I covered the regular-season football finale between Mission Viejo and Dana Hills on Friday, Nov. 13, got up on Saturday morning and made the trek to Las Vegas, stopping only once in Barstow for gas and a double-double at In-N-Out before continuing on to the MGM Grand for the showdown between pound-for-pound kingpin Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto.

I picked Cotto to win by decision. Sometimes when you have to much time to analyze a fight you tend to overanalyze it and you end up going away from your original pick. That's what I ended up doing. I kept thinking Pacquiao had too many distractions with his recording career, TV sitcoms, action movies and being tugged in all directions by politicians and his country was hit by a typhoon. He even scheduled a post-fight concert performance on the night of the fight. He would need all his focus to take down a wrecking ball like Cotto, right? Wrong.

Pacquiao absolutely dismantled Cotto, using his speed and power to turn Cotto into a bloody and swollen mess before stopping him in the 12th round. It was an amazing performance. Cotto got in some big shots and nothing seemed to faze "Pac Man." That sets the stage for a mega-fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

My boss, Todd Harmonson, told me I could stay in Las Vegas to cover "WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo" on Wednesday. But Sunday the CIF-Southern Section announced the playoff pairings, so I spent all day doing playoff analysis for ocvarsity.com.

The WEC held open workouts on Monday and I interviewed WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown, his challenger Jose Aldo, Leonard Garcia and Manny Gamburyan. Aldo was the most interesting of the bunch. he talked about the scar on his cheek, which stretches from the corner of his mouth to his left ear. Apparently, he was resting in his crib near the family's barbeque. His two older sisters were roughhousing, his older sister picked up the crib and tossed him onto the grill. Aldo managed to survive his sisters and become the WEC's top contender at 145 pounds.

The UFC held open workouts for UFC 106 on Wednesday morning at the Mandalay Bay. I interviewed Tito Ortiz, Josh Koscheck and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson. Forrest Griffin was late, so I messed him because I had to get over to The Palms for WEC 44.

Ortiz was wearing sunglasses indoors during his interviews with the media. He did the same thing a week earlier when he allowed the media up to his training camp in Big Bear.

Josh Koscheck had the quote of the week when he talked about the possibility of his opponent, Johnson, who missed weight at UFC 104 a month earlier, not making the 170-pound limit.

"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."

Then it was off to WEC 44. I love the WEC because it focuses on the lighter weight classes. The speed of the lighter fighters and technical skill is incredible to watch. The WEC fights usually deliver spectacular finishes. WEC 44 didn't disappoint. Aldo overwhelmed Brown with his striking in the second round to capture the WEC belt. Aldo is now 6-0 with 6 KOs in the WEC. It would be great to see how Urijah Faber fares against the newly-crowned champion.

Gamburyan and Garcia threw down for three fast-paced rounds with Gamburyan picking up the decision victory. Former WEC lightweight champion "Razor" Rob McCullough of Huntington Beach was back in action for the first time in eight months, but McCullough dropped a decision to WEC newcomer Karen Darabedyan. Ortiz cornered his buddy, McCullough, and again the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" was sporting shades indoors. A few days later we would find out Ortiz was sporting a shiner heading into his rematch with Griffin.

I caught some sleep and on Thursday it was back on the I-15 and to the O.C. for me. On Friday night, I covered Dana Hills vs. Orange Lutheran in the first round of the CIF-SS Pac-5 playoffs. Dana Hills knocked off OLu, 30-10, to pick up its first playoff win since 1992.

On Saturday morning, it was back on the I-15 and on to Las Vegas for UFC 106 at Mandalay Bay Events Center.

The highlight of the UFC 106 undercard was Ben Saunders and his devastating knees that he used to KO veteran Marcus Davis.

The main card featured the UFC debut of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, the twin brother of former UFC and Pride heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. "Lil' Nog" had "Big Nog" and Anderson Silva in his corner. I would take that duo against any other tag team in the world. "Lil' Nog" was spectacular in his debut. "Lil' Nog" exploded a left on Cane's chin that sent him crashing to the canvas. He landed two more punches as an exclamation point before referee Steve Mazzagatti stopped it at 1:56 of the opening round. "Lil' Nog" picked up a $70,000 bonus for KO of the night.

