Tito Ortiz missed being in the UFC.

For a long time it looked like "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" would never fight in the UFC again because of his long-standing feud with UFC president Dana White, and Ortiz was one of the original fighters whose blood and sweat in the octagon helped build the UFC into the giant it is today.

But Ortiz and White have squashed their beef and Ortiz signed a six-fight contract with the UFC earlier this summer. Ortiz is back after an 18-month layoff to face Forrest Griffin in a rematch in the main event of UFC 106 on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Mandalay Bay Events Center on pay-per-view.

"I was coming down the 15 (Freeway) from Big Bear and you see the lights from Vegas and you get that butterfly feeling," Ortiz said before his open workout on Wednesday. "It's time to get in there and perform. I'm excited. I'm really, really excited."

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Amir Sadollah has been hampered by injuries and illness and he has been unable to generate any momentum since he won "The Ultimate Fighter 7" in 2008.

Sadollah has only had one fight since he upset C.B. Dollaway in "The Ultimate Fighter 7 finals, and he lost that one by TKO to MMA neophyte Johny Hendricks.

Sadollah takes on "The New York Badass" Phil Baroni at UFC 106 on Saturday at 7 p.m. on PPV. A victory over Baroni would help Sadollah get back on track.

Baroni, a veteran who has fought for the UFC, Pride and Strikeforce, has won three of his past four fights since moving down to 170 pounds.

Check out a video preview of Sadollah-Baroni:

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Spike TV will televise live undercard bouts from UFC 106 on Saturday at 6 p.m. from Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

The fights on the Spike TV telecast include "The Ultimate Fighter 3" winner Kendall Grove against Jake Rosholt and "The Ultimate Fighter 6" veteran Ben Saunders against Marcus Davis.

Grove, a member of B.J. Penn's MMA team in Maui, Hawaii, has won two of his past three fights heading into his bout against Rosholt, a former four-time All-American and three-time NCAA national wrestling champion.

Saunders is 3-0 in the octagon since his strong run on TUF 6. Davis has won 13 of his past 15 fights, but he is coming off a split decision loss to Dan Hardy in his most recent fight at UFC 99.

Check out videos previewing both fights:

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Anthony "Rumble" Johnson has been on a tear, wracking up three consecutive victories, all by kayo.

Johnson is quickly establishing himself as one of the most feared strikers in the UFC's welterweight division.

He should have picked up KO of the night honors after destroying Yoshiyuki Yoshida in 41 seconds at UFC 104 on Oct. 24 at Staples Center. But Johnson came in six pounds over the 170-pound welterweight limit and was not eligible for the $40,000 bonus for KO of the night.

"I told my agent as soon as I was done with the fight with Yoshida, 'If anything happens to anybody and they need a 170-pounder to replace that person, give me a call because I'll be ready,'" Johnson said. "I mean, why wouldn't I be ready? I didn't get injured at all in my last fight with Yoshida.

"I took Sunday and Monday off and by Tuesday I was back in the gym," Johnson said. "I was doing what I had to do to stay in shape and be ready."

Four days after his fight at UFC 104, Johnson got the call from the UFC to fight Josh Koscheck at UFC 106 on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on PPV. Johnson jumped at the opportunity to redeem himself with his second fight in less than a month.

"My concern with him is, is he going to make the weight," Koscheck said. "If he does, great. If he doesn't, still great because I still get to beat his (butt). He doesn't even need to make weight to be honest with you. If he wants to come to the weigh-ins at 195 (pounds), that's fine. I don't give a (expletive). I still got to fight him. That just means I get 20 percent of his chicken(expletive) purse."

Johnson said he isn't fazed by Koscheck's trash talk.

"I'm not worried about what Josh has to say," Johnson said. "He's going to say what he has to say and do what he want to do. My weight is fine. I'm 180 (pounds) right now. What's the big talk about?"

Check out my video interview with Johnson before his open workout on Wednesday at Mandalay Bay:

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Forrest Griffin looks to avenge a 2006 loss to Tito Ortiz when the two former UFC light-heavyweight champions meet in a rematch at UFC 106 on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on PPV.

Griffin is coming off back-to-back kayo losses to Rashad Evans and Anderson Silva and needs a victory to get back on track.

Griffin's epic encounter against Stephan Bonnar in the finals of the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter" is considered one of the key events to launch MMA into the mainstream. But it was Griffin's effort in a split decision loss to Ortiz at UFC 59 that helped him build his reputation as a legit 205-pounder.

Check out a video interview with Griffin:

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