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.

UFC 106: Salaries and Bonuses

The big winner for UFC 106 was Josh Koscheck who won both Submission Of The Night and Fight Of The Night honours en route to netting $246,000. The decision to give him both awards is odd given that his fight with Anthony "Rumble" Johnson was widely criticized for being a sloppy affair. That's pretty fair since both fighters were guilty of clear rule infractions. It seems to me that the UFC just wanted to reward Koscheck and Johnson for stepping up at the last minute to save the card, but they really should have done that behind the scenes. After all, if the Fight/ Submission/ KO Of The Night awards come to be seen by the fighters as little more than a popularity contest, they can no longer serve their purpose as motivational tools.

The UFC paid $1,301,000 in disclosed salaries and bonuses at UFC 106, with a whopping %57 of that going to just three fighters: Forrest Griffin, Tito Ortiz, and Josh Koscheck. Note: these figures do not include the so-called "locker room bonuses" that the UFC confidentially hands out to solid performers on a regular basis.

-Forrest Griffin: $250,000 (includes $150,000 win bonus) defeated Tito Ortiz: $250,000

- Josh Koscheck: $246,000 (includes $53,000 win bonus, $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus, $70,000 Submission of the Night bonus) defeated Anthony Johnson: $87,000 (includes $70,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

- Paulo Thiago: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) defeated Jacob Volkmann: $6,000

- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: $170,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus, $70,000 Knockout of the Night bonus) defeated Luiz Cane: $19,000

- Amir Sadollah: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) defeated Phil Baroni: $25,000

- Ben Saunders: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) defeated Marcus Davis: $27,000

- Kendall Grove: $44,000 (includes $22,000 win bonus) defeated Jake Rosholt: $15,000

- Brian Foster: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) defeated Brock Larson: $25,000

- Caol Uno: $20,000 fights to majority draw with Fabricio Camoes: $10,000

- George Sotiropoulos: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) defeats Jason Dent: $8,000

UFC 106: Post-Fight Quotes

We all saw what went down last night, but what do the fighters have to say for themselves? Let's take a brief tour of the verbal fall-out, shall we?


Tito Ortiz says he won:

I thought I won the first round and I thought I won the second round. You see the damage on his face? I got him good. In the third round I was gassed, but after taking 18 months off, I want to see another fighter come in here [and undergoing back surgery] and do what I just did. I gave my heart and soul, man. I entertained the fans. And for me not getting "Fight of the Night," I'm taken back by it, but it is what it is. I thought I won. The judge called it 30-27, I mean what the fuck, are you blind or something? But hey, it is what it is, I'll be back. I feel good. I'm sorry I let my fans down. I thought I won.... I'm pissed."

(I gave Tito only the second round. He came close in the first, but didn't do enough damage on the ground and couldn't keep Forrest down.)


Anthony "Rumble" Johnson says Koscheck is a faker:

"I didn't hit him in the head, I hit him in the arm. I don't know why he would act like [that], I guess he was gassing. That's the only thing I can think of, [him] trying to find some kind of excuse to complain. I know I didn't hit him in the head. I thought I timed it perfect but I didn't and that's my fault. After him poking me in the eye it made a big difference. Then he did it twice and got both eyes the second time because when he swings, he jabs with his open hand and the right didn't even hit me, it was just the open palm strike and my eyes, my eyes are burning like hell right now. After I hurt him, he needed that, he needed some kind of excuse to recover, but it's all good."

(I don't understand the controversy here. "Rumble" hit "Kos" with a knee that was all sorts of illegal. He should be thankful that Josh blocked it because, if he'd been finished by it instead, Johnson would have left UFC 106 in disgrace. Each clearly poked the other in the eye, but I don't believe any of it was intentional. By the way, Joe Rogan is wrong. There's no way a fighting mitten that encloses the fingers could ever work.)


Ben Saunders says he's out to smash some fools:

"I'm always down to bang, man. My initial martial arts training came from Jeet Jun Do and striking background. I know what I'm good at and I say almost anybody's going to be vulnerable to my knees, whether it's to the face or the body or the arms -- whatever, it's gonna work either way. [Davis] in particular, when I fight people who are shorter than me it definitely works out even better. People shot me off like, 'Oh, I beat bums, I'm a nobody and this and that.' It kinda hurt a little bit but at the same time I know what I'm capable of and I didn't show what I was able to do in that Swick fight and it actually worked against me. I knew that this fight was going to be very important for me to come out and not just win, but demolish my opponent and get my name back on the contender list."

