I for one am happy Tito Ortiz has a new opponent for his return fight in November, and that it's Forrest Griffin. This is a much more compelling fight than the originally scheduled matchup against Mark Coleman, which felt like it was simply a tune-up for the former light-heavyweight champion, who hasn’t fought since May 2008, no offence to Coleman.
I also don’t think Ortiz vs. Coleman would have been a very exciting fight -- two guys likely trying to outwrestle each other and possibly end up tiring each other out.
But Ortiz vs. Griffin II... that’s a matchup I can sink my teeth into.
Their first meeting, at UFC 59 in April 2006 was a close, controversial, split-decision that went the way of the Huntington Beach Bad Boy. A takedown by Ortiz late in the third likely won it for him, but Griffin gained some new fans among the Anaheim, Calif., crowd for his aggressive, lay-it-all-on-the-line approach.
Back then, Griffin was 12-2 and riding a four-fight win streak, and was one-year removed from his epic battle with Stephan Bonnar that was voted No. 1 of the UFC’s 100 greatest fights. Meanwhile, Ortiz was in the middle of what would be a five-fight win streak that made him the biggest PPV draw of 2006 and led to a title shot against Chuck Liddell at the UFC’s year-end show.
Oh, how things have changed.
Ortiz was pounded out by Liddell and hasn’t won since (he fought to a draw against Rashad Evans and lost a decision to Lyoto Machida).
As for Griffin, he rebounded after their first meeting, winning three of four en route to capturing the belt with a win in July 2008 over Quinton (Rampage) Jackson. But Griffin has lost two straight by knockout, and has not looked very formidable in the process.
Just don’t suggest to them that they’re on the down sides of their careers. And this is a fight that could prove one of them -- or perhaps both -- is still a force to be reckoned with at 205.
There will be a nice complement of skills in this fight. Griffin is a freestyle fighter with a workmanlike approach who can throw down with the best of them (save for the clinical Anderson Silva).
Ortiz will likely not want to get into a slugfest standing up, while Griffin will want to avoid being on his back. But that doesn’t mean either won’t be comfortable wherever the fight ends up. There’s a lot of different ways this fight could go, which is what makes it very interesting.
There’s also the matter of what a win does for each fighter.
It’s a much better offering for Ortiz, who thinks he can compete for the title fairly soon. A win over 44-year-old Coleman wouldn’t really prove whether he is indeed ready for a title run. But a result against Griffin, who was the champion just 12 months ago, would provide a very good idea of where he stands.
A win and you could argue he’s one fight away from a title shot. On the other hand, a loss would tell him he has a little bit more work to do.
This is also a great fight for Griffin, who’s in need of a better performance after being embarrassed by Silva in August. A win and he’s back in the mix, while a loss doesn’t necessarily mean he’s out of the picture. It would be his third straight defeat, but they would all be against current or former champions.
I was already looking forward to seeing Ortiz appear in the Octagon again. I just wasn’t that excited about the fight itself. Now I am.
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What were Coleman and his manager thinking asking the UFC to postpone the bout with Ortiz to January while he waits to recover from an injury? When you’re forced to the sidelines, it’s unfortunate for you, but you don’t ask that your opponent be forced to wait as well. Especially not a guy who has been out of action for so long and is clearly eager to get back in there.
And that’s not even the worst of what was said by Coleman’s manager (see previous link). After Ortiz, who is notorious for his trash-taliking, suggested on his Twitter page Coleman was a "sissy" for pulling out -- a relatively tame "dis" by his standards – he responded by insulting Ortiz and his wife Jenna Jameson in a manner I don’t care to repeat in this blog.
Jameson, formerly of Playboy fame, replied on her Twitter account, chastising him for taking personal stabs at her character and asking," lets keep it in the octagon, Coleman…. shall we?"
While that was a much more classy approach by Jameson, I’m quite certain Ortiz is going to want to settle this in the Octagon at a later date. But that will have to wait.
As for Coleman, if he’s ready in January, that timing would work out pretty well for another guy who I think would make for a good matchup with Coleman: Rich Franklin. Coming off a loss last month to Vitor Belfort at 195 pounds, the timing should work out well for Franklin, who wants to fight at 205 and doesn’t currently have an opponent that we know of yet.
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If the sight of Chuck Liddell in a puffy shirt wasn’t enough of a hint that mixed martial arts has really hit the mainstream, now it’s been confirmed.
Liddell, who is somehow still in the running to win this season’s edition of "Dancing with the Stars," will appear on this Sunday's episode of The Simpsons. (Well, his voice will, anyway.)
Drederick Tatum, watch out.