Koscheck withstood Johnson's bombs early on. There was an illegal knee to Koscheck's right eye while he was still on the ground in the first round, then Koscheck accidentally poked Johnson in the eye early in the second round. In between there were some great exchanges as both fighters got in their licks. Koscheck turned to his excellent wrestling skills to dominate Johnson on the ground in the second round before submitting him with a rear-naked choke.

Griffin pulled out a split decision over Ortin in the main event to avenge his 2006 loss to Ortiz. I scored it 29-28 in favor of Ortiz, 29-28. The first round was super close, but I thought Ortiz pulled it out because of his takedown. Most ringside observers said the second round was a clear round for Ortiz and the third round clearly went to Griffin. Ortiz was completely gassed and offered no offense in the third round. So it all came down to who you gave the first round to. The fight could have gone either way in my estimation. One judge scored it 30-27 for Griffin, which was ridiculous.

Ortiz, who declared he was 100 percent and in the best shape he'd been in years leading up to the fight, proceeded to break out a laundry list of excuses in his post-fight interview in the cage, which was booed vociferously by the crowd of 10,529. Ortiz said he had everything from a fractured skull to a bulging disc which prevented him from getting properly prepared for the fight.

Griffin interrupted Ortiz briefly saying, "It turns out when you train to fight, you get hurt."

Ortiz was pushing hard for Griffin and himself to be coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter 11," Which would serve to hype their rubber match. It looks like a third fight will happen, but UFC president Dana White didn't commit to Ortiz and Griffin as TUF 11 coaches.

Sunday morning I was back on the I-15 heading home to the O.C. Yes, I stopped in Barstow again for a double-double at In-N-Out.

RELATED LINKS:

• Pacquiao overwhelms Cotto en route to 12th-round TKO

• Aldo stops Brown to take WEC title

• Dana Hills ends playoff struggles

• Griffin avenges loss with split decision over Ortiz at UFC 106
  

Follow me at twitter.com/punchymcgee.

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IT IS ALL UP TO WARD

It is up to Andre Ward to get the American fighters in the "W" column. Andre Dirrell lost a decision to Carl Froch and Jermain Taylor got dropped by Arthur Abraham in the first two fights in the Super Six tournament. It is all up to Ward. Can he handle it.? He's fighting in his hometown of Oakland. Is Kessler ready for Oakland?

NO EASY FIGHTS IN THIS TOURNAMENT
While we await the start of the Kessler-Ward fight, here is the schedule for Group Stage 2.

Andre Dirrell v. Arthur Abraham

Mikkel Kessler v. Carl Froch

Jermain Taylor v. Andre Ward.

Dirrell, Froch, Kessler and Taylor are all expected to be in attendance for tonight's fight. I hope they're sitting in different locations.

FIGHTERS ARE HEADING TO THE RING
Undefeated challenger, Oakland's own, Andre Ward is coming out first. True hometown advantage for Ward. Ward enters at 20-0 with 13 KOs. He looks focused and determined. He's the brightest star in Oakland since John Madden. Now, Kessler is walking out. The "Viking Warrior" is getting booed. He has been in the Bay Area for three weeks getting ready for this fight. The only difference is the age. Kessler is 30, Ward is 25.

WARD IS OFF TO A QUICK START
Ward's jab is on point both to the head and to the body. Kessler is coming forward. The fans started the USA chant. Is Hacksaw Jim Duggan around? That was a good round for Ward. He's not going to run from Kessler. I'm giving that round to Ward.

THE FIGHT IS ON
Ward is moving well. Kessler can't find the target. Ward is getting off his left hook and end the second round with a double jab and straight right.

TOO FAST, TOO FURIOUS
Or Too Legit to Quit...I couldn't resist. Either way, that's Ward through three rounds. His hand speed is amazing. Ward is in and out before Kessler gets set. Ward unleash a nice straight right midway through the round. If I were scoring this fight, I would have Ward up three rounds. Ward got off another good right and a member of his entourage started dancing in the crowd.