(I fell into that camp of people who thought Saunders was overrated. Good on him for proving me wrong.)


Here's a video interview with UFC President Dana White offering his reactions to UFC 106:

Weigh-In Results

Good news for fans of Anthony "Rumble" Johnson (8-2)-- he made weight for UFC 106, instead of missing by six pounds like he did at UFC 104. Looks like he shouldn't be banned from fighting as a welterweight after all, but at 6'2", and with a body type like his, I still have to wonder how much longer this twenty-five-year-old can manage the cut. Word is that he walks around at well over 200lbs. between fights.

Weigh-in results (All Fighters Made Weight):

MAIN CARD

• Forrest Griffin (205) vs. Tito Ortiz (204)
• Anthony Johnson (170) vs. Josh Koscheck (171)
• Paulo Thiago (169) vs. Jacob Volkmann (170)
• Luiz Cane (205) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (205)
• Phil Baroni (170) vs. Amir Sadollah (170)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

• Marcus Davis (170) vs. Ben Saunders (170)
• Kendall Grove (186) vs. Jake Rosholt (185.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)

• Brian Foster (171) vs. Brock Larson (171)
• Fabricio Camoes (155.5) vs. Caol Uno (155.5)
• Jason Dent (155) vs. George Sotiropoulos (155)

Fan Q&A Session with Dana White at the Weigh-Ins:

UFC 106: Predictions

I went 6-5 (%54.5) at UFC 105, which was slightly disappointing. In fairness, with six upsets, it was a tough night for a lot of people, but I take full responsibility for a few of my misses. I fell into the trap of undervaluing Micheal Bisping based on his KO loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 100, and I also failed to go with my gut on the Gustaffson and Siver fights. My record now stands at 115-65 (%63.9) and 14-4 (%77.8).

I know that UFC 105 was just last week, which could have led to a case of MMA-fatigue for some, but there won't be another numbered UFC card until the middle of December (UFC 107 on Dec. 12th). You don't want to sit around for a whole month with only T.U.F. 10 to tide you over, do you?

Ranked Fighters Include:

Forrest Griffin (#5 LHW), Tito Ortiz (#25 LHW), Josh Koscheck (#4 WW), Anthony Johnson (#16 WW), Antonio Rogerio Nogeuria (#9 LHW), Luis Arthur Cane (#10 LHW), Paulo Thiago (#7 WW), and Marcus Davis (#20 WW).

Main Event:

205 lbs.: Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz (-105) vs. Forrest Griffin (-125)

I traditionally breakdown the main event in great detail before revealing my pick, but I'm just going to call this one straight-up: a one-sided beat down favouring "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy."

Tito Ortiz (15-6-1, 14-6-1 UFC) claims he was hampered by chronic back pain in recent fights and that, after a successful surgery, he's now feeling healthy for the first time in years. Even with that bulging disk, Tito has been holding his ownin the UFC: he survived Lyoto Machida's onslaught, fought Rashad Evans to a draw, made it to the third round against a vintage Chuck Liddell, obliterated Ken Shamrock (twice), and, before that, defeated Forrest Griffin by split-decision at UFC 59. The point is, the "Tito's-washed-up" talk was a bit premature considering he hasn't been fighting at anything near %100. At UFC 106, I think we'll see a repeat of the first round of Ortiz vs. Griffin I, but for all three rounds this time.

I don't mean to sound like I'm totally disregarding Forrest's development over the last few years, because it has certainly been impressive. That said, I just don't think he's physically explosive enough to handle the pressure Ortiz is going to put on him. Without a doubt, Griffin's best weapon is the leg kick, but overusing it might only make it easier for Ortiz to take him down. Tito has been diligently closing holes in his game as well, as evidenced by his recent work with Freddie Roach- the greatest boxing coach in the world and Manny Pacquiao's head trainer. Forrest's best bet might be to rush Tito right off the bat in hopes that Tito's ring rust from his 18-month layoff will make him susceptible to an early finish. Ultimately though, I don't think Griffin will have any answers for Ortiz's takedowns or his patented ground'n'pound from full-guard.

