by Dave Doyle

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder thought he was worth more money than he was getting, so he left the company for a year, knowing he was going to take grief for his decision.

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"The bottom line is, I have to be able to look at myself in the mirror at the end of the day," said the man known as The Huntington Beach Bad Boy. "I have to keep my integrity and I have to be true to myself. "

Ortiz returned in April with a new deal, a slot on The Ultimate Fighter reality cable TV series, and a cut of the pay-per-view money that included a reported $2 million bonus for appearing at UFC 61. Ortiz's fight with Forrest Griffin in April sold out the Pond in Anaheim and drew 500,000 pay-per-view buys; UFC 61 in Las Vegas sold out Mandalay Bay and drew 775,000 buys.

"I know I am a commodity," said Ortiz, calling from the Team Punishment camp in Big Bear, CA. "I know I am worth money, and the UFC makes money off me. The people have proven me right. They've come out to my shows and helped make UFC bigger than ever. All fighters make more money when the sport gets bigger."

Ortiz is set for the next chapter in his eventful year Tuesday, when he faces off with Ken Shamrock in the final edition of UFC's most legendary feud. The show sold out the 5,500-seat Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, FL in two hours, for a show expected to break MMA cable ratings records.

MMA fans can recite the story of Tito and Ken feud by rote now: How Ortiz disrespected Lion's Den fighter Guy Mezger, leading to their first fight in 2002; and last season's Ultimate Fighter, with opposing teams coached by the two, leading July's UFC 61.

Ortiz-Shamrock 2 lasted all of 1 minute, 18 seconds, when referee Herb Dean stopped the fight. Ortiz took Shamrock down and was in the process of delievering a series of elbows when the match was called. Shamrock popped back up right after the stoppage and pantomimed to the crowd to claim he wasn't hurt, which whipped the audience into a frenzy and left much of the audience at home feeling ripped off.

"I was just doing my job, and Herb was doing his job," said Ortiz. "I was just trying to put him away. I can tell you, I was on top of him, I hit him with an elbow and I saw his eyes roll back in his head, he was going out, I hit him a second time and that jolted him back.

"But I understand why the people were upset," Ortiz continued. "They pay good money to go to the fights. I don't ever want my fans to feel like they didn't get their money's worth. Don't get me wrong, I'm getting paid a good fee to fight this fight, but I'm happy to give the fans a show on free TV and try to give them the fight they didn't feel they got last time."

The Shamrock fight, of course, hasn't stopped talk about Ortiz's expected showdown with "The Iceman" Chuck Liddell for the light heavyweight title at UFC 66 on Dec. 30. Insiders speculate the Ortiz-Liddell fight could be the first MMA pay-per-view to draw a million buys.

The two fought at UFC 47 in 2004, and there was no doubt who was the better man that night, as Liddell dished out a second-round KO. But Ortiz says things will be different this time.

"My heart wasn't in it last time," Ortiz said. "I thought Chuck was my friend. I didn't want to fight someone I thought was a friend. My head wasn't on straight, the money wasn't right, everything about that night was wrong. But now I'm ready to go. I've been training as hard as I ever have. I remember what it was like to wear that championship gold and it's a feeling I want to feel again, so Chuck better watch out."

With the big money rolling in, one would assume things are peachy between Ortiz and UFC president Dana White. But the water isn't entirely under the bridge just yet in their hot-and-cold relationship. In order to get Ortiz back under contract, White, a former boxer, had to agree to a three-round boxing sparring session with Ortiz. That's coming up soon, Tito says.

"We're going to fight on Oct. 20th. It's going to be fun. Who hasn't wanted to punch out the boss at some time in their life? I'm doing this for all the people who have ever wanted to slug their boss. I want to put it on PPV for cheap so the people can see it. After me and Dana fight, then we'll be cool."

Hitting the saturation point

Tuesday's UFC show kicks off a stretch in which the competition for mixed martial arts fans' money gets almost as heated as the action itself. Among other shows of note in the next two months are PRIDE's U.S. debut at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Oct. 21; the International Fight League's world team championship semifinals on Nov. 2 in Portland; UFC 65 on Nov. 18 in Sacramento; the World Fighting Alliance's second pay-per-view, on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas; and Strike Force in San Jose featuring Frank Shamrock vs. Phil Baroni on Dec. 8. Things promise to get even crazier next year, as every bored multi-millionaire looking for a new toy is threatening to start an MMA promotion.

