Tito Ortiz was one of the most feared men in the UFC.He was the champion of the UFC’s most talked about division at the time and perhaps even till this day—light heavyweight—and was not only the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” but was the bad bo…
Tito Ortiz was one of the most feared men in the UFC.
He was the champion of the UFC’s most talked about division at the time and perhaps even till this day—light heavyweight—and was not only the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” but was the bad boy of mixed martial arts as well.
However, those days have long since passed.
Ortiz is now winless since 2006 and hasn’t finished an opponent not named Ken Shamrock since Elvis Sinosic—who was 4-3-1 at the time and is 8-11-2 now—in 2001. Ortiz’s last victory was a controversial split decision to Forrest Griffin which Griffin managed to avenge.
These reasons, combined with the numerous personal and legal problems Ortiz has had recently, make the former light heavyweight’s reputation a tarnished one.
If Tito Ortiz defeats Ryan “Darth” Bader at UFC 132 will that help the former champ regain his lost luster?
Defeating Bader would help, but would still not absolve Ortiz of all his sins (be they in or out of the Octagon).
Defeating Bader would, at the very least, give Ortiz an opportunity to retire on a high note.
He would have snapped his five-fight winless streak (winless but not a losing streak; of his last five fights, four were losses and one was a draw) and would have had the satisfaction of beating one of the young up-and-comers at light heavyweight.
His hypothetical return to form may even help him get a chance to avenge losses (or a draw) should Ortiz choose not to retire and should certain fighters—namely Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans—lose their upcoming bouts.
Beating Bader will enable Ortiz to retire with dignity or to continue his career as at least a somewhat relevant fighter. However, even if Ortiz is victorious at UFC 132, he will still not be able to rid his reputation and his legacy of certain stigmas.
Therefore, Tito Ortiz defeating Ryan Bader demonstrates that Ortiz at 36 years of age has not become like his contemporaries Chuck Liddell and Ken Shamrock but this will only go so far since Ortiz himself will only go so far at 36.
At the end of the day, what Ortiz has done in the Octagon already speaks for itself, what happens at UFC 132 notwithstanding.
Women’s MMA has has an even shorter history than men’s MMA but what it lacks in length it makes up in ferocity; female fighters are often tenacious, have the most heart and usually provide the most exciting matches on the card.Despite these attributes,…
Women’s MMA has has an even shorter history than men’s MMA but what it lacks in length it makes up in ferocity; female fighters are often tenacious, have the most heart and usually provide the most exciting matches on the card.
Despite these attributes, women’s MMA finds itself in an interesting quandary in mid-2011.
The UFC—an organization known to have a hard stance against women’s MMA (abbreviated as WMMA)—has recently purchased Strikeforce, the organization with the single largest concentration of female MMA talent in the world. (this issue and others are discussed at length in a piece by fellow Bleacher Report member Brian Barker).
WMMA is threatened but at the same time seemingly approaching a new renaissance, Strikeforce continues to promote it, a women’s MMA fight conference/summit in which many female fighters will meet and train is to be held soon and the MMA world awaits the Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Championship fight between champion Marloes Coenen and challenger Miesha Tate with great interest.
It is the last item on the list that is the most intriguing, the title fight between Tate and Coenen. To the short-sighted MMA fan, the fight just seems like business as usual but the truth of the matter is that the fight is far more important; the fight may help to determine the future of women’s MMA!
The (unfortunate) truth of the matter is this: Like in any sport—and MMA is no exception (be it women’s or men’s)—there are certain athletes that are used as figure-heads or poster-boys. These are the people that fans instantly recognize and are used to either market or further the goals of their respective sport.
For example, look at UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, he helped/is helping bring MMA into the limelight by appearing on various commercials and being such a palatable superstar for the unwashed masses who don’t know much about MMA.
The central figure in women’s MMA since it came to the mainstream was Gina Carano. Her exciting fighting style as well as sex appeal (this is a considerable aspect of a female athlete’s popularity, love it or hate it) helped to make her an instant star.
Carano was given a massive push throughout her stint with EliteXC and, when the organization folded, was given a title shot against Brazilian terror Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos. Carano came up short, took a hiatus from MMA to venture into acting, and tried to return but ultimately could not.
Although Carano vows to return soon, soon isn’t good enough. She has been out of the picture since 2009 and her memory with fans known for their legendary fickleness may be beginning to fade.
This is where Tate vs. Coenen comes in.
Miesha Tate is the winner of Strikeforce’s women tournament held last August. Winning this tournament earned her a title shot at Marloes Coenen, a feared Dutch submission fighter known for her arm bars.