KESSLER LOOKS LIKE HE'S LOSING
Kessler has a mouse developing under his right eye. Get the inswell ready. Kessler got off a big left hook on Ward. Later, Ward dropped a right that stunned Kessler. Kessler is bow bleeding. Ward is looking for the big punch. Then he closed the round, switching to southpaw. Is there anything he can't do.

WARD IS LEAVING HIMSELF OPEN
Kessler had a decent sixth round. That might be the only round he's won on the scorecards, but Ward got another another straight right that punctuated the round. One area of concern, possibly is Ward is lunging at Kessler, he's leaving himself open, but Kessler wasn't able to take advantage. Scratch that, I'm giving that round to Ward.

BREAKING NEWS....
Kessler might be having vision problems according to Showtime reporter Jim Gray.  We're through eight rounds. Ward continues to tee-off. There is a party somewhere in Oakland tonight. KWard backed Kessler up against the ropes late in the round. Kessler is busted up over the left eye.
The three reporters who are doing the Press Row scoring for Showtime gave the sixth round to Kessler. If so, Ward  won the seventh.

KESSLER'S LEFT EYE IS NASTY
He has a vicious cut over the left eye. Ward is looking for that extra point that fighters will get in this tournament for a knockout. Kessler said he couldn't see, but his trainer sent him back out. We'll see if he continues in the 10th.

WARD IN CONTROL AFTER TEN
The doctor is checking out Kessler's eye. It does look like the cut was established by a clash of heads in the eighth round (thank you Showtime). I almost feel sorry for Kessler. He's cut above and below of the right eye, along with the nasty cut over the left.

RINGSIDE DOCTOR STOPS THE FIGHT
A lead right by Ward midway through 11th sent Kessler back and the ref called time and sent Kessler to the doctor, who ordered the fight to be stopped. We're going to the scorecards, but it appears to be all academic at this point. Unless, the judges were blind, Ward should be the new champ and should get three points.

ANDRE "S.O.G" WARD IS THE CHAMP
Here are the scores: one judge had it 97-93 and two judges had it 98-92. Ward by technical decision. He's the new WBA Super Middleweight Champ. The stoppage came at 1:42 in Round 11 due to a cut that was first caused by an early head butt, but reopened in the 11th. Ward is the next superstar in American boxing.

Kessler spent his postfight interview with Jim Gray whining about Ward holding and head butting. But what about the constant damage that Ward's punches did? That's Kessler's first loss since 2007 when he lost to Joe Calzaghe. He's set to fight Carl Froch next. And we all know that Froch is the best fighter that Froch has seen.

Here is the standings after Stage 1:

Arthur Abraham 1-0, 3 points (KO of Taylor)

Carl Froch 1-0, 2 points

Andre Ward 1-0, 2 points

Andre Dirrell 0-1

Jermain Taylor 0-1

THE FINAL WORD
Ward didn't get the extra point for the stoppage. However, he has to be one of the favorites in this tournament. He was sharp with his jab and his right did damage all night. I still think Arthur Abraham is the favorite, but I would have to put Ward right behind him. Ward will face Jermain Taylor next. I think it is fair to say that Taylor is at a crossroads in his career. He has lost four of his last five fights and has been knocked out in his last two. However, a victory over Ward and he's back as a champion. We'll see how all this progresses.

Keep punching!

Post from: Keep Punching

Griffin exorcised some demons and avenged one of his losses with a hard-earned 3-round split decision victory over Tito Ortiz in the main event of UFC 106 on Saturday night at Mandalay Bay Events Center.

"It felt great," said Griffin, who lost a split decision to Ortiz in their first meeting at UFC 59 in 2006. "I'm very thankful to everybody. Tito's is a great fight for me to come back. I think we're going to have to do it a third time. You could tell he was a guy getting ready for Mark Coleman and coming off back surgery. We'll do it again."

Ortiz, who was back in the UFC for the first time in 18 months, said he was in the best shape he has been in years after having spinal fusion surgery and a 12-week training camp in the weeks leading up to the fight, but in his post-fight interview he said he had suffered some injuries during training.

"Forrest was the better man tonight," Ortiz said after listing a few excuses for the loss.

