Tito Ortiz Re-Signs With The UFC

by Robert Sargent

Days after it was announced that he and UFC President Dana White had squashed their long-time feud, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz has officially re-signed with the UFC and aims to fight soon.

The announcement ends months of speculation, as Ortiz had been thought to be joining either Affliction or Strikeforce, but ultimately chose to return to his roots.

Though nothing was confirmed, it was announced that Ortiz's first opponent in his return to the UFC might be former UFC Heavyweight Champion Mark "The Hammer" Coleman in a light heavyweight bout.

Ortiz (15-6-1) had back surgery ten months ago and has not competed in mixed martial arts since losing to current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida at UFC 84. He has since stated his intentions to make a run at the title again. Though he was dominated for most of the first fight with Machida, Ortiz did manage to trap Machida in a tight triangle choke late in the fight and nearly pulled out the miracle victory.

With eight of his 15 career victories coming by way of knockout, and all but one of his six losses coming against past or present UFC champions, Ortiz should not be taken lightly by anyone. Though his trilogy of fights with a vastly overmatched Ken Shamrock left a lot to be desired, Ortiz has battled and defeated many of the best fighters in the sport.

Now finally healthy and no longer experiencing pain or numbness in his back and legs, it's possible that the 34-year-old Ortiz could battle his way back to the top of the UFC's light heavyweight division. If nothing else, it will provide the promotion with some exciting fights and memorable sound bites on the microphone.

According to Dana White, Ortiz will now happily compete in the UFC until he retires from competition for good.