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Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:30 pm EDT

Y! exclusive: Affliction close to signing Tito vs. Babalu

By Steve Cofield

Sources have told Yahoo! Sports that free agent Tito Ortiz will fight Renato "Babalu" Sobral in the co-main event at Affliction's next fight card, on Oct. 11 at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus in Las Vegas. The main event will feature a heavyweight bout between WAMMA champion Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski.

Affliction vice president Tom Atencio would not confirm the Ortiz-Babalu fight. He said details for the fight card will be released during an Aug. 6 news conference that most likely will be held in Las Vegas.

Atencio also indicated that he didn't think Affliction could speak with Ortiz until Aug. 4 because of a 60-day non-compete clause in Ortiz's UFC contract. Ortiz's last fight for UFC was on May 24 at UFC 84. If the 60-day clause is accurate, the deal ended last weekend. Atencio said the biggest stumbling block for an Ortiz deal would be the financial terms.

Affliction would seem to have the inside track at signing Ortiz, a former UFC light heavyweight champion (15-6-1, 14-6-1 UFC). He and his girlfriend, Jenna Jameson were conspicuous during the Affliction "Banned' event, sitting next to Affliction partner Donald Trump. Ortiz and Trump developed a relationship during the most recent season of The Apprentice.

Sobral told MMAJunkie.com that Ortiz is the fight he wants.

"That's my dream fight," a smiling Sobral said. "I'm looking for another guy. Wait for the name. It's coming. I think Tom (Atencio) is going to bring a name for me. And I'll be here to kick his ass."

Babalu's relationship with UFC ended in August of 2007. Sobral (30-7, 6-4 UFC) was released from his contract after a controversial win over David Heath. Sobral would not release a choke even after referee Steve Mazzagatti stopped the fight. Babalu won his Affliction debut on Jul. 19 with a unanimous decision over Mike Whitehead.

Because Affliction is not a licensed promoter in Nevada, Roy Englebrecht will serve as the promoter. Englebrecht was the promoter of record of the Banned card at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

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267 Comments

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  1. Ben
    1. Posted by Ben Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:06 pm EDT

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    1st!!!!
  2. Clint
    2. Posted by Clint Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    Affiction is it people!!!!! I love UFC but Dana White is keeping the sport down! We ALL have to support these other MMA organizations because Dana White is undermining the sport and only those fighters who agree with him will fight in the UFC. If Dana White has his way, we as fans will never get to see great stars such as.....Couture, Fedor, Tito, Babalu, Arvlovski, and many more great fighters in the cage..... I love the UFC but I will be purchasing every Affliction pay per view and limiting the number of UFC pay per views I buy. Please.!!! Support other MMA organizations over the UFC!!! I know it's tough but it will make a big difference in the long run!!! The more we support UFC, the more Dana White becomes MMA's Don King!
  3. j!
    3. Posted by j! Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:38 pm EDT

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    Well there's one match up that Tito should win. Unless he falls into a triangle choke while he's trying to ground and pound babalu.
    The only thing I like about Tito going to Affliction is that I get to buy a Tito Ortiz Affliction shirt! lol
  4. j!
    4. Posted by j! Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:38 pm EDT

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    I seriously hope Tito pulls an Arlovski, Tito has been afraid to get hit for his past few fights and I want to see the old Tito come back, like the old Arlovski came out of hiding.
  5. Untouchable1
    5. Posted by Untouchable1 Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:49 pm EDT

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    Seriously Affliction is for old and used up UFC fighters everyone there has been beat up in the UFC get over it people Tito and Babaloo are sorry were good fighters but i think Chuck knocked them both out right and we all know Chuck isnt the best anymore if he is even top 5 in his weight class right now. Come on this is another attempt that will fail like all the rest. UFC is the best will be the best bottom line!!!!
  6. joe
    6. Posted by joe Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:47 pm EDT

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    Seriously clinton m. when did babalu become a star? Tito probably wins. But in the scope of things, It is a great fighter on the decline, in Ortiz. There is also a career mid-carder on the decline, in Babalu.
  7. Evan S
    7. Posted by Evan S Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:57 pm EDT

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    I should have seen it coming. No surprise when you think about it. He sat next Trump at Affliction BANNED. I love the UFC but this was a huge mistake by dana white. As much as he hates him, he should have just made up and signed the dude because now affliction can compete with the UFC.
  8. MARCUS A
    8. Posted by MARCUS A Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:30 pm EDT

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    Clinton M. I completely agree with you! We can't let one orginizations dictate the sport and the fighters who wanna fight the best. All fighters should have the oppurtunity to fight eachother, its just that Dana is too scared to let that happen because like any business man, he doesnt wanna lose money etc to other fight promotions and have fans look elsewhere. Keep the sport alive for other fighters and support Affliction along with the other organizations that have great match-ups!
  9. ryan k
    9. Posted by ryan k Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:31 pm EDT

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    UFC must remain at top of mma business. If these rival organizations take off and do really well, You will never see them fight a UFC champion, which will cause a lot of unresolvable speculation. Dana wont let his top fighters leave to fight against other organizations top fighters. Besides this Affliction card is full of UFC has beens... The only thing Tito can beat up is jennas worn out snatch...Babalu was never that good...Arlovski isnt the same fighter he was 3 or 4 years ago...
  10. j!
    10. Posted by j! Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:38 pm EDT

