Tito Ortiz: Does not have a fan in Chuck LiddellFormer UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz is a free man as of Saturday at midnight.

By "free," of course, we mean "free of obligation" to the UFC.

As a result of a binding clause in Tito Ortiz's contract, the UFC retained the right to match any offer the former champion received from a competing organization, long after he left the organization.

Tito Ortiz's contract with the UFC expired just a little over a year ago, when he lost unanimously to current Light-Heavyweight Champion, Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida (15-0) on May 28th, 2008, at UFC 84: Ill Will.

Ortiz batted around the idea of signing with other organizations, appearing at StrikeForce, Affliction and K-1 events in his off-time, following an invasive back surgery which he chose to undergo in what became his off-season.

Ortiz has had well over a year to recover following a procedure that, according to Ortiz, was necessary long before it actually happened. The surgery, reportedly on his lower back, was not possible until only recently due to his active participation on the UFC roster, in both champion and challenger roles. It was rumored back then that Tito

When interviewed months ago following Tito's announcement that he'd elected to have the procedure done, he was confident in his chances, positive about his recovery timeframe, and issued a warning to his fellow competitors at light-heavyweight.

Amidst the birth of twins and the surgery Tito had elected to have on his back, ThrowThemBows.com previously had reported that Tito was talking about returning with either Affliction or the UFC, but most definitely by July. Here we are in June, and Tito is now finding himself in the role of the unrestricted free agent.

Michael David Smith of AOL's FanHouse interviewed Tito for Rumble in the Park in Fresno, where he was quoted as saying "“It’s either going to be with the UFC or it’s going to be with Affliction, but guaranteed, you guys will see me fight — no matter what — by July.”

Given his relationship with Donald Trump as a result of his participation on NBC's "The Celebrity Apprentice," and his active engagements with fans and personnel when he's appeared at Affliction's two events thus far, it would be surprising to see him sign anywhere else.