UFC 106 Rematch - Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz

It’s been well over a year since the UFC has seen Tito Ortiz. Despite losing two of his last three fights, and drawing even on the other one, Ortiz took a leave from the UFC amidst constant bickering with Dana White. In 2009, the pair made amends and Ortiz signed a six-fight deal that will bring one of the biggest fan favorites back to the octagon.

It’s not like the excitement and hype surrounding Ortiz’s return isn’t spelled off by some doubt. After capping 2006 with a loss to Chuck Liddell, battling Rashad Evans to a Draw at UFC 73 in 2007 and losing to Lyoto Machida at UFC 84, Ortiz has been a no-show in the UFC for quite some time. Basically, he’s 0-2-1 SU in the UFC and his last win was over a completely over-the-hill Ken Shamrock.

However, in 2006, he challenged Forrest Griffin and won a controversial split decision that essentially put Griffin on the map. Forrest can pick up where he left off and use this fight to bounce back after getting humiliated by Rashad Evans and Anderson Silva in his last two fights.

It’s not like Forrest isn’t without his supporters. He stands as one of the current fan favorites for his fighting style and his personality, and putting either of these guys back in to the title hunt is a big priority for Dana White, who is losing fighters to injuries faster than he can replace them. Brock Lesnar, Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva are three champions that are all on the shelf right now and without them, White needs to depend on building a roster around fan favorites. Doesn’t hurt that one of those fan favorites is banging Jenna Jameson; he should look at brining her on as a guest ring girl for the fight.

He’s done well in pitting two of the most popular UFC fighters against each other in a rematch of their 2006 fight. Both men are looking for vindication, but only one will get it. So whose UFC 106 betting corner are you standing in?

Ortiz is nearly 35-years old, but his strength has always been the ground-and-pound and his superior conditioning. He can run up and down hills all he wants, but eventually your body just starts to crap out and he’s right in that questionable zone of “too old” and “just about too old”. Don’t listen to Ortiz’s mouth. He’ll say that he’s at 100 percent and in the best shape of his life, ready to dominate again, but we’re talking about a guy who hasn’t fought in over a year and who didn’t exactly swerve us when he fought Griffin the first time.

Griffin has been mistake-prone for the last two of his biggest fights. After winning the light heavyweight title against Quinton Jackson, Griffin was run over by Rashad Evans and then completely dismantled by Anderson Silva. Yet Griffin’s resolve has always been in his ability to just keep moving forward. He’s had bad losses before (read: Keith Jardine) and putting him in the octagon against a guy well past his prime gives Griffin the chance to make one more push to the championship as he enters his thirties.

This is really a toss up because Ortiz’s conditioning and ability to fight are a real question mark right now. Dana White needs any one of these guys back in the title picture, but my MMA betting is going towards the younger of the two. Griffin should have won the first time, and getting Ortiz in his twilight years is his final chance to prove he’s still a contender. Mistakes cost Griffin the first time, so bet on Forrest waiting for his moments and capitalizing on an overzealous Ortiz.

Furious Free Pick – Griffin -145 OVER Ortiz +115