I don't think Tito Ortiz will take a serious run at the title, but, if he's really as healthy as he says, I think he'll get by Forrest Griffin at UFC 106 with relative ease.

Ortiz by TKO, Rd.3.

Main Card:

170 lbs.: Anthony Johnson (-130) vs. Josh Koscheck (EVEN)

The trendy pick is definitely Anthony Johnson (8-2, 5-2 UFC) by K.O, but not so fast. He looked fairly unstoppable in his recent knock out of Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 105 and, aside from losing to Kevin Burns via eye poke, Johnson's only loss in the UFC was in his second fight against Rich Clementi, but there are still lingering questions about "Rumble's" cardio and his ground game.

Josh Koscheck (13-4, 11-4 UFC), on the other hand, is very well known to UFC fans. He's been among the most active fighters in the welterweight division with an average turnaround time of just over 3 months. Once considered a one-dimensional wrestler, "Kos" has recently built up a reputation as a competent striker, which was bolstered by his (T)KO of Frank Trigg at UFC 103.

Koscheck should have a significant wrestling advantage, but it's difficult to know whether he'll even attempt takedowns or opt to fight "Rumble" standing just to prove a point. Actually, doing so might not be as bad of an idea as it sounds. Johnson has tons of power, but his technique is still a bit jerky, so it's possible that Koscheck could pick him apart. Ultimately, "Rumble's" reach and power advantages should be negated by Koscheck's superior kickboxing technique and top-tier grappling. If Koscheck fights smart and keeps Johnson guessing, I think there's a solid chance he pulls out the victory.

I'd estimate there's a %40 likelihood that "Rumble" is just too strong and knocks "Kos" out cold, but that means that, in my mind, "Kos" still has a better than average chance to win.

Koscheck by Unanimous Decision.

205 lbs.: Luis Arthur "Banha" Cane (+120) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (-150)

Luis Arthur Cane (10-1, 3-1 UFC) is basically undefeated with his only loss having come by way of an illegal beatdown via knees to the head of James Irvin while "The Sandman" had a knee down. Cane has scored eight of his ten wins by way of (T)KO; however, he had some trouble in his last two fights against Sokoudjou and Steve Cantwell. It's possible that his brawling style is beginning to falter against top competition in the UFC. If that's the case, the road won't get any easier against Rogerio Nogeuira (17-3, 0-0 UFC) whose technical boxing and superior ground game could give "Banha" fits. Though his chin is not quite as legendarily as that of his heavyweight twin brother Roderigo, Rogerio has only been (T)KO'ed once in his career. He should be able to sit back all night and out-box Cane when "Banha" attempts to rush in throwing wild haymakers.

I'm a big fan of Luis Arthur Cane, but I think he's in over his head against BJJ master, PRIDE stand-out and all around great fighter, "Lil Nog" Nogueira.

Nogueira by Unanimous Decision

170 lbs.: Phil Baroni (+160) vs. Amir Sadollah (-200)

Amir Sadollah (1-1, "-" UFC), the surprise winner of The Ultimate Fighter 7, is easily the most hyped fighter in all of MMA that possesses an official record of one-and-one. His submissions are his strong point, but he has yet to threaten any opponent standing up. At the same time, Phil Baroni (13-11, 3-5 UFC) is the only fighter to have remained relevant with a 13-11 record. Fans love these guys more for their heart and charisma than for anything they've done recently inside a ring or cage.

But who will win? I know this much, "The New York Bad Ass" will probably win the first round with a furious barrage of strikes. The unknowns are a) whether Sadollah can survive that early barrage given that he was (T)KO'ed by a wrestler in his last fight against Johnny Hendricks, and b) whether Sadollah's can win the next two consecutive rounds or lock in a late submission against Baroni who usually runs out of gas by the third round.

The conventional pick here is Sadollah based on the widespread belief that he has the goods, which predominates despite the lack of evidence to support such a notion, and the assumption that Baroni is a washed up has-been, which, in fairness, is a bit more convincing. Still, Baroni must realize that this is possibly his last chance to go down in MMA history as a solid competitor. I think he'll finally fight smart enough to avoid gassing before either winning at least two rounds or knocking Sadollah out cold, whichever comes first. I'm not immensely confident of that, but I'm willing to put it out there.

By the way, all you Baroni haters should take note that he's only been submitted twice in his whole career, which has been 12x longer than Sadollah's in terms of fights despite the fact that Baroni is only four years older.

