted that it would only be a while before Tito was back, because Dana's a smart businessman and he knew that Tito would be even more popular after a period of exile.

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rapidresults

While I agree with 99.9% of your post and even this one I must say that the fact that he was getting paid the same dollar for dollar amount in his first show as when he was selling out tickets and being champion was not the right thing to do. You can be a good business man or owner but you need to take care of your people, thats just plan business you pay your bigger or more profitable employees and they even use that structure in fast food and retail. He wanted more money and yes we can both agree that is was probably out of reason (knowing tito and how he works) but he should have at least been paid double or something. No UFC fights were ever sold out until tito came and he did bring it mainstream. Now you do realize that I hate saying all of this because personally I think tito has his head to far up is ass to see straight. lol

two_guns_blazing

Ok...not sure exactly where the comparison lies between Holyfield-Tyson and Tito Oriz. The Holyfield-Tyson fight needed no hype beyond the fight itself. Holyfield was still an elite HW and Tyson was still a force in the division. It was a matchup that the entire boxing world and general public had been waiting for for YEARS. No trash-talking or self-promotion was needed. Besides, you're talking about the second fight, which while controversial, was not a classic. That would have been the first fight.

dagenhamdave

Also the Staples Center is a BIT larger than the Pond.
But yes people were more excited about Tito/FORREST, lets not forget his popularity and AA/Sylvia. Also raising the price to a high of 1000 dollars a seat didn't help the UFC's chances of a sell-out either.

Eraser2K1NIN

Pond is like 18,xxx
Staples 20,xxx

I heard Tito vs Forrest was completely sold out. While Gracie vs Hughes was 14,xxx. Also to my understanding they gave away a few thousand tickets. They never had a chance selling out staples with such a lousy main event. Hughes just isn't a draw, he has the charisma of a cucumber. Raising of prices for Tito vs Shamrock doesn't seem to be affected like Gracie vs Hughes.

GSPALLTHEWAY

tito is the draw to the UFC.... so is chuck to a degree also.. beyond that, no one else can sell out and arena themselves... hughes didnt, franklin doesnt, babalu?? not close... AA and sylvia definently dont... its just #s and overall the majority of the people want to see tito and or chuck... thats why they need to rematch again at some point...

Nimmy

ear biting instance, cant remmeber who one, just remember the outcome, thats my point on ortiz, its not so much the fight that generates the outcome, its idea that Ortiz is fighting, this is shown with his inclusion on TUF shows he is very popular due to his character rather than his awesome fighting skills, he is to the UFC as Hulk Hogan is to the WWE, an icon. The tyson fight exists as notorious because it wasnt a great boxing bout as it was contoversial.

Eraser2K1NIN

We all might get our wish if/when Tito beats Shamrock and if/when Liddell beats Babalu. I believe a clause in his contract says he gets a title match if he wins his first two comeback fights.

marnold

Oh, I would pay a PPV premium to see Liddell push Tito's lip to his hypothalumus. The problem is, after Chuck works Tito, Tito is going to say something gracious about Chuck's ability and make me start liking him.
On another note, "Matt does not pull a crowd"? He doesn't have a fanbase? Does anyone else have an issue with this statement. He does have a personality--it's midwest patriotism pregnant with a fear of public disapproval. No matter how much he says he doesn't care what people think, I beleive his angst riddled image stifles his ability to be who he is.

Nimmy

yes he did it was part of his contract that if he one his two fights he had a title shot, ortiz was sloppy vs forrest 1st round he was his old self "fantastic in gnp" but he lost his almighty cardio as it progressed, but lets be honest that probably was ring rust, i think he will dominate shamrock and put up a good show vs Liddell, although chuck prob is my fave all time fighter i think ortiz will come close if not win it.

thats inviting comment ha ha

sitnspin

I gotta call you on the cardio thing, Nimmy. Ortiz wasn't tired -- he blew his knee out. I'm not really a Tito fan, but he hasn't gotten tired in a fight since Couture spanked him.

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Nimmy

i watched the fight a few times and he looked sluggish, maybe it was his knee, but it certainly was a different Ortiz than we are familiar with, if it was his knee then the first round was fantastic and we can give him the benefit of the doubt, the second and third we can let go, like franklin he was impressive based on injuries. then again Eilers blew his knee and he went down straight away, mixture of both, maybe?

Im a tito fan and he has awesome cardio but to me it didnt look as impressive

Greenman

I think the UFC made a fantastic move bringing Tito back AND making him a coach on TUF, if he fights Chuck and actually wins it will likely give a huge boost to the UFC's draw, if only to have people want to see Tito get beat. I do think however that TUF 3 will do wonders for Tito's popularity, I suspect he is winning over legions of fans with his ability and personality on TUF.

As for Rich and Matt not drawing, I know for a fact the only reason my wife watches fights is for those two guys. I would imagine thats why a lot of "new" female viewers are watching too.

dagenhamdave

Thought Staples was 25. My mistake. But the prices have been reduced a lot for 61.
Top price seats are $750 for 61 and they were $1000 for 60.

The prices have a lot to do with it. People had to pay 100 bucks to sit in the rafters for UFC 60. Less than a year ago you only had to pay 35 bucks to sit up top and 400 for ringside.

Also Tito / Forrest was sold out but it was the fist UFC ever held in California. That too has alot to do with it. It's not just Tito although he is a part of it for sure.

Nimmy

ha ha matt hughes, my god he looks like an elf thats had a clean shave, ur wife has weird taste man... should i rephrase that? nah man i know where u r coming from alot of female friends i know or the one anyway like Ace and Hughes to. I think they do have draw, but it depends upon the card, if we look at hughes and gracie that was a full house wasnt it? that was based on the hype.
I think what the UFC lacks is a HW division for both competition and also the audience, if u look at WWE ( i know what u will say) or Boxing the major events are normally HW contests, bring in a super HW and let AA go at it, full hosue no probs. The LHW division is the premier weight class for draw but if franklin moved up he would have an awesome draw, in a way it depends also on the opponent, more class in LHW

Eraser2K1NIN

If you look @ the cards Hughes has headlined and check gate & ppv sales. They are always one of the lowest. Even Ace vs The Crow with GSP vs Penn didn't fare will in the gate or ppv. Tito's fights on the other hand do darn well with the exception of UFC 50.