So how does the average fan keep up with all the clutter?

Ortiz-Shamrock is on basic cable. No need to fork over $40 for that one. As much as some hardcore MMA fans gripe about the main event, chances are this will be the most watched match in North American MMA history.

UFC 64 from Mandalay Bay comes just three weeks after UFC 63 and four days after Ortiz-Shamrock. It features one of the most intriguing matchups of 2006, as Rich Franklin defends the middleweight title against Anderson Silva, the most dangerous 185-lb. contender to come down the pike in awhile. The show also features Sean Sherk vs. Ken Florian for the vacant lightweight title. Because of the crowded calendar, this show has less time for a buildup than any recent Zuffa show.

UFC models itself after boxing promotions. PRIDE's roots trace back to pro wrestling. Rarely has this been more obvious than in the buildup to PRIDE's The Real Deal on Oct. 21. The show features quite possibly the greatest volume of star power ever assembled on a North American MMA show.

That's best star power. Not best matchups.

Thus far, the announced card comes off like the highest-priced taping of Superstars of Wrestling ever, with fights designed to showcase individual fighters rather than to offer top-notch elite matches like those given to Japanese fans at the Open Weight Grand Prix. Fedor Emelianenko vs. a 41-year old Mark Coleman isn't all that different than Ortiz-Shamrock. Then you have carnival acts like a Mike Tyson appearance and a match featuring Butterbean.

PRIDE has also employed some of the oldest-school tricks in the pro wrestling promotional playbook by constantly grandstanding the UFC, trying to make a splash against the established brand name. And they're smart to do it, because Dana White seems to grab at the bait every time it is set, including a satellite radio verbal dust-up with a PRIDE announcer a couple weeks back.

Either way, PRIDE is likely to draw a strong crowd of fans who will simply be happy to see their favorite stars live, like Americans Dan Henderson, Kevin Randleman and Josh Barnett. But if PRIDE wants to make a permanent impression stateside and make a serious run at UFC's dominance, they eventually need to deliver the same caliber matches they give their fans in Japan.

The early returns on the IFL have been encouraging to say the least. The IFL has become the model for any startup MMA group. Rather than throw money around with no apparent rhyme or reason, they've been smart about their investments from the get-go. The IFL has lined up some of the most respected names and gyms in the business. They secured time on FSN. They've lined up corporate sponsors.

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They've placed their shows in locales with solid MMA followings that UFC doesn't often hit, drawing over 5,000 in Portland and a near-sellout house in Moline, IL. They've looked to make an imprint with a different product with their team-based concept, and the fans in Moline responded by really getting into rooting for the hometown Silverbacks. Whether this will translate into long-term success remains the big question, but there's no doubt the IFL has done nearly everything right getting to this point.

UFC 65 looks to be one of the most loaded-up shows of the year. Matt Hughes defends the welterweight title against Georges St. Pierre in one of the most eagerly anticipated of MMA fights of the year. Tim Sylvia defends the heavyweight title against Jeff Monson, and names like Karo Parisyan, Nick Diaz and others have been tossed around but not finalized for the undercard.

Strike Force sold out their first show in San Jose in March, as more than 18,000 fans watched Frank Shamrock take on Cesar Gracie. The follow-up show drew about 10,000, headlined by Vitor Belfort. If they can draw a comparable number for the third show, it will show Strike Force's staying power; if it comes close to another sellout, that would be a testament to the younger Shamrock's drawing power.

As for the WFA, Sherdog.com reported this week they will come back for a second show, a live PPV at the Aladdin Hotel in Vegas. The WFA promoters had their hearts in the right place by going first-class all the way in putting on their first show, but it wasn't a financial success. It remains to be seen whether a smaller-scaled show will be able to help them get off the mat.

That's a lot going on in a short period of time. And that doesn't even begin to get into UFC 66 with Ortiz-Liddell on Dec. 30 and PRIDE's New Year's Eve show in Japan ...

Dave Doyle is an editor for FOXSports.com. Check out the FOXSports.com MMA blog for more MMA info.