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Keep Punching ~ Carlos Arias goes toe-to-toe with all the heavyweights in MMA and boxing for the O.C. Register

Five reasons to watch 'UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2'

November 20th, 2009, 11:03 am · 3 Comments · posted by CARLOS ARIAS

tito_ortiz_medHere are five reasons to watch "UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2" on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on pay-per-view:

1. Can Tito Ortiz make one more run at a UFC light-heavyweight championship? "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" was the longest reigning UFC 205-pound champion, making five successful title defenses from 2000-03 before losing the belt to Randy Couture.

The UFC did not resign Ortiz following his decision loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 84 in May 2008. Ortiz and UFC president Dana White squashed their beef earlier this summer and Ortiz signed a six-fight contract with the UFC. During his 18 months away from the octagon, Ortiz had back surgery and has gotten himself back into peak condition.

Ortiz begins his road back to the UFC light-heavyweight championship with a rematch against Forrest Griffin in the main event of UFC 106.

griffin_tito_med2. Griffin in a must-win situation: Griffin helped launch MMA into the mainstream with his epic encounter with Stephan Bonnar in the finals of the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter." But it wasn't until his valiant effort in defeat to Ortiz at UFC 59 in 2006 that Griffin earned credibility as a legit 205-pounder.

Griffin captured the UFC light-heavyweight championship with a unanimous decision over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 86, but he got knocked out in the third round of his first title defense by Rashad Evans at UFC 92. UFC middleweight champion moved up in weight and scored a devastating first-round kayo over Griffin at UFC 101.

Griffin finds himself in desperate need of a victory to keep himself relevant in the 205-pound division. Being backed into a corner and having a chance to avenge a controversial loss should bring out the best in Griffin.

josh_koscheck_med3. Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson: This matchup has the makings of an excellent welterweight scrap. Koscheck came into the UFC as a one-dimensional wrestler after a successful run on the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter," but Kos has developed into a well-rounded fighter with a knockout punch.

Johnson enters this matchup with a three-fight KO streak. Johnson packs power in both fists and can end a fight at any time with one shot, but he has yet to face anyone of Koscheck's ability. This is a big step up for Johnson. We'll see if he belongs among the elite 170-pounders in the UFC.

antonio-rogerio-nogueira_med4. "Lil' Nog" makes his UFC debut: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, the twin brother of former UFC and Pride heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, makes his UFC debut against Luiz Cane.

With wins over Dan Henderson, Alistair Overeem, Kazushi Sakuraba, Guy Mezger and Vladimir Matyushenko, Nogueira is one of the premier 205-pounders in the world.

Nogueira isn't being fed some softy in his UFC debut. Cane, who is riding a three-fight winning streak, is a big-time power puncher with bruising leg kicks. The Nogueira-Cane winner would vault themselves into the title picture.

amir_sadollah_action_med5. Sadollah looking to make his mark: Injuries and illness have left Sadollah very inactive since his surprising run to "The Ultimate Fighter 7" title. He's only fought once since beating C.B. Dollaway in the TUF 7 finals in June 2008, and he lost that fight to Johny Hendricks at UFC 101.

Sadollah has the personality and the fighting style to be a crowd favorite in the UFC, but he is very green and needs time to develop. Sadollah gets veteran Phil Baroni at UFC 106. Baroni is a one-dimensional brawler, the perfect fighter for Sadollah to showcase his submission skills against. But if Baroni connects with one of those bombs he could knock Sadollah into another dimension.

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