Baroni by K.O., Rd. 1

170 lbs.: Paulo Thiago (-200) vs. Jacob Volkmann (+160)

Paulo Thiago (11-1, 1-1 UFC) burst into the mainstream MMA consciousness with his first-round (T)KO of Josh Koscheck at UFC 95. That surprising win, combined with Thiago's then-unblemished record, led to him being ranked as high as fourth in the world at welterweight, thus making him the most overrated fighter since Matt Serra defeated Georges St-Pierre. Since then, Thiago has come down to earth somewhat after suffering his first career loss to Koscheck's good friend Jon Fitch. I said he's overrated, which is still true even at his current #6 spot, but Thiago does have excellent submissions skills and obviously, given the result of the "Kos" fight, a decent amount of power. That said, the wrestling prowess of Jacob Volkmann (9-0, 0-0 UFC) who won three NCAA Div. I wrestling titles and last year's World Grappling Championships (no gi) at 176 lbs, should be enough to negate Thiago's jiu-jitsu.

Thanks to the various neurosis of Karo "The Heat" Parisyan, Volkmann gets to introduce himself to UFC fans by taking out the highly-ranked, if undeservedly so, Paulo Thiago.

Volkmann by Unanimous Decision

Under Card (Guaranteed To Air On SpikeTV):

170 lbs.: Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis (-225) vs. Ben "Killa B" Saunders (+185)

Ben Saunders (7-1-2, 3-1 UFC) has not accrued the type of octagon experience that's usually required before an up-and-comer gets thrown in with top-ranked contenders. Nonetheless, his JDK-clinch massacre of Brandon Wolff last December was so transcendentally bad-ass that Saunders was immediately given the go ahead to start fighting top-ten guys. That didn't work out very well for "Killa B" against Mike Swick and his odds don't improve much against Marcus Davis (16-5, 8-2 UFC). Davis should be extremely motivated after suffering a close, split-decision loss to now number one contender Dan Hardy at UFC 99. Davis' stand-up technique is significantly better than Saunder's and, if he prefers, Swick has already shown that holding "Killa B" down is not exactly difficult.

Saunders does have a much longer reach and arguably more flashy, if unrefined, stand-up, but Davis' superior skill and octagon experience should more than negate those potential advantages-- meaning that Saunders will return to fighting lower-level guys to improve his all-around game, while Davis should get one more shot at the division's elite.

Davis by (T)KO, Rd. 2

185 lbs.: Kendall "Da Spyda" Grove (+155) vs. Jake Rosholt (-190)

Kendal Grove (10-6, 5-3 UFC) has seemingly been on the verge of getting cut by the UFC for about two years now. Coming off yet another loss, this time to Ricardo Almeida who will now fight as a welterweight, "Da Spyda" desperately needs a win here or he'll drop to having lost four of his last six. I just don't see how the lanky Hawaiian can pull that off against Jake Rosholt (6-1, 1-1 UFC), a magnificent wrestler who just got finished submitting Chris Leben at UFC 102. Rosholt is one of the best American college wrestlers of his generation having won three Div. I national titles for Oklahoma State. If Almeida, whose wrestling is decidedly sub par, was able to take Grove down repeatedly, there's no reason to think Rosholt won't walk right through him. At the same time, if Rosholt's ever-improving stand-up negated Chris Leben's power-punching, he shouldn't have trouble navigating his way through Grove's flying, octopus-like tentacles, which, though painful, don't pack that much wallop.

Rosholt's relentless takedowns and subsequent barrage of ground'n'pound should get Grove frustrated enough for the former Oklahoma State Cowboy to lock in a crowd-pleasing submission.

Rosholt by Submission, Rd. 3.

Under Card (May Not Be Broadcast):

170 lbs.: Brian Foster (+400) vs. Brock Larson (-600)

Brock Larson (26-3, 3-2 UFC) should steamroll Brian Foster (12-4, 0-1 UFC) here. In fact, this fight was likely only arranged to give Larson a tune-up after his disappointing decision loss to Mike Pierce. Larson is stronger, way more experienced, and should finish Foster with ease. Still, at these odds, a value bet on a power-puncher like Foster might not be such a bad idea if you fancy a gamble.

