“Griffin vs. Ortiz II” at UFC 106
It takes a lot of sweat and blood to be a fan-favorite; ask Forrest Griffin. This former heavyweight champion had defeated Stephen Bonnar in 2005 in the grand finale of the first ever “The Ultimate Fighter”. Since then, there was no looking back for this fantastic fighter; Griffin has grown up as one of the most popular fighters in UFC. But his reputation had been under some jeopardy recently when the fighter faced back to back defeats against Anderson Silva and Rashad Evans.
Under such circumstances, it’s now a do or die situation for this 30 year old as he meets Tito Ortiz in the upcoming UFC 106: Griffin vs. Ortiz II in Las Vegas this Saturday. In a recent interview with MMASpark, Griffin made it clear that after two recent defeats, this will be his chance to regain the respect and this time he will test his limits.
But this match was not planned to be highlighted as the main event. That spot was secured for the heavyweight championship between Brock Lesnar and challenger Shane Carwin. But the injury-stricken Lesnar was forced to step out of the match which compelled UFC authority to put this fight in the main event spot. Even Griffin was not the first choice to face Ortiz this time; the spot was secured for the injured Mark Coleman. But it seems this time Griffin is destined to try his hand on Ortiz, the wrestler who defeated him by split decision in April 2006. But when asked about the payback factor, Griffin was very conscious; he said that there is no thought of revenge in his mind, he just wants to get his rhythm back and this could have been the best platform for him.
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