EliteXC exec confirms interest in Tito Ortiz

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by John Morgan on Jun 09, 2008 at 9:00 pm ET EliteXC today confirmed its on the growing list of organizations that will compete for free agent Tito Ortiz's services.

EliteXC Head of Operations Jeremy Lappen confirmed the organization's interest today in a conference call for this Saturday's "EliteXC: Return of the King" event, which airs on Showtime and features a main event between lightweight champ KJ Noons and Yves Edwards.

"We're interested," Lapin said. "We'd love to have Tito as part of our organization."

EliteXC is the second organization publicly to announce its interest in the perhaps soon-to-be-ex UFC star. New Affliction partner Donald Trump, with whom Ortiz has developed a budding relationship after "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" appeared on Trump's reality show, "Celebrity Apprentice," announced last week that his organization would also like to sign Ortiz to a contract.

"I think every organization out there would love to have Tito," Lapin said. "We're talking to him, and we'll see what happens. The deal has always got to make sense for both sides. He'd be a great addition to our organization."

Although Ortiz and UFC President Dana White's very public feuding over the years would seem virtually to guarantee a departure from the organization, Ortiz himself has not completely ruled out a return to the octagon. When asked if he would be leaving the organizations, Ortiz told UFC commentator Joe Rogan, "I haven't decided at all," in a post-fight interview at UFC 84.

While Ortiz is no longer among the top 10 fighters in the world, his name recognition and marketability remain among the highest for any MMA competitor, and UFC events featuring Ortiz remain among the most-watched in MMA history.