Ufc 36 main event up in the air

[Guest Army Eye]

Tito is definitely out for UFC 36 now, so the UFC 36 main event is up in the air.   This is Meltzer's blurb on it today:

 

--With Tito Ortiz out six-to-nine months after a torn ACL (and I'd bet on it being nine months minimum), the 3/22 UFC PPV will have a new main event. The new match should be announced tomorrow. As things stand, three matches are under consideration. They are Vitor Belfort vs. Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture defending the heavyweight title against Josh Barnett or Couture defending against Ricco Rodriguez. Belfort-Liddell is the one they are working on first. If it can't be put together, it'll be Couture-Barnett. The only holdup on that is Barnett is just getting over arthroscopic knee surgery, and if he doesn't think he'll be ready by 3/22, the title shot would then go to Rodriguez.

 

I'd be interested in Belfort/Liddell, but this would seem to have the least box-office appeal out of the three proposals.  At the same time, I could see why they'd want to make this one happen since a Couture title match would be taking away their scheduled UFC 37 main event.

 

Couture/Barnett would probably be the biggest draw.  Couture/Ricco would be pretty good too.  Ricco had a real nice showing at UFC 35.

 

Another question is if they do Belfort/Liddell, do they strip Tito of the title and declare that Belfort/Liddell is for the vacated title?  Or do they ask Tito to voluntarily surrender the title?  I think the current rule in place is that if you don't defend the title for two consecutive events, the title is stripped.  I'm not sure how they should handle it when they know damn well that Tito won't be fighting for 9+ months.  They have to get the title off him somehow.