UFC 106 Main Event Profile - Forrest Griffin

Forrest Griffin
Age: 30
Record: 16-6 

Coming off not only one of the most embarrassing losses of his career but possibly one of the most embarrassing in UFC history, Forrest Griffin is looking to take back some of the respect he lost in his dismantling at the hands of Anderson “The Spider” Silva at UFC 101.  

After bolting from the cage like a decapitated chicken immediately following the Silva fight, it is likely Griffin was aching to get back to the ring as soon as possible. This will be Griffin’s quickest fight turnaround since his back-to-back wins against Hector Ramirez and Maricio Rua at UFC 72 and 76.  

It’s also likely that with Marc Coleman pulling out of the scheduled bout with Ortiz, Griffin was drooling at the thought of avenging his controversial split-decision loss to the former light-heavyweight champion at UFC 59. 

Fight with Tito Ortiz at UFC 106 

Simply put, Griffin will be looking to keep this fight standing and punch his way to a win. This is going to be a classic example of a wrestler vs. a striker. Ortiz will be shooting to put Griffin on his back while Griffin will be avoiding the takedown at all costs and picking his punches wisely.  

Ortiz can be knocked out. He has shown that when a world-class striker is on their game he is susceptible to an overwhelming barrage - see Chuck Liddell and Frank Shamrock. That being said, is Forrest Griffin a world-class striker? No.  

Griffin has a great takedown defense and can be lethal with his strikes when he is focused. Griffin also has more motivation going into this fight than ever before. His heart is unquestioned and his ability to take a punch is also never in doubt. If Griffin keeps this fight standing he can and will most likely win. 

Where Griffin can lose this fight is on his back. Ortiz is a world-class wrestler and he’s got the resume to back it up. When he is on his game, he can dominate opponents like few others. Still the question remains that after 18 months off, a 0-2-1 record in his last three fights and a back surgery to boot, is Tito Ortiz the same fighter that fought and beat the likes of Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort? 

After UFC 106 

This can be billed as a do-or-die for the UFC 106 poster-boy. After back-to-back devastating losses, at very least Griffin is going to have to come out with a gutsy, hard fought performance against “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy.”  

With a win Griffin will be thrust back into the middle ranks of contenders in the light heavyweight division. Look for a potential match-up with Rich Franklin. 

If he loses, that would make three in a row and put Griffin in UFC purgatory. Griffin would be hard pressed to find a half decent fight and might end up having to write another book to garner any interest in his future fights.

>> Join now to bet on Ortiz vs Griffin -135