"It turns out when you train to fight, you get hurt," Griffin quipped.

Ortiz landed a clean right a minute into the fight and Griffin took it well. Ortiz shot in and put Griffin down with his first takedown attempt. Ortiz went to work with elbows and punches.

Griffin used a kimura to escape from the bottom. They both jockeyed for position in the clinch along the fence before splitting up and starting again in the center of the cage.

Griffin got in some nice shots and stuffed Ortiz's second takedown attempt. Ortiz's right eye was blackened coming into the fight, but it started to puff up by the end of the first round.

The first round was close, but Ortiz probably had a slight edge because of the takedown.

Griffin went for a leg kick early in the second round and Ortiz shot in and got the takedown. Ortiz landed some good shots in Griffin's guard, but Griffin scrambled to his feet.

Griffin knocked Ortiz's mouthpiece out with a front kick that landed square on Ortiz's face.

Griffin was landing some effective shots in the standup, but Ortiz was able to take him down again. Ortiz was dropping punches, forearms and elbows on Griffin to bust open cuts on his face. Griffin was able to sweep Ortiz and end up in top position where he delivered some licks of his own.

Another close round that probably went to Ortiz.

Griffin went to work with leg kicks to start the third round. A right hand pushed Ortiz back. Griffin was really putting his strikes together in combination. Griffin stuffed a takedown attempt by Ortiz.

Blood was flowing down Griffin's face as he continued to attack. It looked like Ortiz was tiring because he wasn't putting forth much offense. The fight ended with both fighters exchanging in the center of the octagon. The third round clearly belonged to Griffin.

Two of the judges sided with Griffin, 30-27 and 29-28, while the third judge had Ortiz winning, 29-28.

Griffin, of Las Vegas, improved to 17-6, while Ortiz, of Huntington Beach, dropped to 16-7-1.

KOSCHECK SUBS JOHNSON IN SECOND ROUND

Welterweight contender Josh Koscheck (16-4) of Fresno went back to his wrestling roots to outclass Anthony "Rumble" Johnson (8-3) of San Jose on the ground and win by submission at 4:27 of the second round.

After the fight, Koscheck set his sights on Dan Hardy, who beat Mike Swick last weekend at UFC 105 to put himself in position to fight UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre.

"I know there is somebody here that thinks he's the No. 1 contender," Koscheck said. "It's Dan Hardy right over there. He ain't fought nobody like me. I'm the freakin' No. 1 contender. I'd fight him right here in the United States."

Koscheck landed a left hook that got Johnson's attention early in the first round. Koscheck got in an overhand right. Koscheck popped him with a jab. Johnson finally connected a right and Koscheck immediately shot in for a takedown, but Johnson defended it. Johnson landed an accidental knee to Koscheck's face while he was still on his knees during a scramble. Koscheck was in pain, holding his left eye. Referee Mario Yamasaki deducted a point from Johnson for the illegal blow. After a brief break, the fight continued with about two minutes left in the round. Johnson was much more confident in his standup when the fight resumed. Koscheck was looking to get the fight to the ground and he did. Koscheck tried to sink in the hooks and get a choke, but time ran out.

Koscheck accidentally poked Johnson in the eye early in the second round. When they fight re-started, the two fighters exchange haymakers. But Koscheck poked Johnson in the eye again. Referee Mario yamasaki stopped the action to allow Johnson to gather himself. The two fighters went back to winging punches in the center of the octagon. Koscheck got a takedown and began  dropping elbows on Johnson, who had no ground game to speak of.  Koscheck, sank in a rear-naked choke and Johnson tapped out.

Koscheck promised he was going to get on Twitter after the fight. He had 5,505 followers when he said that in his post-fight interview. Check out what he has to say at twitter.com/JoshKoscheck.

THIAGO DECISIONS VOLKMANN

Welterweight Paulo Thiago (12-1) of Brasilia, Brazil was too much for former three-time All-American wrestler Jacob Volkmann (9-1) of Fergus Falls, Minn., winning a 3-round unanimous decision.

"The UFC has given me top-notch wrestlers to go up against," Thiago said. "They've been good matchups, but I'd like to make sure I work my standup more."

