Both have been UFC Champions, and both have beaten some of the best in the world, but neither was viewed as a legitimate top five fighter in the build to their UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2 rematch. For Tito Ortiz, who won a split decision in the first outing, it was a long absence (and a lack of recent wins over contenders) that caused his credibility to fade. For Forrest Griffin, it was a set of back-to-back stoppage losses to Rashad Evans and Anderson Silva that called his dominance into question.
But in the sequel to their 2006 fight–one that made Griffin a superstar despite his loss–both looked to prove that observers were wrong in overlooking them.
Would Tito Ortiz succeed in his long-awaited return to the Octagon? Or, would Forrest Griffin avenge his first Octagon loss in his quest to return to the top of the UFC heap? Full results of all UFC 106 fights follow:
Forrest Griffin b. Tito Ortiz via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
*Story of the fight: The first two rounds were close (the third was unequivocally Griffin), but the split decision remains quite tough to justify. Griffin absolutely picked Ortiz apart on the feet, and while Ortiz scored with some takedowns, Griffin defended them with significantly more comfort and skill than he did in the first battle (Ortiz was only able to do serious ground-and-pound damage for a brief moment in round two, and even then, Griffin was ultimately able to recover and counter).
Ortiz’s cardio has long been treated as his bright spot, but he definitely appeared to be out of it in Round Three. He did nothing to counter Griffin’s barrage of punches, and his takedown attempts appeared heartless and without spring. If he had any chance of winning the fight going into round three (and, based on the scores, he did), he threw it away with a terrible third round performance.
After the fight, Griffin accepted Ortiz’s suggestion for a rematch–though it might not be the most obvious move from a booking perspective, with the series score standing at 1-1 (split decisions in both cases), it does make sense from a competitive perspective.
Griffin also acknowledged a broken foot, at which point, Ortiz countered that he had a back/neck/vertebrae injury that prevented him from sparring. The crowd booed, and Ortiz followed by saying that he also entered the fight with a cracked skull (visible by a Rich Franklin-esque black eye). He ultimately won the crowd back by getting them to admit they enjoyed the fight.
Full UFC 106 results:
Forrest Griffin b. Tito Ortiz via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Josh Koscheck b. Anthony Johnson via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:47 of Round Two
Paulo Thiago b. Jacob Volkmann via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira b. Luiz Cane via TKO (strikes) at 1:56 of Round One
Amir Sadollah b. Phil Baroni via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Ben Saunders b. Marcus Davis via KO (knees, punch) at 3:24 of Round One
Kendall Grove b. Jake Rosholt via submission (triangle) at 3:59 of Round One
Brian Foster b. Brock Larson via TKO (strikes) at 2:35 of Round Two
Caol Uno fights Fabricio Camoes to a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
George Sotiropoulos b. Jason Dent via submission (armbar) at 4:36 of Round Two
