LOS ANGELES, CA — Tito Ortiz has signed with Affliction, after all — but he won’t be fighting.
Ortiz will join the new Affliction commentary team of Sean Wheelock and Jimmy Smith as the color commentator for Affliction’s “Day of Reckoning” event on January 24th.
“(Affliction Vice President) Tom (Atencio) is a friend of mine, and he came to me and said, ‘Tito, what would you think about commentating?’ I think I may know a little bit about MMA. I think I’ve been doing it for about 11 years. I’m going to be very colorful. I’m going to be color commentator on January 24, so I’m going to show my expertise and go over all the fights.”
Ortiz has two reasons for not fighting until June 2009: he recently underwent back surgery, and under the terms of his old UFC contract, Zuffa retains the right to match any offer Ortiz receives through June. He’s one of the most polarizing figures in the history of the fledgling sport, but is winless in his last three attempts and hasn’t fought since a May 2008 loss to Lyoto Machida.
“Affliction: Day of Reckoning” features a main event bout between top heavyweights Fedor Emelianenko and former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. It takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