Thiago was having his way with Volkman in the standup before taking down Volkmann, who fought his way back to his feet. But Thiago took th3 former three-time All-American wrestler from Minnesota down again. Thiago was having a hard time landing anything effective, so he let Volkmann up. Thiago stuffed a takedown attempt by Volkmann. The two jocked for position in the clinch in the final minute. Just as the crowd was growing restless, Thiago knocked down Volkmann with a left and a right as the bell sounded to end the first round.

Volkmann went for a side kick to start the second round, but Thiago caught it and swept Volkmann's free leg with a leg kick. Volkmann got up and immediately took down Thiago. But Thiago scrambled to his feet before Volkmann could inflict any damage. Volkman got a takedown and briefly mounted Thiago, who quickly swept him to gain top position. Thiago stood up in his guard before dropping a huge right hand on Volkmann's face. Thiago stood up in Volkmann's guard and again he dropped in with a huge right hand before the round came to an end.

Volkmann slipped backing away from a Thiago punch early in the third round and Thiago pounced on him, but Volkmann managed to get to his feet. Thiago stuffed a weak takedown attempt by Volkmann, but Volkmann eventually got Thiago down. Volkmann managed to get Thiago in a crucifix position and began dropping elbows and punches on him before Thiago managed to escape and get top position. Volkmann slapped a chokehold on Thiago, but Thiago escaped and rained down some punches on Volkmann as the round came to an end.

All three judges scored it for Thiago, 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27.

"I should have kept the fight standing," Thiago said. "I had him hurt in the first round, but unfortunately the round ended."

NOGUEIRA DECIMATES CANE IN UFC DEBUT

Light-heavyweight Antonio Rogerio "Minotauro" Nogueira (18-3) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, scored a crushing first-round TKO over Luiz "Banha" Cane (11-2, 1 NC) of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in his UFC debut.

"I feel very good to be here," Nogueira said. "It's the biggest chance for my career to be in this promotion. I love to be here in America."

Both fighters used the first minute to feel each other out, then Nogueira staggered Cane with a straight left. Cane's response was to get on his bike and run, but Nogueira chased him down and continued to connect with lefts. Nogueira, the twin brother of former UFC and Pride heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, exploded another left on Cane's chin and he collapsed to the canvas. "Lil' Nog" landed two lefts on his fallen opponent as an exclamation point before referee Steve Mazzagatti stopped it at 1:56 of the opening round.

"I learned his game," Nogueira said. "I know he's a very good boxer and I respect him, but I trained a lot and I wanted to keep it standing."

SADOLLAH BATTERS BARONI

"The Ultimate Fighter 7" winner Amir Sadollah (3-1) of Richmond, Va., withstood the initial burst from Phil Baroni (13-12) of Las Vegas, and went on to batter and bloody him with his exceptional Muay Thai skills en route to a 3-round unanimous decision.

"I knew I'd have to weather the initial storm against him," sadollah said. "The guy would not go down. My strategy was to set him up with body shots. It felt good to get back on the winning track."

Baroni, who was fighting in the UFC for the first time in over four years, came out guns blazing to start the fight, but Sadollah stood his ground and fired back knees to the body. In the clinch, Baroni landed punches to the body and the side of the head.  Sadollah continued to deliver knees. Baroni got a takedown midway through the round. Baroni hammered on Sadollah in his guard, but he let Sadollah up when he almost got caught in a triangle. Sadollah got Baroni in the Thai clinch  an d delivered a pair of vicious knees. The first round ended with Sadollah landing a combination of punches.

Baroni had a cut over his left eye heading into the second round. Baroni looked weary after absorbing a head kick, some punches, a knee and a leg kick from Sadollah. Blood was streaming down Baroni's face as he took a front kick to the face. There was very little offense coming from "The New York Badass" as Sadollah kept applying the pressure. Sadollah charged in with a flying knee that knocked Baroni into the fence. Baroni was fighting back valiantly, but there was nothing left on his punches.

