LAS VEGAS – After
Tito Ortiz famously edged out
Forrest Griffin in a 2006 split-decision win, "The Ultimate Fighter" winner immediately said he felt ready for two more rounds.
In the main event of Saturday night's "UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin II" at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Griffin got three.
In a repeat performance of the pair's original meeting, Ortiz looked sharp early, but Griffin claimed the momentum as time wound down. Only this time, Griffin finished the job.
Ortiz and Griffin opened the bout with a standing exchange, though the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" took little time to return to vintage form. While Griffin's hands found their mark, Ortiz secured a double-leg takedown to take top position. Ortiz set up shop in a familiar position, but Griffin avoided taking much damage before using a kimura to sweep back to his feet.
Two more takedowns from Ortiz fell short, and the first round ended with both fighters staking a claim to the 10 points.
The second round saw both fighters appearing winded, but Ortiz was able to impose his will more effectively. Two successful attempts saw Griffin defending from his back, and Ortiz was able to utilize an elbow to open a gash on his opponent's face during the second trip to the canvas.
Griffin remained calm on his back, and a successful sweep from the butterfly guard saw him escape as the round closed. The technique also energized the increasingly pro-Griffin crowd, and the gritty fighter seemed to feed off the volume.
Ortiz appeared lifeless in the final frame. The former champion appeared content to defend the increasing volume of strikes from Griffin while looking for any opening he could find to shoot for the takedown. Those windows came on two occasions, but the results left much to be desired.
Griffin battered Ortiz over the final five minutes, though the defending fighter never appeared in any real danger of being finished. A high kick wobbled Ortiz briefly, but he made it to the final bell on his feet. Both fighters embraced in the center of the cage prior to claiming victory with upwardly raised arms.
As the pair lined up for the judges' decision, an eerily familiar split-decision result was issued. This time, Griffin earned the nod, 28-29, 30-27, 29-28.
The decision was met with some question from ringside observers, though the crowd in attendance cheered the result.
While Ortiz appeared shocked at the result, the decision sets up a potential rubber match between the two. And while the bout was met with a resounding lack of anticipation, the in-cage product could change the demand should the trilogy be completed in short order.
Griffin (17-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) snaps a disappointing two-fight losing streak with the result, while Ortiz (15-7-1 MMA, 14-7-1 UFC) hasn't tasted victory in the octagon since an October 2006 win over Ken Shamrock.
At it's best, the welterweight contender matchup between
Josh Koscheck and
Anthony Johnson was full of tension as each fighter unleashed powerful blows that seemed destined to halt the fight. At its worse, the contest was a disappointing series of starts and stops necessitated by three separate eye-pokes.
Johnson looked to utilize his jab early while fending off multiple takedown attempts as Koscheck returned to his wrestling base. Johnson did well in the early going, and Koscheck was unable to work the fight to the floor. But the momentum was halted when a Johnson knee caught Koscheck from a kneeling position, and referee Mario Yamasaki was forced to call a break in action.
Koscheck collapsed to the floor despite the fact that the blow appeared to fall short of a direct hit. Replays revealed it was Johnson's right hand, which pawed for Koscheck's head after the blow, that struck his opponent's eye and caused the most damage.
Koscheck's left eye remained closed during the several-minute-long stoppage, and the remainder of the bout appeared in question as the cageside physician examined the eye. However, Koscheck proclaimed he was ready to continue, and the bout carried on.
An obviously irritated Koscheck attacked for the remainder of the round, and he briefly earned back position in the closing moments of the frame.
As the second round opened, an early combo left Johnson grabbing his eye, and replays showed an eye-poke from Koscheck was the culprit. A quick restart lead to a second instance of the infraction, and it was Koscheck's open-handed attempts to gauge distance that forced another stop in action.
The round's second restart saw an exciting clash of brief toe-to-toe striking, but Koscheck followed the wild flurry with a successful takedown attempt. Once on top, Koscheck mechanically worked toward the end of the bout.
With Koscheck dominating positioning from the top, Johnson survived underneath by maintaining half-guard. But short elbows from the top left Johnson looking for an escape route, and when he tried to turn away from the attack, Koscheck moved deftly to the back. Koscheck immediately looked to slip his left hand under Johnson's chin, and after some resistance, "Kos" was able to lock in the rear-naked choke.
The win was Koscheck's (14-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) second-straight stoppage victory, and he immediately called out fellow contender Dan Hardy, though the Englishman is expected to book a date with Georges St-Pierre. Meanwhile, the loss closes the books on a three-fight win streak for Johnson (8-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC).
Thiago decisions Volkmann; Nogueira rocks Cane
After opening his run in the UFC by facing Koscheck and Jon Fitch, Brazilian submission wiz
Paulo Thiago appeared to have finally caught a break in the promotion by facing newcomer
Jacob Volkmann. While Thiago would eventually cruise to the win over "Christmas," the plodding pace of the fight was hardly worthy if its main-card slot.
