Ken Pishna, MMAWeekly.com

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Following UFC 104's light heavyweight title bout between current UFC Light Heavyweight champion Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida and PRIDE Grand Prix champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in which Machida won by way of a controversial unanimous decision, there was a tremendous amount of discussion surrounding the future of the division in regards to who may break into the contention role following the announced May rematch between Machida and Rua. Many fans felt that either Quinton "Rampage" Jackson would return from his "retirement" to battle the champion, the winner of Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva would make the jump, or Randy Couture would be given a crack at Machida following a couple of victories.

Of course, most of the possibilities hinge on a Mauricio "Shogun" Rua victory as he hasn't fought most of the past contenders in the division. A Lyoto Machida win in the rematch would limit the amount of challengers with Randy Couture probably being the leading candidate with a win against Mark Coleman since Machida has defeated Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva.

There is one possibility that became even more intriguing following his performance on Saturday night. Antonio Rogerio "Minotouro" Nogueira's quick boxing and overhand left completely devastated rising star Luiz Cane, giving Rogerio the "Knockout of the Night" and adding an impressive finish to a career that has featured more decisions than knockouts. I talked about the Cane vs. Nogueira bout being a dark horse candidate for the winner vaulting himself into contention talk, and Nogueira may have very well put himself in line for a shot at either Machida or Rua following another win.

Not only is Nogueira a fresh face in the mix at the top of the division, but he also has extensive experience against some of the top talent including Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. He presents a formidable challenge to nearly anyone in the division with highly-credential boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and it wouldn't be a tough sell to fans if he can reproduce another spectacular knockout in his next challenge.

There are a couple of points I'd like to touch on in regards to Nogueira's performance that I think are pertinent to the discussion of his rise in the ranks. One of the major criticisms in the lead-up to this bout was that Nogueira had been slowing in his past fights, a deficiency that was also attributed to his brother's loss against Frank Mir.

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via www.prophetsplace.com

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Courtesy MMA Fanhouse:

Forrest Griffin, $250,000 ($150,000 win bonus) def. Tito Ortiz, $250,000
Josk Koscheck, $106,000 ($53,000 win) def. Anthony Johnson, $17,000
Paulo Thiago, $16,000 ($8,000 win) def. Jacob Volkmann, $6,000
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, $100,000 ($30,000 win) def. Luiz Cane, $19,000
Amir Sadollah, $30,000 ($15,000 win) def. Phil Baroni, $25,000
Ben Saunders, $20,000 ($10,000 win) def. Marcus Davis, $27,000
Kendall Grove, $44,000 ($22,000 win) def. Jake Rosholt, $15,000
Brian Foster, $12,000 ($6,000 win) def. Brock Larson, $26,000
Caol Uno, $20,000 drew Fabricio Camoes, $10,000
George Sotiropoulos, $20,000 ($10,000 win) def. Jason Dent, $8,000

I'm still curious to see what kind of PPV buyrate the show does. The ticket sales were good, not great. With the cancellation of the Lesnar vs. Carwin fight, I wonder if the UFC had enough time or momentum to properly build heat for the contest. We shall see.

HT: Lynchman

HT: Sherdog.com

Ken Pishna, MMAWeekly.com

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One of the most common discussions that analysts, writers, and fans have regarding teams and competitors is the idea that being mentally prepared for whatever competition that an athlete is about to participate in is a key to winning. Confidence is a term that is the most fitting to talk about in the lead-up to any sporting event. Football, baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, gymnastics, your Saturday poker game, hell... even curling all require a level of confidence in order to win.

Josh Koscheck's peformance on Saturday night against Anthony "Rumble" Johnson was the perfect example of a bout that showed Koscheck's mental stability as a fighter. Despite Johnson being the betting favorite among fans, being the heavier athlete, and having over a 4" reach advantage, Koscheck not only stood with the Sanshou striker, but he proved that his NCAA Division I wrestling skills were still a major part of his game that shouldn't be forgotten.

The most impressive feat from Koscheck was his pre-fight demeanor, and it's been the single part of his personality that has won me over as a fan. While I was one of the many fans who disliked Koscheck from his antics he displayed on season one of The Ultimate Fighter, it's hard to dislike a fighter who backs up all the talk by walking the walk against any opponent put in front of him. Entering the cage, Koscheck wasn't calm, cool, and collected. He was in a quiet rage, hopping around his corner with a dangerous look in his eyes. His confidence was through the roof, and he had the look as if he needed to definitively finish Johnson to end any doubt.

