The success of this card starts and ends with the main event. The other bouts you’ll see on this televised PPV card are nice but if Forrest Griffin v. Tito Ortiz 2 is a disappointment, the card will be deemed likewise. The big questions surrounding this fight are two-fold. Ortiz swears that he’s a new man thanks to his recent back surgery but 18 months between fights against top competition is difficult for even the best fighter. As for Forrest Griffin, to say he was beat up his last fight is like saying Charlie Weis is a big guy. Never one to hold back in the cage there are questions as to whether or not Griffin will be too conservative after the knockout loss to Anderson Silva. In a bout neither can afford to lose, cage rust or being conservative could signal the end for either fighter as a viable title contender at light heavyweight.
Serving as the co-main event for the card, Josh Koscheck and Anthony Johnson will be one of those bouts that serve as water cooler fodder on Monday. It’s a bout that’s a long shot to go to a decision and should be Koscheck’s to lose. A title shot is within his grasp with a win here but the last time he was in this spot we saw him lose to relative unknown Paulo Thiago and drop back down the 170-pound ladder. If this bout remains standing for too long Johnson has enough power in his hands to knock Koscheck back down the ladder again.
The rest of the televised PPV card includes a few fun fights. Two Brazilian light heavyweights ranked in everyone’s top 10 tangle as ‘Minotoro’ Nogueira faces Luis Arthur Cane. Amir Sadollah and Phil Baroni face off in a battle of the new guard (Sadollah) trying to unseat the old guard (Baroni). Another bout you should really keep an eye on has Paulo Thiago taking on Jacob Volkmann. Thiago’s been thrown into the fire since coming into the UFC facing two top five welterweights in his first two fights. His third bout doesn’t get much easier as Volkmann is an undefeated powerhouse wrestler training with Brock Lesnar and will give Thiago fits.
