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He has zero victories in his past three fights.

His few wins in recent years have come against an aging Ken Shamrock or via controversial split decisions. In fact, he hasn't beaten a notable opponent in clear-cut fashion since four years ago, when he topped Patrick Cote via unanimous decision at UFC 50.

Still, there's no denying that Tito Ortiz is one of the most popular and marketable fighters in mixed martial arts today.

So, when the 33-year-old fighter fulfilled his UFC contract and vowed never to return to the company, the free-agent market was thrown into a frenzy.

Despite Ortiz essentially announcing that he had agreed to a "record-breaking" contract with the rookie Affliction Entertainment promotion, Ortiz is once again negotiating with the sport's big players, including the Kentucky-based American Fight League.

Earlier this month, Ortiz (15-6-1) announced that he had reached a deal with Affliction — a long-term deal that he claimed would make him the highest-paid fighter in MMA. At a press conference the following day, though, Affliction would barely confirm the company was even in negotiations with Ortiz.

Now, according to industry insiders, Ortiz is hosting formal negotiations with all the top promotions — Affliction, EliteXC, the AFL and even, surprisingly, the UFC.

"I don't know if we're really negotiating, or simply helping Tito stroke his giant ego," one frustrated company representative said Sunday, Aug. 17.

Although both Ortiz and the AFL have confirmed negotiations, the fledgling fight company isn't talking numbers. However, the organization apparently has some pretty deep pockets; earlier this summer, the AFL raised some eyebrows by signing top female fighter Tara LaRosa to a contract worth at least $500,000 — an amount unheard of in women's MMA.

The AFL is, at best, a longshot to land Ortiz. However, with the organization set for its pay-per-view debut later this year, Ortiz is just the headliner it needs.

Ohio fighters at UFC 88

The UFC recently announced the official fight card for UFC 88, which takes place Sept. 6 at Atlanta's Phillips Arena.

A bout between Chuck Liddell (21-5) and Rashad Evans (11-0-1) headlines the pay-per-view event.

As expected, a middleweight fight between Harrison native Rich Franklin (23-3) and Loveland native Matt Hamill (4-1) — two fan favorites — will serve as the night's co-main event.

Additionally, "The Ultimate Fighter" season-seven cast member and Xenia native Matt Brown (8-6) meets Dong Hyun Kim (10-0-1) in an un-televised preliminary bout.

Dann Stupp is editor-in-chief of MMAjunkie.com, a content-partner site of Yahoo! Sports. Go to www.mmajunkie.com for the latest MMA news and rumors.