Fedor Emelianenko Will Fight on New January Affliction 2 Card. Tito Ortiz A Possible Opponent?

My speculation of Russian heavyweight king Fedor Emelianenko possibly fighting on the rescheduled Affliction 2 "Day of Reckoning" has been confirmed by Affliction COO Michael Cohen. Cohen talked to NBC Sports about the development.

Affliction COO Michael Cohen told NBCSports.com that the company is expecting to run the show in January, and that they would also make a major announcement in the next two weeks that would “change the dynamics of mixed martials arts. Not just nationally, but globally.”

The October event was initially expected to feature a main event with current WAMMA champ Fedor Emelianenko against Arlovski, but the former broke his hand in defeating Tim Sylvia and would not have been ready in time for October, necessitating an opponent switch.

Cohen said that Emelianenko will fight on the new January card, but an opponent has not yet been decided.

“It is to be determined,” he said. “We are considering changing the combatants. We have not finalized that at this time. That is as a result of the issues to be revealed at the announcement.”

Some are speculating that a Fedor vs. Tito Ortiz fight could be the big announcement, but I would lean towards just the Tito signing or possibly a merger with another promotion.

Its Official, Tito Ortiz Signs with Affliction, to Become MMA's Highest Paid Fighter

Arash Markazi from SI.com has all the details. Its expected to be announced today at a press conference for Affliction's Day Reckoning event on October 11th at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Tito gave some of his thoughts on a supposedly ground-breaking contract.

"I guarantee you that my contract will be like no other," said Ortiz, stopping short of giving away the specifics of a deal that could include responsibilities outside of the ring. "It will be a ground-breaking record contract for sure, without a doubt. There's so much money to be made right now in mixed martial arts and it's all about the fighters trying to make that money. It's going to be a long-term deal where I put my heart and soul into the company and help build them. That's something I'm interested in doing. They're going to bring me on, not just as a fighter but also doing some of the back work also."

Ortiz is expected to compete on October 11th and all indications point to his opponent being Renato "Babalu" Sobral.

"Babalu has been in my crosshairs," Ortiz said. "He's already been talking smack, saying if he sees me he's going to kick my ass, but right on if he keeps thinking that. He'll get his face caved in sooner or later. I know Frank Shamrock is another person who's been opening up his mouth. He beat me the last time we fought and I think that would be a great revenge fight where I kick his ass and finally shut him up. As time goes we'll see who Affliction signs besides me. I don't know. I might even go up to heavyweight if the bigger pay days are there."

The UFC has a chance to match the offer, but Ortiz says that is highly unlikely.

"They have the right to match the offer, so I'll be getting a deal that no other fighter has ever gotten. It's going to be some ground-breaking news for sure," he said. "I'm going to a company that's going to take care of me, a company that's going to respect me, a company that's going to put me in the forefront and make me the ambassador that I've always been. I think Mr. Trump respects me at that value to get it. My heart's not with the UFC anymore because of how bad they treated me. They don't respect me and they don't see me as a businessman. All they think is that I'm a punk fighter that's going to fold, and I've already proven that I'm not going to fold to anything by not resigning with them."

This deal will end an 11-year career in the UFC for the former light-heavyweight champion.

Tito Ortiz Interview After UFC 84 Press Conference Fiasco(Video)

Tito and Jenna give their side of the story of what happened at the post UFC 84 press conference.

For those who havent heard the story read all about HERE. Courtesy of Yahoo Sports.

Dana White, Tito Ortiz and Jenna Jameson Finally Make Up!

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Props to MMAtko.com for the idea.

Tito Ortiz Says "Dana White is Exactly Like Don King" on Howard Stern

Tito and Jenna were on the stern show this morning here is some of what Tito said, thanks to phillyburbs.com

Tito will be fighting Lyoto Machida on May 24 in Las Vegas, NV for UFC. Tito confirmed this once again this morning, taking some steam away from UFC’s impending announcement. I believe that Tito is being booked by UFC to lose, which isn’t a bad thing if he is on the way out. Machida is undefeated in his last four matches, yet he has never beaten anyone the caliber of Tito Ortiz.

Tito compared Dana White to Don King during the interview, saying they were exactly alike. Tito said that the only difference between the two is that King is black. Tito went on a diatribe about the pay scale in UFC. Ortiz said that UFC makes $43 billion a year, yet he makes $200,000 for a fight (leaving out his bonuses). Tito’s biggest outrage isn’t all about him, but for the younger fighters who are only making $5-10,000 a fight. I wrote about this when I first came to phillyBurbs.com and $10,000 after training costs is nothing compared to the revenue that UFC generates for an entire show.

Read the whole article here.

Video: Tito Ortiz Talks UFC Treatment of Fighters

This video is of the birthday bash at the Cathouse for Tito. He talks about the UFC and how they treat fighters. And you have Mike Tyson talking about god knows what and Kendall Grove dropping some big news. At the end of the video you have Jenna dancing in lingerie, which is not as great as it once was.

Tito Ortiz vs Lyoto Machida Confirmed, Ortiz to Leave UFC After Bout

According to Loretta Hunt over at thefightnetwork.com another popular UFC fighter is speaking out against the promotion. Tito Ortiz also confirmed a May fight with UFC light heavyweight contender Lyoto Machida. This news comes from an interview Ortiz did with Sirius Fight Network radio on Monday. Here is the meat of the article.

“They don’t want the fighters to get as big as a 'Tyson' or a 'De La Hoya' or one of those types because all of a sudden, they’ll be expecting to see a lot more payment,” said Ortiz. “The UFC makes about 99 percent of the money, and the rest goes to the fighters. That one percent ain't nothing compared to what they make on merchandising, on pay-per-view, and everything else they make around the world.”

Ortiz is not the only marquee fighter to take Zuffa to task. UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture resigned from the organization on Oct. 11, citing compensation and poor treatment within the company as his main motivations. Couture walked away from his title, two contracted fights and a separate employment contract for commentating and promotional duties. Zuffa filed suit with Couture last Monday for breach of his employment contract.

A polarizing former UFC light heavyweight champion, Ortiz confirmed he will face Lyoto Machida (12-0) at a UFC event on Saturday, May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The bout will satisfy the final fight of his UFC contract.

Expecting a rematch with “The Ultimate Fighter 2” winner Rashad Evans, Ortiz (15-5-1) said he begrudgingly accepted the bout with the Japanese-Brazilian fighter who toppled PRIDE sensation Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou with a second-round submission at UFC 79 “Nemesis” on Dec. 29 in Las Vegas.

“I was expecting a bigger fight. I think the fans were expecting a bigger fight,” said Ortiz. “I got pressed into it, and all of a sudden, it’s all over the Internet that Tito Ortiz won’t fight Machida. I’m just looking to get my final fight over with the UFC.”

Read the Full Article HERE.