SUNRISE, Fla. -- High-profile free agent light heavyweight Tito Ortiz will be cageside as a guest of EliteXC for tonight's CBS broadcast of "Heat."

And while the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" recently revealed to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he will be out of commission for the next six months, a deal may be signed this month to bring the former UFC champion to EliteXC.

"Right now EliteXC and myself are in great discussions for the future and working with each other," Ortiz said.

Ortiz made his first appearance in conjunction with EliteXC at Friday's weigh-ins. Although no formal announcement of his presence was made, a buzz quickly filled the room when the 33-year-old was spotted.

Ortiz said tonight's appearance may be far less under the radar.

"I'm here as a guest of EliteXC," Ortiz said. "I'm possibly going to be commentating a fight [tonight]. It's going to be exciting. I can't wait."

In addition to the the upcoming birth of twins with girlfriend Jenna Jameson, Ortiz is also slated to undergo back surgery on Monday to repair a nagging injury.

"I'm getting surgery ... for my lower back," Ortiz said. "I've had a problem for the last five years, so I'm finally going to get the surgery done. I'll be out for about six months, but I'll be back to fight for another six years. I'm really excited."

Ortiz explained the surgery was similar to what UFC middleweight Nate Quarry went through in 2006.

"I have a bulging disc between L4 and L5 and S1, so they've got to go in and fuse it," he said. "(It's) the same thing that Nate Quarry got. So I get it done, and I'll be able to wrestle the way I used to wrestle."

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