I did not realize that there was a Celebrity Apprentice, let alone that Tito Ortiz was on it and became friends with Donald Trump — who own the UFC’s latest competitor, Affliction. Now it looks like Tito Ortiz has signed with Affliction, and the deal is a big one:
“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, who became a free agent on Monday after an 11-year career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, met with Donald Trump on Tuesday to finalize the deal and is expected to be at Wednesday’s press conference where his first opponent will be Renato “Babalu” Sobral.
Ortiz, by the way, retired from the UFC after losing to Lyoto Machida. (It was pretty one-sided until Tito almost pulled off an impressive triangle in the final round.)