(To clarify, “BITCH” is actually an acrostic for “Buddy I Trust Completely, Hooray!”)
Considering his on-again, off-again relationship with Dana White over the years (which sadly never came to actual blows), one would think that Tito Ortiz would have been chief among the fighters filing the class action lawsuit against the UFC when the list of names was first released. Ortiz has thrown near CagePotato-ian levels of shade at the UFC since “retiring” in the cage at UFC 148, and has repeatedly emphasized above all else that the slave-like treatment of fighters young and old was at the root of his issues with the promotion. It’s almost as if he hasn’t realized that mo money = mo problems.
As it turns out, Ortiz actually *was* approached to get in on the lawsuit and the hundreds of millions of thousands of zero dollars it will yield, but declined the offer because he didn’t want to “lend his name to it.” Ortiz’s lawyer, George Prajin, spoke with MMAJunkie:
Yes, (he was approached). He felt that it was just best to not be a part of that suit.
Obviously, everybody wants a better situation for the fighters, as far as pay and benefits. But Tito just felt that at that particular time, he wanted to opt out.
Because mainly, they were using him for the publicity aspect, and he didn’t want to lend his name to it.
It’s easy to understand why Ortiz would “opt out” of the suit if you give it more than a moment’s thought. Aside from the millions of dollars “The People’s Champ” earned during his Zuffa tenure, Ortiz’s success in Bellator more or less proves that the UFC is not *really* a monopoly. By choosing to participate in such a lawsuit, Ortiz would actually end up being Exhibit A in Zuffa’s defense against him. It’s like I’ve always said, Tito Ortiz is a business savant and evil genius who can spot a turkey from 1000 yards, and brother, this lawsuit is one big turkey.
Speaking of turkeys, what do you think Michael Bisping has to say about all this lawsuit hullabaloo?
Let me break it down: you got three disgruntled ex-fighters and their careers didn’t pan out the way they wanted it to be. So guess what? They’re suing the UFC.
Well, that’s about as nuanced a take on the situation as we could have expected from His Highness. Le, Quarry, and Fitch (among others) don’t actually want fair treatment, respect, or anything of the like; they’re just bitter, jealous losers with a grudge to settle. It’s statements like these that make you wonder why Bisping can’t seem to get along with anyone in his longtime organization (other than Dana White, of course).