Tito Ortiz vs Renato "Babalu" Sobral a Go for Next Affliction PPV?

Yahoo! Sports is reporting that a match-up between Tito Ortiz and Renato "Babalu" Sobral is "close" to being signed. The details of the actual card will be announced on August 6th, and it is widely expected that an Ortiz v Sobral match will co-headline the card (along with the already announced Fedor - Arlovski fight).

Tito Ortiz is currently a free agent after he parted ways with the UFC following his fight with Lyoto Machida. It is widely expected that Ortiz will sign with "Affliction", for a couple of reasons. #1, they have the deep pockets needed to lure a big-name talent such as Ortiz. #2, he has a close relationship with one of the stakeholders in Affliction, Donald Trump. #3, where else could he really go? Maybe EliteXC, but they don't seem to have the deep pockets and stability needed to ink Ortiz to a deal.

If the Ortiz - Sobral fight becomes a reality, then the next Affliction PPV should do much better than the first one. A card that is headlined by Fedor/Arlovski and Ortiz/Sobral is as good as any PPV that has been aired this year, and should attract both the hardcore and casual MMA fans. This is a major coup for the new promotion, and the UFC should be very worried. With a viable (and deep-pocketed) competitor establishing themselves in the market, the UFC will need to be much more cognizant of the fact that their best talent could simply walk once their deals with the UFC conclude. The UFC has been able to keep much of their best talent because they were the only game in town - if Affliction keeps shelling out big dollars to land free agents, then everything changes and the UFC will be forced to loosen their purse-strings.

Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz currently has a lifetime professional MMA record of 15-6-1. He will certainly be looking to prove himself in his fight against Sobral, as Ortiz has not won in his last three fights (losses to Liddell and Machida, a draw with Rashad Evans). Ortiz left the UFC with a sour taste in his mouth, and will be looking to prove that he is still one of the top light heavyweight fighters in the world. Dana White has said that Ortiz is too injury-prone, doesn't fight enough and isn't a "real" fighter. Ortiz will be looking to make Dana White eat his words.

Renato Sobral possesses a lifetime MMA record of 30-7-0, and is likely best-known for his controversial fight at UFC 74. In his fight against David Heath, Sobral won by anaconda choke but refused to release the submission hold even after Heath had tapped. Sobral said that he wanted to teach Heath about "respect". Sobral, once a fan favorite, was booed by the fans, and the UFC soon released Sobral from his contract. Dana White went on to call Sobral's actions "completely unacceptable."

This would be a great addition to the October PPV. We'll post another article when (and if) the fight is officially announced in early August.

Source: Affliction close to signing Tito vs. Babalu

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