Thiago did some of his best work on the feet, and Volkamnn looked a step behind in each exchange. The fight appeared over in the opening frame as a right hand dropped Volkmann to the floor. Thiago walked away in celebration, but the shot had come at the bell, and Volkmann recovered immediately.
Despite the striking advantage, Thiago appeared committed to the ground game as he engaged Volkmann often on the canvas. Once there, it was leaping punches into the guard that did the most damage for Thiago. The grappling resulted in nothing more than a stalemate of neutral positions, and it was a third-round D'arce choke by Volkmann that counted as the bout's only earnest submission attempt.
In the end, only the first round – won by Thiago – appeared a certainty. However, Thiago had done enough to take the fight by unanimous decision. With two scores of 30-27 and one of 29-28, judge Glenn Trowbridge was the only ringside attendant to award Volkmann a round – the second by a score of 10-9.
Despite earning the win, Thiago admitted he may have made an error in strategy as the fight wore on.
"I should've kept the fight standing," Thiago said. "I had him hurt in the first, but unfortunately the round ended."
Thiago (12-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) improves to 2-1 in the UFC, though the performance did little to elevate his status in the UFC's welterweight division. Volkmann's (9-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) loss was his first as a professional, though UFC matchmaker Joe Silva will have to determine of the Minnesotan did enough to warrant a second look in the organization.
Fighting in the UFC for the first time at 33 years old, many MMA observers felt
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira had lost a step in the striking department.
Many MMA observers were wrong.
Facing what was supposed to be a dangerous, more aggressive striker in Brazilian countryman
Luiz Cane, Nogueira used a quick, powerful left hand to punish his foe. An early left hook saw Cane literally run away to reset, but Nogueira kept the action moving. A second left landed on the money for Nogueira, and a third dropped Cane to the canvas in a heap.
Nogueira pounced to finish the fight with a few cursory blows that missed their mark, but referee Steve Mazzagatti was already on his way in to halt the contest at the 1:56 mark of the opening round.
Despite Cane's reputation as a fearsome striker, Nogueira said he felt the stand-up game presented his best opportunity.
"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 is standing."
More than eight years after the 10-time PRIDE veteran debuted, Nogueira (18-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) earned his first UFC victory with the stoppage. Nogueira now carries a five-fight win streak overall.
The loss snapped a three-fight win streak for Cane (10-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC). "Banha's" lone previous loss came via disqualification for an illegal strike.
Sadollah batters Barnoni
The heart of welterweight slugger
Phil Baroni was on full display in the night's first main-card bout. Unfortunately for the "New York Bad Ass," his lack of lung power was also evident in his first UFC bout in four-and-a-half years.
"The Ultimate Fighter 7" winner
Amir Sadollah weathered Baroni's early storm en route to delivering a one-sided, 15-minute shellacking of the 33-year-old slugger. Sadollah utilized a combination of leaping knees in the clinch, punishing front kicks to the gut and head, and constant low kicks that left Baroni's legs reddened and damaged.
Baroni's face didn't fare much better, and a pair of cuts drained across his head as time wore on.
Baroni made a case for taking the opening round – judge Tony Week ruled in the New Yorker's favor – with a successful takedown and a few punches that found their mark, but the second and third frame were unquestionably Sadollah's. Baroni fought with his hands near his waist as he loaded up and searched for a homerun shot. It never came, and Sadollah cruised to the unanimous-decision win.
Following the victory, Sadollah said the fight went as he had hoped.
"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."
The win was Sadollah's (2-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) first since claiming "The Ultimate Fighter 8" crown in June 2008 with a surprising win over C.B. Dollaway. Meanwhile, Baroni (13-12 MMA, 3-6 UFC) showed he can still endure as much damage as he did in his first run with the UFC, but he failed to prove he's still a viable contender on the world's biggest stage.
For complete coverage of the evening's preliminary card, see: UFC 106 prelim recap: Saunders drops Davis, Grove shocks Rosholt
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Forrest Griffin def. Tito Ortiz via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
- Josh Koscheck def. Anthony Johnson via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 4:27
- Paulo Thiago def. Jacob Volkmann via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Luiz Cane via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 1:56
- Amir Sadollah def. Phil Baroni via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
- Ben Saunders def. Marcus Davis via knockout (knees) - Round 1, 3:24
- Kendall Grove def. Jake Rosholt via submission (triangle choke) - Round 1, 3:59
- Brian Foster def. Brock Larson via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 3:25
- Caol Uno vs. Fabricio Camoes declared majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
- George Sotiropoulos def. Jason Dent via submission (armbar) - Round 2, 4:36
For complete coverage of
UFC 106, check out the
UFC Events section of
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
(Pictured: Forrest Griffin)
John Morgan is the lead staff reporter for MMAjunkie.com.