Forrest Griffin vs. "Lil' Nog" Nearly Set for UFC 113 in Montreal

According to Tatame.com, a light-heavyweight showdown is nearly set between former UFC champion Forrest Griffin (17-6) and longtime PRIDE fighter Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira (18-3).

"Lil' Nog" had this to say:

"It’s almost set, we’re negotiating, but it’s not 100% yet. It’s not confirmed by the UFC yet."

"Minotoro" is, of course, fresh off of a first-round TKO victory over fellow Brazilian Luiz Cane (10-2) at UFC 106, which was also the slighter Nogueira brother's UFC debut. On that same night, Forrest won the main event fight by split-decision in his hard-fought rematch against Tito Ortiz (15-7-1).

If confirmed, the fight would join a card that is stacked full of great matches at UFC 113 in Montreal on May 8th. The card will be headlined by perhaps the most anticipated fight of 2010-- Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio Rua II. Even in the absence of their local hero Georges St-Pierre (19-2), Montreal fans appear to be in for another great show on May 8th.

Complete rumoured card for UFC 113:

• Champ Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (for Light Heavyweight Title)
• Paul Daley vs. Josh Koscheck
• Forrest Griffin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
• Marcus Davis vs. Jonathan Goulet
• Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson vs. Matt Mitrione
• Alan Belcher vs. Patrick Cote
• Jeremy Stephens vs. Sam Stout
• T.J. Grant vs. Johny Hendricks

Forrest Griffin On His Fight With Tito and More

I don't post just any interview video I can find, you know. I look for clips in which the MMA personality is offering a new take or opinion than they've shared elsewhere. This video has all that. Forrest Griffin talks about how, exactly, the Tito Ortiz fight interrupted his honeymoon, shares honest reactions to the Anderson Silva fight, and admits that he was fooled by some of Tito's headgames. The video even includes a semi-apology from Forrest for his recent surliness.
Enjoy.

Forrest Talks Redemption, Tito Fight, Having Fun Again

In the video below, Forrest Griffin (16-6) opens up about how it feels to lose and why he thinks loosening up and having fun again will help him in his main event match against Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) at UFC 106.

Countdown To UFC 106 Airs Tonight (Nov. 16th) On Spike

Just a quick programming reminder: "Countdown To UFC 106" debuts tonight on Spike TV. According to Spike.com's schedule, it's set to air at 10:00pm/PST, but there's a bit of confusion out there.

Some websites saying 9:30pm/PST and my digital cable box just doesn't have it listed at all. So, uh, good luck with that. As usual, it will be re-run throughout the week on both Spike and Sportsnet Pacific so just keep an eye out. With the Canucks not playing again until Friday, you've gotta watch something, right?

These shows are usually an hour long, but this event's edition is only half-an-hour. Something tells me, though, that we'd be getting a two-hour pump-up show if the original main event of Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin were still a go.

Despite the slight let down, I don't think Ortiz vs. Griffin as the UFC 106 main event is really that bad-- both guys are big stars and it's a rematch of a very close fight fight that Tito won by split-decision in 2006. It will also be interesting to see Tito's first fight back from major back surgery and Forrest's return from major ownage at the hands of Anderson Silva.

Peep this interview with Tito at Big Bear:

Ortiz vs. Griffin II Scheduled For UFC 106

With just over six weeks until UFC 106, Forrest Griffin (16-6) has apparently agreed to face Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) in the night's co-main event. Kevin Iole, of Yahoo Sports, was the first to break the story.

This fight is a rematch of a controversial split decision win for Ortiz at UFC 59 in April of 2006. In fact, that razor-thin loss to Ortiz was arguably what first put Forrest on the map as a legit future contender. Forrest famously went on to capture the UFC light heavyweight belt from "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 86, before surrendering it to Rashad Evans (13-1-1) at UFC 92.


This booking is yet another example of the UFC's uncanny ability to recover from apparent setbacks by scheduling better fights than the ones that have fallen through. In this case, Ortiz's showdown with the veteran Mark Coleman (16-9) was scrapped when "The Hammer" tore an MCL during training. Mere days later, this announcement has significantly improved the marketability of a card that was already headlined by Brock Lesnar (4-1) who is easily the biggest PPV draw on the UFC's roster. This bout comes as an even bigger surprise because Forrest had repeatedly stated that he intended to take a honeymoon with his wife and did not plan to return to action until early 2010. It appears that Aruba (or where ever) will have to wait for Mr. and Mrs. Griffin.

Griffin vs. Ortiz II is so compelling because both combatants are recent UFC light heavyweight champs in need of mid-career revivals. Certainly, neither fighter has been on a tear lately with Tito sitting at 2-2-1 since Ortiz vs. Griffin I, while Forrest has gone 4-3 in that time frame. Each also has something crucial to prove to UFC fans. Tito Ortiz, who is returning from spinal fusion surgery undergone in October of 2008, must verify his claim that he's back in peak physical condition for the first time in years, while Forrest, who is returning from getting thoroughly embarrassed by Anderson Silva (25-4) at UFC 101, is out to show fans that he still remembers how to fight at all.

Forrest's First Interview Since Getting Embarrassed At UFC 101

Here it is: the first public statement by Forrest Griffin since he got exposed by Anderson Silva in July. It was arguably the most one-sided loss ever suffered in the octagon by a former UFC champion. I don't want to spoil too much of the video, but I'm not sure why Forrest even bothered to break his silence just to act like a snob for five minutes while doing his best to avoid answering any questions.

I understand that he's generally not the most upbeat guy, but he comes across downright surly here. Which isn't very wise because, at this point, he could use all the fans he can get.