Just when you think he's out, he makes you think he's back in.
Amid a fury of speculation on who is to step in for the injured Phil Davis to fight Rashad Evans in UFC 133's headliner, Tito Ortiz sends out a Tweet with a smiley face and an exclamation point.
Could Ortiz have reconsidered his decision to turn down an offer Tuesday night to rematch Evans on short notice? Could a new UFC deal be in place to compensate for less-than ideal preparation time?
"You all read into things too much," Ortiz today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) moments after his message.
So, apparently not. Ortiz is sticking to his guns. Following reports of his decision, he issued another Tweet explaining his rationale for passing on the fight – basically, it was a bad career move to take a top-tier fight with less than a month of notice – and today he felt no different.
The wave of criticism that followed still stung, though. Critics who dogged him prior to his stunning first-round submission win over Ryan Bader at UFC 132 were back in force.
"I'm just trying to stay positive, man," he said. "People are trying to [expletive] talk [expletive] and shut me down. You know, I make the right decisions for my career, as I said [before]."
Ortiz (16-8-1 MMA, 15-8-1 UFC) ended the conversation before discussing what's in store next for him. The victory over Bader was the first in nearly five years for the former light-heavyweight champion, who rejected talk of retirement from the UFC after a loss to Matt Hamill at UFC 121 that extended his losing streak.
Ortiz fought Evans to a draw at UFC 73, though the fight would have been a split decision for him had he not received a point deduction in the second round for grabbing the fence. The two jawed back and forth after the fight, but a rematch never came to pass.
It's hard to imagine that Ortiz's decision to forgo that rematch has gone over well with the UFC, who gave him a final opportunity to turn his career around with the fight against Bader. But it's anyone's guess whether the fallout will have an effect on his future with the promotion.
If Ortiz's rocky past with UFC president Dana White is any indication, it just might.
Source: Tito Ortiz remains comfortable with decision to turn down UFC 133 slot