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    Yeah support the other MMA organizations that are trying to profit from what the UFC kept alive! Support EliteXC with their high caliber shows. Seriously, I think Kalib Starnes can take out Kimbo Slice! Seriously! Justin Eilers fighting for the Heavyweight Title??? Affliction is buying there way in. Other than making cool shirts they haven't done anything for MMA. Boxing is a joke nowadays because there are so many different promotions. BASEBALL, BASKETBALL, FOOTBALL, HOCKEY, HECK EVEN TENNIS AND GOLF. How well would they be if all the stars were in different companies.
  11. bolt
    11. Posted by bolt Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:06 pm EDT

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    yea yea yea... this all sounds good but (I really think) people only have SO MUCH CASH for all of these promotions. I don't think it's going to work in the long run ...but ya never know. With quality boxing cards and the ufc at $50 a pop... I think affliction is going to have to work for that money in a big big way...
  12. Jimbo R
    12. Posted by Jimbo R Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:35 pm EDT

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    I don't see how signing a washed up Tito to fight a never was Babalu is bad for the UFC. Neither of those guys would be serious contenders in the UFC 205 lb division. Tito is a big name but not a big talent. I think knowledgeable fans realize that. If Tito becomes their light heavyweight champion it's probably going to be negative for Affliction. Now if they can pull away Machida, Evans, Liddel, Henderson, Jackson, etc. then it'll be a true rival.
  13. moviesmusic_more
    13. Posted by moviesmusic_more Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:27 pm EDT

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    Who cares Tito is washed up. Good for him for getting a job after he has proved he can't win anymore but he should just ride off into the sunset with his tail between his legs.
  14. Erik
    14. Posted by Erik Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:22 pm EDT

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    gimmie a break, Tito helped hake this sport popular. tail between his legs, please, UFC is to political, Tito's fought however they put in front of him. You guys are just haters, hes not washed up, just washing his hand from the wana be foul mouth white
  15. hulkedtified
    15. Posted by hulkedtified Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:21 pm EDT

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    I agree with most of you on your points, but i just wanna say i give props to all the fighters for their hard work and effort and it seems everyone just wants to down people in the combat sports etc....so lets support the fighters and not there affiliations to ufc and other organizations. Then we as fans and fighters will all benefit...
  16. Jason F
    16. Posted by Jason F Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:29 pm EDT

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    you can talk about afflictions lack of talent all you want, but they have fedor and he is comfortably the best mma fighter in the world
  17. infinite_kaos
    17. Posted by infinite_kaos Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:24 pm EDT

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    Seriously there are way too many people who think that the UFC is the be all and end all of MMA. It's not bad to have a little competition and it makes sense for these other companies to sign names like Ortiz, Arlovski, Babalu etc so they can provide another outlet for talented fighters to break into the game. It's never good when one company runs a monopoly on the sport. And it's stupid to compare MMA to other frnachises like the NFL, MLB, and NBA because MMA is just starting out. People need to get off Dana White's jock and just start supporting MMA period.
  18. dashdonny
    18. Posted by dashdonny Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:37 pm EDT

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    Affliction has a better chance than most. While Tito is no longer in his prime he is a name. In fact all of the washed up UFC champions are still names that people recognize. The problem with other organizations that have failed is that while they had names known throughout the MMA community they did not have popular names (names known to casual fans). Affliction is getting those names. They have some major money backing them and they have a lot of people mad at Dana. If Randy gets out of his UFC contract and he goes to Affliction they will become a major player. They will have the top 2 heavy weights in the business and name recognition to boot.
  19. urwrecked
    19. Posted by urwrecked Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:45 pm EDT

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    VegasWarMachine.. Maybe you should check more closely UFC fight monies.. Rampage got only 225k to defend his title as a headliner on a PPV card. That is pathetic. After paying his manager and training costs ( a mild tax break maybe) and last of all taxes, it is not a real good payday. Yes UFC has better fighters, but Dana White is not a 'generous' promoter. He tries to micromanage his fighters and control them to the T as he is the the biggest game in town (for now). Dana White is a Don King in the making..A Don King Mini Me if you will. Just so you know, Pavlik got a mill for his first fight as the challenger against Taylor.. So bash boxing and it promoters, it still pays much better than your beloved Dana White and his UFC..
  20. urwrecked
    20. Posted by urwrecked Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:45 pm EDT

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    And who knows, maybe Tito and Babalu will put on a good show.. What troubles me more is how Babalu wears his shorts.. WTF?????
  21. casey p
    21. Posted by casey p Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:19 pm EDT

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    tito washed up in his early 30s.thats a load of crap.tito dominated forrest griffin,vandy silva and rashad evans.3 of the best light heavyies in the ufc.he couldnt beat chuck but not too many can.i think he beats chuck now and hes far from washed up.affliction makes a smart move by signing tito because he is a major face in mma.
  22. The Reaper
    22. Posted by The Reaper Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:21 pm EDT

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    Say what you want about affliction but they have the best fighter in the world bar none! FEDOR
  23. The Reaper
    23. Posted by The Reaper Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:21 pm EDT

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    Dana White needs to learn how to pay fighters. UFC isn't losing money anymore so whats the big deal. Pay the guys who are putting fans in the seats.
  24. KennyNonymous
    24. Posted by KennyNonymous Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:32 pm EDT

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    Prediction: Arlovski WILL last longer than the absurd 36 seconds or whatever that was Sylvia tried to do out there...he may not beat Fedor (which may not happen for anyone for a while) but I think it's a good matchup of styles and should be an entertaining fight.

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