Sadollah began going after Baroni's left leg with leg kicks in the third round. He got Baroni in the Thai clinch and nailed him with a knee and an elbow. Sadollah had Baroni pressed against the fence and he landed two clean elbows. Baroni spit blood on the canvas in response to Sadollah's assault. A Superman punch and knee staggered Baroni. Sadollah followed up with big-time punches and kicks. Sadollah sliced open a cut on Baroni's forhead. Sadollah landed a series of knees and punches as the fight came to a conclusion.  Somehow, Baroni made it the distance even though he was a battered and bloodied mess.

SPIKE TV PRELIMS

SAUNDERS KNOCKS OUT DAVIS WITH VICIOUS KNEE

Welterweight Ben Saunders (8-1-2) of Orlando, Fla., showed why he has some of the most devastating knees in the UFC, knocking out Marcus Davis (21-7) of Bangor, Maine, at 3:24 of the first round.

"I'm going on to the top of the world," Saunders said. "This was the most amazing fight of my career. I respect Marcus Davis' talent and experience and I hope I can be where he's at in 10 years from now."

Davis was trying to keep Saunders close and play the clinch game in the first round, but Saunders was able to land some damaging knees. Saunders significant height advantage was allowing him to really connect with knees. Saunders finally leveled Davis with a right knee to the chin. Davis was out before he hit the ground, but Saunders landed one final punch to his fallen opponent before referee Josh Rosenthal could step in and halt the beatdown.

"I've been working on my clinch a lot," Saunders said. "I didn't get to show it in the (Mike) Swick fight, but I'm happy I was able to put on a show for everyone."

GROVE WITHSTANDS ROSHOLT ONSLAUGHT, GETS SUB VICTORY

"The Ultimate Fighter 3" middleweight winner Kendall Grove (13-6) of Maui, Hawaii had his hands full with Jake Rosholt (6-2) of Las Vegas, but he eventually caught the former three-time NCAA national wrestling champion in a triangle choke to secure the victory in the first round.

"The triangle, that's my thing," said Grove, who dedicated the fight to his grandmother who recently died of cancer. "When I started with Jiu-Jitsu, that's what works for me with my long legs. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Rosholt needed less than a minute to lift Grove off the canvas and dump him on the ground for a takedown. Grove tried to stand up and the four-time All-American deposited him back on the canvas. Grove stood up on his second try, but Rosholt gave him a knee to the belly. Grove scored a takedown of hos own. Rosholt got back to his feet, kneed Grove to the body, followed up with some punches and a flying knee before taking Grove down again. Rosholt mounted Grove, but couldn't land anything because Grove rolled through and back to guard. That's when Grove caught the MMA neophyte in a triangle choke. Rosholt was forced to tap out.

THE UNDERCARD

FOSTER OVERWHELMS LARSON

Welterweight Brian Foster (15-4) of Granite City, Ill., got his first victory in the octagon, submitting Brock Larson (27-4) of Brainerd, Minn., under a barrage of punches at 3:25 of the second round.

"Yeah, that was part of my game plan to gound-and-pound him," Foster said. "I counted on him being strong, so I didn't come in so trigger happy --- I waited."

Larson scored the first takedown in the opening round, but Foster reversed him and began landing some big punches from the top position. Foster stood up in Larson's guard and came down with a hard right. Foster, a member of Matt Hughes' Hit Squad, mounted Larson and landed a series of power shots, but Larson was able to get back to guard. During a scramble, Larson pushed Foster off him, then landed an accidental kick to the face while Foster was on his knees. Referee Yves Lavigne stopped the action to let the ringside physician check out Foster. Larson had a point deducted and the fight continued with less than a minute remaining. Lavigne deducted another point from Larson for an illegal knee to the head. Replays appeared to vindicate Larson, but the point was deducted nonetheless.

Smith caught Larson coming in with a Superman punch and added a pair of right hooks in the opening minute of the second round. Smith landed a spinning back kick midway through the round, then slammed Larson to the canvas for a takedown into side control. Smith hammered Larson with punches before Larson pulled guard. Smith let him stand up where he could do more damage. Smith dropped Larson to his knees with a right uppercut, then landed six follow-up punches. Larson tapped out under the barrage of power shots. Smith celebrated with a back flip.