A lot of fighters become a little over-aggressive when it comes to anger. The perfect example was that of Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy at UFC 99 in which we saw a lot of pre-fight footage and heard the stories of Davis' anger during the training camp and at the weigh-ins. It was obvious that Hardy was able to affect Davis' pace and style in the early part of the fight, but Koscheck's patience in the stand-up game and dominance in the ground game against Johnson never gave the impression that he was being impatient or impulsive, two attributes that come along with fighting angry.

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Don't believe the hype.

The idea that Ortiz can never compete with the upper tier or even mid tier of the UFC light heavyweight division is grossly overstated. It is clear that ring rust from inactivity as well as - quite literally - rebuilding physical capability imposes a tax on professional athletes. Too many fighters have been buried in the press as being incapable coming off of injury-ridden layoffs, only to persevere over time. Frank Mir and Shogun Rua, anyone?

The idea that because Nate Quarry made a return a to competitive fighting after undergoing similar surgery that therefore Ortiz should have no problem is poor abstract generalization. The problem with the Nate Quarry analogy is that his return to professional MMA saw him meet Pete Sell, who is unranked insofar as the top 25 middleweights are concerned. By contrast, Ortiz returned not to face a fighter with a skillset manageable enough to handle given the long layoff. He fought a top 5 fighter in Forrest Griffin who has consistently battled top competition as he improved his skillset. Ortiz would have had to fight Mike Nickels or Tim Boetsch for the analogy to be more appropriate.

Ortiz is actually in a similar position to where Kimbo Slice stood in EliteXC. That is, matchmaking became difficult because they had to find a name to fight him that could help sell tickets but that name couldn’t be talented enough to defeat the very green former street fighter. The UFC isn’t going to trot out Ken Shamrock for a fourth fight, so Ortiz is stuck in a position where the only names for him to fight are those at the top of the division who are threats to everyone else competing in the division, much less one who has been absent for the previous 18 months.

But this is, ostensibly, what Ortiz asked for. I will give him credit for playing EliteXC, Affliction and Strikeforce like violins over the course of 18 months to keep his name in the press and his visage in the public eye. However, by signing with the UFC – and by proclaiming loudly he wanted to be in the UFC so he could, in fact, fight the best – he assumes responsibility for meeting those challenges. One is never certain where Ortiz’s promotional shtick ends and his candid opinions begin, but in this case it’s irrelevant. Even if he took the UFC deal for substantive financial gain and to make use of their considerable promotional ability, the other end of the deal is the requirement he face exceptionally tough challengers. No debate, no dodging. Just performance.

The problem with Ortiz is not a lack of ability. He may never be champion again, but he is a capable fighter. His real problem is his semi-career/life slump which is being exacerbated by his defensive posturing from attacks about said performance. Consider the circumstances:

Think about this: In less than 40 days, it will be 2010. Ortiz has not won a match since 2006. That is a lot of history, over 1,100 days since Ortiz's hand was raised in victory. Since then, he's lost three times, had a draw, been frozen out of the UFC, had back surgery, had twins with his girlfriend Jenna Jameson, flirted with other organizations, rehabbed and returned.

That's a lot of life lived between wins, and a lot of age to overcome. He turns 35 in two months, and now admits he still has a bad back. In a division with sturdy, well-rounded veterans like Lyoto Machida, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Rashad Evans, surging youngsters like Jon Jones, Thiago Silva and Ryan Bader, the ageless legend Randy Couture and even an occasional appearance from Anderson Silva, this is not a weight class with any gimmes. And it is not a weight class with an easy roads towards the top.

So when Ortiz whines his face is broken, that other fighters could only hope to do what he did off of back surgery or that - via Hail Mary logic - the judges robbed him of his rightful win, he only worsens the impression that he's a fighter on the skids who can't compete with the rest of the division.

What this event demonstrates is that Ortiz accrued huge sums of positive equity with fans and insiders in the early to middle stages of his career, yet has spent quite a bit of it to cover for mediocre or ill-fated performances. Some of his misfortune is inopportune timing or career squabbling not entirely of his doing. But some of his problems are self-generated and worse, self-perpetuated. Ortiz is still a serious media figure, but must admit his career has finally taken a hit.