Should Tate—an attractive women by anyone’s standards—be victorious, it would be a huge boon to women’s MMA.
First, and sadly, Strikeforce women’s middleweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos isn’t too popular and is brutalized by keyboard warriors (who couldn’t last 30 seconds in the cage with her) for her looks. This is one of the most unfortunate circumstances in MMA; Cyborg is such a gifted and talented fighter but no one seems to care!
This sad truth would mean that, with a Tate victory, Strikeforce would finally have a female champion that it could turn into a powerful draw. Tate’s looks and charisma would help bring new fans to WMMA and would aid them in realizing that women do belong in the cage.
Second, it would help to promote the wider women’s mma world, meaning that fans would finally realize there is more than just the division that Gina Carano fights in.
This is all not to say that Gina Carano is gone forever and Miesha Tate will replace her. It’s just that a Tate victory will do a lot for women’s MMA; if Carano manages to return to form there will be two stars in women’s MMA instead of just one.
Of course, women’s MMA isn’t limited to just two starts in the future. The aforementioned soon-to-take-place summit of female fighters is proof of the fact that the sport is growing amongst women. Perhaps one of the now unknown fighters there will be one of the the future faces of women’s MMA?
So, is Miesha Tate the future of women’s MMA if she defeats Marloes Coenen? Yes, Tate will enjoy a substantial rise in popularity and will likely become a star in WMMA on Gina Carano’s level.
However, Tate will not always be the future of WMMA; with the growth of the sport will come new female fighters who will also become popular. Eventually, WMMA will end up with several figure-heads just like men’s MMA. There will be a Gina Carano and a Miesha Tate for every Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre.
UFC on Versus 4 is officially in the books. Cheick Kongo performed a miraculous comeback knockout against Pat Barry and Rick Story’s hype train was derailed by the unlikely Charlie Brenneman.The event was an exciting night of fights that will hopefully…
UFC on Versus 4 is officially in the books. Cheick Kongo performed a miraculous comeback knockout against Pat Barry and Rick Story’s hype train was derailed by the unlikely Charlie Brenneman.
The event was an exciting night of fights that will hopefully be remembered for the skill and bravery of its competitors rather than the sordid business of Nate Marquardt being removed from the UFC.
What were the real questions answered and lessons learned from a seemingly inconsequential event? Read and find out!
UFC on Versus 4 or UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry is set to take place and, of course, what many are talking about is the last minute fight that got scrapped: Nate “The Great” Marquardt and Rick “The Horror” Story.However, aside from the loss of the main ev…
UFC on Versus 4 or UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry is set to take place and, of course, what many are talking about is the last minute fight that got scrapped: Nate “The Great” Marquardt and Rick “The Horror” Story.
However, aside from the loss of the main event, the rest of the card will likely still be exciting and provide more fireworks than any card in recent memory or any card in the near future.
The undercard has been perfected by the UFC because, unlike boxing, the undercard is packed with interesting and exciting matchups that will make the fans feel like they got their money’s and time’s worth (even though this particular card is free on both Versus and Facebook).
This particular undercard is set to be one of the most exciting in 2011 and, because of this, is more than enough of a reason to watch the event despite the sudden release of Nate Marquardt.
The UFC’s fourth event on the Versus network—aptly called UFC on Versus 4 by fans or “UFC Live: Marquardt vs. Story” by the UFC—is set to take place this Sunday, June 26, 2011.Many may scoff at the free cards and think they are low quality …
The UFC’s fourth event on the Versus network—aptly called UFC on Versus 4 by fans or “UFC Live: Marquardt vs. Story” by the UFC—is set to take place this Sunday, June 26, 2011.
Many may scoff at the free cards and think they are low quality or otherwise not worth watching—especially on a Sunday night when people have to be up for work early the next morning!
However, staying up a little bit later for this card will be totally worth it. Here are the seven reasons why you must stay up to catch this event.
Despite the relatively short history of modern mixed martial arts there have been many crucial points at which the fate of the sport—as well as the fate of the athletes within the sport—was decided.From events taking place before the UFC wa…
Despite the relatively short history of modern mixed martial arts there have been many crucial points at which the fate of the sport—as well as the fate of the athletes within the sport—was decided.
From events taking place before the UFC was created up until more modern times, there have always been junctions where the swelling popularity of MMA could have taken a turn for the worse or been catapulted even further into popularity or some other calamitous/favorable could have happened.
What are these “what if” moments embedded throughout MMA history? What alternate reality would have unfolded if the historical choices/circumstances did not occur?
Tito Ortiz was one of the most feared men in the UFC.