Larson by (T)KO, Rd. 1

155 lbs.: Fabricio "Marango" Camoes (+150) vs. Caol Uno (-180)

Japan's Caol Uno (25-12-4, 3-4-1 UFC) can do no wrong in the eyes of many MMA fans. As a result, his reputation as a world-class competitor far outstrips what you'd expect if you only saw his UFC record or were told that he has lost three of his last four. Uno is a decent fighter with some decent submissions, but I believe he's the odds favourite here based mostly on name recognition. Unlike Uno, Brazil's Fabricio Camoes (10-4, 0-0 UFC) is on a tear right now, having won seven consecutive fights since September, 2006. Like Uno, he's also a submissions specialist, but Camoes brings far more raw power to the octagon. Another telling fact is that, in the three years since September of 2006, during which time both fighters have gone to battle seven times, Uno has had five fights go to decision, while "Marango" has finished every fight with only one making it to the second round.

I don't mean to rip on Caol Uno, who is at the tail end of a very respectable career, but I think Fabricio Camoes is ready to step into the MMA spotlight and will do so via upset stoppage here.

Camoes by (T)KO, Round 2.

155 lbs.: George Sotiropoulos (-500) vs. Jason Dent (+325)

Ultimate Fighter 6 stand-out George Sotiropoulos (10-2, 3-0 UFC) possesses high-caliber jiu-jitsu and solid all around skills to help distinguish himself from the pack at 155lbs. Sotiropoulos, an Aussie who now lives and trains in the USA, should be a lock to appear on the card at UFC 110 in Australia, but the quality of his opponent will likely be determined by his showing at UFC 106. Luckily for Sotiropoulos, Jason Dent (19-9, 1-2 UFC) shouldn't pose much of a threat. They're both submission specialists, which means that neither is very likely to submit the other, but, whereas Sotiropoulos has tapped some very legit guys, Dent has mostly feasted on inexperienced opposition at regional shows in the Mid-West.

Outside of his slight grappling edge, I believe Sotiropoulos has distinct advantages everywhere else. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!

George Sotiropoulos by Unanimous Decision

I really didn't set out to pick so many upsets, but it's a crazy sport and I just calls'em as I sees'em. Enjoy the fights.

UFC 106: Preview

Initially, UFC 106 was expected to be the second biggest-selling UFC of 2009 behind only the all-time best-seller, UFC 100. That's no longer expected after a series of setbacks have forced the UFC to cobble together the last men standing in any way they could manage.

First, Mark Coleman (16-9) had to pull out of his scheduled co-main event slot against Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) due to an injury. So, the UFc's head matchmaker, Joe Silva, talked Forrest Griffin (16-6) into cutting his honeymoon short in order to set up Ortiz vs. Griffin II. Tito's long-awaited return from major back surgery was already a major draw at UFC 106, but but the upgraded opponent turned this match into must-see MMA. Ortiz vs. Griffin I was a hard-fought battle that ended in a split-decision victory for Ortiz back in April, 2006.

The struggle to keep UFC 106 from imploding didn't stop there, though.Next, the main event of Brock Lesnar (4-1) vs. Shane Carwin (11-0) was cancelled when Lesnar began suffering from life threatening complications due to severe gut rot. It turns out that he actually had a hole in his large intestine through which bits of semi-digested food were slowly seeping into his abdominal cavity. I'm not a doctor, but even I know that can't be good. Brock has now undergone a major surgery to resolve the issue, but it's still unknown when, if ever, he'll be fit to defend his heavyweight belt.

No problem, the UFC simply promoted the night's stellar co-main event of Forrest Griffin vs.Tito Ortiz II to main event status. Not a lot of harm was done considering they're two of the world's most popular and best known MMA fighters.

The UFC also booked welterweight showdown between Josh Kosckeck (13-4) and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson (8-2) and made it the new co-main event. Both fighters are coming off impressive first-round (T)KO's of their most recent opponents and each will look to use the other to catapult himself into title contention at UFC 106. Please note, if "Rumble" misses weight by six pounds again like he did at UFC 104, he should be banned from trying to fight at a welterweight ever again.

Speaking of lifetime bans, Karo Parisyan (18-5) has been summarily booted from the UFC after he suddenly withdrew from his main card showdown with Dustin Hazelett (12-4). This fight was hotly anticipated by hardcore MMA fans and was being widely framed as a style-clash for the ages between Karo's judo and Hazelett's jiu-jitsu. That said, I suspect that very few people were planning to buy UFC 106 exclusively for Parisyan vs. Hazelett, so not much has been lost there. Besides, the UFC has swiftly promoted another match-up of top welterweights from the under card to the main card to take its place-- Paulo Thiago (11-1) vs. Jakob Volkman (9-0).

