[lostdog000]

cant speak for the casual fan.

but as a hardcore 15 year mma fan, i dont care to see tito fight anymore

hes not the badass he was

[mma fan kenny]

Originally Posted by p0id0g

does "recognizable" = ppv buys, though?

Why do you think they brought in Lesnar?

[jjc]

Originally Posted by p0id0g

I keep reading posts where people say something like "...Tito is still a big draw.." or something to that effect. but is he really still a big draw? i really think that this message board has no feel for the pulse of the average MMA/UFC fan and that while Tito "was" a big draw and while his name is still popular, I don't necessarily think he's that big of a draw. I think the rashad fight was a big letdown and it really killed whatever momentum Tito had left at the time. they hyped up the fight and Tito talked a lot of junk (so did Rashad), but when fight night came around they put on a pretty boring show. I think everyone who saw that fight kind of realized that most top ten guys are not gonna lie down for him like shamrock did. granted, rashad is no pushover. but it wasn't so much about winning and losing as much as it was about Tito's work not keeping up with his mouth.

to put it plainly, i do not think a Tito/Rampage ppv would outsell a Forrest/Rampage ppv or even a Jardine/Rampage ppv. perhaps Tito could outdraw Machida or Thiago Silva at this point, but that's only because he's been around for so long. He may be a bigger draw now, but the time and money invested in new stars may pay off more than paying Tito what he wants.

what do you think?

I agree with most of your points except I think Rampage/Tito would out sell /Forrest for the simple fact that so many people would love to see Tito get knocked out

[JBX]

Yes. Is he such a polarizing figure (be it real or used as a promotional tool) that he will be a big draw regardless.

Love him = buy ppv
Hate him = buy ppv (to hope that he gets his ass handed to him)

[cambo78]

I will always love to watch Tito get his ass kicked.

Honestly, I'd rather him disappear then ever watch him fight again.

[mma fan kenny]

Originally Posted by jimjam

I think he's losing it. Lack lustre performances against forest and rashad have cooled the casual fans appreciation for him imo.

Losing against Randy and chuck didnt help either.

People disagree with me, but I think thats one of the reasons he's doing the apprentice. Look at like this. After the Forrest fight, he could have very well lost his momentum. It was a tough fight for that a lot of fans thought he lost. The Ultimate fighter 3 aired I believe right after his fight with Forrest. He had his face on the camera and his name in the spotlight on a weekly basis and everybody who didn't know who he was soon found out. That show made him a ton of fans. I believe his last fight with Shamrock received the highest UFC tv rating in it's history. I know it's an entirely different kind of venue, but draw some parallels to that situation and the Apprentice. Tito is on a reality show with his face in the spotlight on a weekly basis and he looks like a great guy to everyone watching the show. I think of all the charities I've heard the other players and playing for, Ortiz's is probably the most touching in terms of whose getting the charity money. Now hes going into another high profile fight and I'd be willing to bet his name will generate a bunch of ppv sales. Like I said, most people disagree, but I think it makes sense.

[Island_Warrior]

As long as the match up is good, I think he'll sell PPV. But not with fights like Rashad or Shamrock again.

[Cletus Van Damm]

While watching UFC events at sports bars, I've heard women talk about Tito Ortiz, and what a great fighter he is. Not a single one of them would ever pay for a UFC event though. Further proof that women shouldn't be allowed to watch sports...

[shadowkickboxin]

To casual fans, he is still a huge draw.

[tyslice]

Tito is the Oscar De La Hoya of MMA. He is a smart business man and self promoter. While his skill may not be what it once was he appeals to a vast number of fans.

There is a rumor that Tito will go to strikeforce to have a 10th anniversary fight with Frank Shamrock. In my opinion this would be a huge draw because it appeals to both old fans and new.