CAMOES BATTLES TO A DRAW WITH UNO

Lightweight Fabricio "Morango" Camoes (10-4-1) of San Diego fought Japanese icon Caol Uno (25-12-5) of Yososuka, Japan, to a 3-round majority draw in his UFC debut. Camoes had a point deduction the second round that ended up costing him the victory.

"I understand the game --- the ref took a point there," Camoes said. "I was making my debut against a legend and I'm happy with my performance."

Camoes, a second degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Royler Gracie, landed a right head kick in the opening seconds of the fight and continued land some dynamic strikes. Camoes took Uno's back during a scramble and locked in a rear-naked choke, but Uno was able to escape and get back to his feet. Uno ended up scoring a takedown in the final minute and got in a few decent shots.

Camoes swarmed Uno with punches to start the second round, connecting with a hard overhand right before dumping Uno on the mat with a hard takedown. Camoes went for a guillotine choke unsuccessfully and gave up top position. Camoes lost a point for hitting Uno with an illegal up-kick while Uno was on his knees. Camoes scrambled to his feet and tagged Uno with a combination of punches. Camoes scored another takedown, but Uno reversed him to get top position. Uno wasn't able to do any serious damage. Camoes got to his feet in the final seconds and again he landed some big punches.

Uno was faring better in the standup in the third round. He landed a leg kick that hurt Camoes, who seemed to be getting a little tired. Then Uno tripped him to the canvas for a takedown. Uno passed to side control and tried to take Camoes back before time ran out.

Judge Patricia Morse Jarman scored it 29-27 for Uno, while judges Glenn Trowbridge and Marcis Rosales had it 28-28. I had it a 28-28 draw on my card.

"Because a professional judge decided ---I cannot change (the decision)," Uno said. "Yes, I felt I won the fight. His standup was better than I thought it was going to be."

SOTIROPOULOS TAPS OUT DENT

Lightweight George Sotiropoulos (11-2) of Vancouver, Wash., showed off his excellent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts skills, submitting Jason Dent (19-11) of Mentor, Ohio, with an armbar at 4:36 of the second round.

"That's the way the fight was going," Sotiropoulos said. "I've showed my ground game a lot and that's what people expect from me, so I wanted to show my standup a bit. But I let the fight take its natural course, and it eventually got there."

Sotiropoulos had Dent mounted and was raining down punches for the final minute of the first round. Dent was defending himself, but he absorbed a lot of punishment. Sotiropoulos methodically broke down Dent again in the second round, maneuvering to the full mount with about 1:21 to go. This time, the Aussie transitioned to an armbar and got Dent to tap out.

"I went for the arm crush and I was holding the leg," Sotiropoulos said, "but he defended it, so I let go of the leg and went for the arm and got it."

RELATED LINKS:

• Ortiz back in the UFC (video)

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

• Ortiz ready for one more run in the UFC (video)

• Koscheck never at a loss for words (video)

• UFC 106: Forrest Griffin out for revenge (video)

• No problem with weight, Johnson ready for Kos (video)

• UFC 106: Sadollah vs. Baroni preview (video)

• UFC 106 Prelims preview (video)

• Parisyan off UFC 106 main card, will never fight in UFC again

Follow me at twitter.com/punchymcgee.

Post from: Keep Punching

Tito Ortiz

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."

A mutual friend got Ortiz and White together the week of UFC 100 in July.

"Time cures pain," Ortiz said. "It started to get better and better and better and better and then we started talking. It took me a lot to suck it up. I had to suck up a little bit of pride to talk to Dana. And I think Dana had to suck up a lot of pride to talk to me, too. We’re two pitbulls, man. You put two pitbulls in a room who are males and they’re going to scrap, and that’s just the way it is.

"He knows what he needs for his business and I know what I need for my business. As long as we collaborate and make ends meet, we want to make the best fights for the fans. That’s what we’re doing."

Ortiz was one of the most sought after free agents during his time away from the UFC, and he could have been the kind of major box office draw that a company such as Strikeforce could have used to build its name-brand recognition. But Ortiz admits he couldn't see himself fighting anywhere other than in the octagon for the UFC.

