www.rearnakednews.comOn Monday Tito Ortiz had successful spinal fusion surgery. This surgery is no joke. It is not a typical procedure for athletes, like getting a knee cleaned out or some thing. It is a major operation. Tito is looking at a month before he can even start physical rehabilitation. He is not assured to ever come back from this, but it seems like he certainly is determined.
According to Tito, the UFC has refused to cover the cost of his surgery. This does not surprise me. As Tito loves to say, he is a free agent. Why would the UFC pay for the surgery of a fighter who is not on their roster? They would in effect pay for Tito to get better and fight for another promotion. Tito thinks this is a grave injustice, and while I do think his injuries were the result of repeated fighting and training (or maybe just the result of carrying around your enormous head for 33 years), I also see the UFC's side. He says the injury goes back to his first fight with Randy Couture in 2003. This gave him ample opportunity to have surgery, but he chose to continue fighting with back pain. That was his choice and now he has to live with it.
I wonder how Affliction and EliteXC feel about knowing they were in active negotiations with a guy who was planning on getting major back surgery. It's too bad he never signed, because the breach of contract lawsuit would have been very entertaining to cover.
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