No matter how many professional MMA bouts Tito Ortiz has competed in the Octagon, his toughest fight to date happens on Monday night. The Huntington Beach Bad Boy will be stepping in for yours truly to host MMA Connected on Sportsnet.
While I am vacationing in Italy (I'll be back hosting the show next week), Ortiz has agreed to the dubious task of stepping in front of the lights and cameras at Sportsnet's studios and will attempt to play host and analyst for the 30-minute show. Tito be warned -- you are in for a long night!
Many believe it's a cakewalk to stand in front of a camera and do what I do -- heck, even I thought it was easy until I actually did it for the first time -- on a major sports network. To be honest, I wish I was there to see Tito and watch him buckle under the lights. This isn't the octagon -- this is the BIG TIME.
I've also been told that Tito has a special message for me that he will broadcast on the show and not one person at Sportsnet is giving up the goods on what it will be. It appears Ortiz has already infiltrated my own team, who are obviously all in on the joke. All I know is that I need to prepare myself for a very embarrassing moment.
While I may not know what Ortiz has in store for me, here's what I do know -- you do not want to miss this show. The folks at the network have already informed me of a few things and I am blown away at how awesome our production staff truly is.
By the sounds of it, Tito will be offering his thoughts on:
-- His UFC 106 opponent, Mark Coleman
-- Quinton "Mr. T" Jackson vs. Rashad Evans being removed from UFC 107
-- Fedor not signing with the UFC
-- Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin
-- Anderson Silva taking some time off due to surgery
And much, much, more. If all goes well, Tito will also be interviewing UFC 103 main event headliner (and former opponent) Vitor Belfort, as well as welterweight contender Frank Trigg.
He'll also give us his Personal Top Ten UFC moments. That alone is worth watching the show.
I've set my PVR to make sure I catch it. I won't be able to see it overseas, so I'll leave it up to you to post your thoughts and comments below after the show on how good Tito was and whether my job is in jeopardy.
Check your local listings as I've also been told that if Tito's performance is a stellar one, I may have already hosted my last episode of MMA Connected.