Sure, Amir Sadollah (1-1) vs. Phil Baroni (13-1) is a fight that should never have received a main card slot, but the inclusion of light heavyweight Antonio "Little Nog" Nogeuira's (17-3) octagon debut on the pay-per-view portion of the evening more than makes up for it. "Little Nog" is "Big Nog's" smaller brother, who is actually his identical twin. "Little Nog" fights in the lower weight class so that the two can never be asked to fight one another. He's about what you'd expect-- a smaller, faster version of "Big Nog." While he's almost as accomplished as his brother, he isn't known to have "Big Nog's" super-human chin, which might have come in handy against the hard-hitting Luis Cane (10-1). Don't sleep on this fight, it's a real gem.

On top of all that, two of the night's best fights will be shown live and free on Spike TV starting at 6pm/PST. The fights that are guaranteed to air during this commercial free hour are Marcus Davis (16-5) vs. Ben Saunders (7-1-2) and Kendal Grove (10-6) vs. Jake Rosholt (6-1). Also, don't forget that Wednesday night's WEC 44:Brown vs. Aldo will air on TSN starting at 5:00pm/PST.

At the end of the day, it's hard to complain about this Saturday's line up of fights. After all, how often do you get a chance to watch five consecutive hours (5:00-10:00pm/PST) of world-class MMA? Let's not forget either, that the night concludes with the return of one of the sport's most polarizing figures in Tito Ortiz. Will "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" secure a much-needed victory, or will Forrest Griffin exact his long-awaited revenge?

I, for one, am very interested to find out.

Don't forget, reaching B.C. MMA Fan is easier than ever. Don't bother with ".blogspot" anymore, just navigate your way to www.bcmmafan.com, or even just bcmmafan.com

Karo Parisyan Won't Fight On Saturday, Has Been Kicked Out Of The UFC

Karo Parisyan's (18-5) steep descent into an epic fail-spiral continued today when he called off his much-anticipated bout with Dustin Hazelett (12-4) at tomorrow's UFC 106.

Of course, Karo frequently makes choices so horrible that you'd swear he takes life-coaching from Lindsay Lohan, but you're still probably wondering what's gone wrong now. Well, it's a bit unclear at this time, but my guess is it has something to do with Parisyan having developed a case of what my attorney, Dr. Gonzo, refers to as "the fear."

Karo babbled some nonsense to MMAWeekly about not being able to fight because he has an outstanding fine of $32,000 with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). That might have been believable if the chairman of said commission, Keith Kizer, hadn't recently given this interview in which he details the great lengths to which the NSAC has recently gone in order to help Karo fight:



It was Dana White who first broke this news via his twitter account. Here are the highlights:

"Karo Parisyan has fucked over the UFC, the fans and his opponent again!!! He will not be fighting saturday or ever again in the UFC!!

Pulled out of the fight the day before weigh ins again with a laundry list of excuses!!! Let the press ask karo why! Let him explain.

Dustin will be paid his full purse to show and win. Its not his fault."

Spike To Air Live Prelim Fights For UFC 106

As has become a fairly frequent offering from the UFC and Spike, two fights from the under card of UFC 106 are set to air live on Spike this Saturday (Nov. 21st) starting at 6:00pm/PST.

The first time this was done was preceding UFC 103 this September; the second time was at UFC 104 in October. After skipping UFC 105, because the entire main card was shown on Spike, they've teamed up yet again to bring MMA fans Marcus Davis (16-5) vs. Ben Saunders (7-1-2) and Kendall Grove (10-6) vs. Jake Rosholt (6-1). All four guys are fairly exciting fighters, which should make for some solid action on Spike.

I can't emphasize enough how thrilled I am that Spike and the UFC have continued bringing us live fights before pay-per-view events. Not only does it mean that my night of MMA-watching goodness is extended significantly, it also increases the likelihood that every undercard fight will eventually be shown either on Spike or via tape-delay during the PPV broadcast. On top of that being awesome for the fans, it's also great for the fighters because many sponsors pay more if a fight is televised.

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.