"You guys got to understand it's all negotiations," Ortiz said. "It was all tactics. I'm slick, man. I'm smooth. I know what I'm doing. I don't got a manager telling me my job. I've been doing this for a long time. I'm smart. I went to college and got educated. I understand negotiations. I understand what you need to do to make your brand better. That's why I'm Tito Ortiz. There's no one like me. There's never going to be anyone like me.

"Me and Dana, we butt heads. Some of the best friends are enemies before they become best friends again. We've done that. It's one of those things where it's nice to be back. It's nice to be under a positive umbrella of the Zuffa company. Let me tell you, when I turn on Spike TV and watch the highlights, it's nice to see me beating people up for a change. Before, I was always getting beat up and all. It's nice to be in the positive environment. It's just going to make me excel that much more. Fighting under a negative environment is hard. It’s mentally, physically challenging and dreadful, man.”

Ortiz said he hasn't been fighting at 100 percent for the last six years because of all of his back injuries. He said he was at about 80-85 percent when he fought Lyoto Machida. But all that has changed since he had spinal fusion surgery. He's able to work out at full strength. He said he put on 2.5 inches of muscle on his legs because he's able to do squats again. He was doing five sets of 235-pound squats at 20 repetitions. Ortiz said he trained to go five 6-minute rounds with 30-second breaks between rounds in the 7,000-foot altitude of Big Bear, so his cardio is excellent once again.

Many people saw Griffin, who won the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter, as a reality TV star before his valiant effort in a split decision loss to Ortiz at UFC 59 in 2006.

"You know when you are famous as a fighter when they have other guys fight you to build their careers," Ortiz said. "And that's fine. I've been here for 12 years. I was the longest reigning light-heavyweight champion and held it longer than it's ever been done. I'm going to do it again. It says a lot to build someone's name off another fighter."

Brock Lesnar was originally scheduled to defend his UFC heavyweight title against Shane Carwin in the main event of UFC 106, but that fight was called off a month ago when the champion came down with mononucleosis. Then it turned out Lesnar had a bacterial infection in his intestenal tract that could jeopardize his career. So the Ortiz-Griffin rematch was elevated to the main event. Some have criticized the UFC for putting Ortiz-Griffin in the main event since Ortiz is coming off an 18-month layoff and Griffin is coming off back-to-back KO losses.

"I think you should stop reading the forums," Ortiz said. "You got a bunch of kids telling us how to do our jobs. That's crazy. People want to see the fight. This is going to be a huge fight. People want to see it. People got to stop reading the boards where there's maybe a thousand people at the most and half of those guys are under the age of 18 and haven't even been watching the sport the last 10 years. They watch 'The Ultimate Fighter' and all of sudden they are the biggest fans in the world and they know everything about everybody. It's all b.s. man.

"The guys who have been there from Day 1 and the fans who want to watch the fights, they are going to watch it. This is going to be a big pay-per-view. No matter what, people are going to want to watch me come back and fight. People that say they are not interested in it, those are the haters and you know I got some of the best haters in the world. Those are the guys that pay my bills, so I'm thankful for them hating on me. For those that support me, they are the ones I love."

Ortiz, 34, believes he has one more run at the UFC light-heavyweight championship in him and it all starts with a victory over Griffin.

"Let's see if Forrest can take the pounding," Ortiz said. "Let's see if he can defend the shot when he kicks. Every time he kicks, he's going to be taken down. A lot of fighters don’t take advantage of that when they see Forrest kick. They try to check all the kicks. The hell with that. I’m putting him on his back. Back to the old Tito Ortiz, back when my ground and pound was lethal.

"The first round the last time, he barely survived to get out of it. Well, this time, if he survives the first round, the second round will be the same thing. If he lasts through that, the third round will be the same thing and they’ll be taking him out on a stretcher."

RELATED LINKS:

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

• Ortiz ready for one more run in the UFC (video)

• No problem with weight, Johnson ready for Kos (video)

• Koscheck never at a loss for words (video)

• UFC 106: Forrest Griffin out for revenge (video)

• UFC 106: Sadollah vs. Baroni preview (video)

• UFC 106 Prelims preview (video)

• Parisyan off UFC 106 main card, will never fight in UFC again

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