Who Blinked?

UFC Chairman Dana White and former UFC light heavyweight champion and MMA superstar Tito Ortiz have a well documented history of bad blood. Once Ortiz's contract ran out it was seen as the end of his career as a UFC fighter for good. In the intervening months White has taken every opportunity to trash Ortiz and call him a coward that you could possibly imagine. So I am more than a little curious as to how this came to be.

It was said that the bad blood between UFC President Dana White and former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz ran so deep that reconciliation wasn’t even a remote possibility. But after a twitter exchange between the two surfaced recently, fans began speculating that a return to the Octagon wouldn’t be too far off for ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy.’ On Friday, White made it official, announcing Ortiz’ re-signing with the UFC during a media teleconference.

“Tito and I have history that pretty much everybody knows,” said White. “We have put all our differences aside, have squashed everything, and we’re ready to move forward. Tito Ortiz is still a guy that fans want to see fight, he just had back surgery, he’s getting back into training, he feels good and he’s ready to compete in the 205-pound division and take a shot at the title again. And Tito Ortiz will retire in the UFC.”

“I think time really cures everything,” said Ortiz. “Dana came to me and was a man of his word. He apologized to me for the things that he did prior, and for me, it (returning) was about competition. My fans deserve the best Tito Ortiz.”

Now this is even more curious when you consider the fact that the UFC has never been deeper in the light heavyweight division. It would seem that Ortiz needed the UFC a lot more than the UFC needed him. So what gives?

What Took Him So Long?

I was just talking to a family member of mine about the curious case of Lamar Odom. Last week it was rumored that he was considering signing with the Miami Heat. Mind you he wasn't going to break the bank with the heat either. I had no clue what would make him want to leave a team that is likely to contend for the title again next year after the Lakers offered him basically what he wanted all along. This family member suggested he wanted to get away from Kobe. Personally I think people put too much stock into that kind of thing. A lot of guys put up with a lot of crap to play with Jordan and get a ring or 6. I can't imagine a player being so mentally weak that he would allow another player to run him away from the team that will grant him the best opportunity to win more championships and to make more money off the court.

Well at least we don't have to ponder such things anymore.

Free agent forward Lamar Odom will return to the Los Angeles Lakers, an NBA source said Thursday.

One source with knowledge of the talks told ESPN.com the four-year deal is worth $33 million if the Lakers exercise the final season.

One source close to the process said Odom will come away with a guaranteed $27 million from the new contract, matching the original value of the three-year, $27 million deal Lakers owner Jerry Buss pulled off the table earlier this month.

It's believed that the structure of the new deal calls for Odom to earn $25 million over the first three seasons, with the Lakers owing him $2 million in the fourth year if they elect not to pick up their team option.

Reached Thursday evening, Odom's agent Jeff Schwartz declined to discuss specifics but confirmed that the sides have an agreement in principle.

Its a smart move for LO to be sure and the Lakers will be much better with him than they would have been without him, but you just have to wonder what the hold up was. I guess that's something we may never get to the bottomline on.