The good news for Ortiz is that he has not reached his credit limit just yet. The other takeaway from this fight is that a win - a dominating, clear victory - for Ortiz would do wonders for his career. The energy and enthusiasm for Ortiz is there, but it's slowly over the last few years ossified into fan apathy or disdain for disappointing performances. Yet, Ortiz is still the center of attention. He cannot recapture lost glory, no. But future resurgence is not out of the realm of possibility either. He's got the raw material to build himself back into not what he was, but to something new and compelling.

His cries of robbery are obvious nonsense, but they do retain some measure of utility. There's opportunity cost as the protests from Ortiz look unprofessional and desperate, but desperation isn't unhelpful in promoting fighters in combat sports. If Ortiz can generate enough interest in his future fights by claiming injustice against Griffin, he can continue to rebuild and hone his skills in the interim. If the UFC can provide more manageable opposition in future opposition, Ortiz can work towards a legitimate challenge .

Need proof? Look no further than Shogun Rua. After a disappointing performance against Forrest Griffin, Shogun was given an easier contest in Mark Coleman (yes, Coleman is still dangerous, but let's not point to that fight as evidence) only to get a subsequent fight against a diminished, if more capable Liddell. This allowed Shogun to buy time in his recovery such that at the moment he arrived at the Machida fight, he was actually ready to take on serious challenges. Point blank, Ortiz has not been afforded the same opportunity.

It's no guarantee Ortiz returns to any semblance of an old form. Any future success hinges on changes he's willing to make and performances he has to turn in. But the door is still open. There is still a window of time to be relevant. Not the relevancy of before, but something new. The choice to take advantage of that opportunity belongs only to Mr. Ortiz.

Your move, Tito.

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The Event:

• Live Results and Commentary -- Brent Brookhouse

• Tito Ortiz Drops Split Decision to Forrest Griffin -- Kid Nate

• Josh Koscheck Chokes Out Anthony Johnson -- Kid Nate

• Paulo Thiago Defeats Jacob Volkmann by Decision -- Kid Nate

• Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Knocks Out Luis Cane and Sends a Message to the Division -- Kid Nate

• Amir Sadollah Bloodies Phil Baroni -- Kid Nate

• Ben Saunders Knees Out Marcus Davis -- Kid Nate

• Kendall Grove Taps Out Jake Rosholt -- Kid Nate

• Complete Undercard Results -- Chris Nelson

• UFC 106 bonuses and awards for 'Ortiz vs Griffin 2' PPV fights -- MMA Mania
  

Multimedia:

• Dana White UFC 106 video blog

• Ben Saunders talks about 'demolishing' Marcus Davis at UFC 106 (Video)

• Cage Cast 45: Ortiz vs. Griffin II and UFC 106 Recap (podcast)

• Lights Out Radio - Episode 166: UFC 106 Review (podcast)

• Nogueira Brothers Celebrate 'Little Nog's' UFC Debut Victory (video) -- Ariel Helwani

• UFC 106 Photo Gallery -- MMA Weekly

Post-Fight Analysis:

• UFC 106 Post-Fight Analysis and Recap -- Michael Fagan

• Tito Ortiz Is Still the Same Guy After All (and Other Assorted Thoughts) -- Michael Rome

• How to Lose Gracelessly: Tito Ortiz Edition -- Luke Thomas

• FightMetric Report for UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin II -- Michael Fagan

• Another judging debate at UFC 106: How often did Forrest Griffin actually land his punches? -- Steve Cofield

• UFC 106 Hangover -- Zak Woods

• MMA4Real UFC 106 Review And Recap -- Kelvin Hunt

• Ben Saunders' Jeet Kune Do Reigns Supreme at UFC 106 -- Dave Walsh

• Five Things We Learned at UFC 106 -- Ben Fowlkes

• Griffin, Ortiz deliver for UFC -- Kevin Iole

• Tito, Jenna, Forrest and Me -- Jonathan Snowden

The Aftermath:

• Josh Koscheck and Dan Hardy Build Some Heat at UFC 106 -- Kid Nate

• Anthony Johnson: After I hurt Koscheck, he needed some kind of excuse to recover -- Jesse Holland

• Watch out welterweights -- Ben Saunders is always down to bang -- Jesse Holland

• After Another Loss, Sun Begins to Set on Career of Legend Tito Ortiz -- Mike Chiappetta

• Koscheck will have to wait for title shot -- Dave Meltzer

• White blown away by Koscheck's performance but he's still not getting GSP -- Steve Cofield

MMA Junkie quoted Dana White talking about the plague of controversial judges decisions that has afflicted the UFC in the main events of UFC 104, 105 and 106:

White said he realizes there is a real need for improvement in scoring, but he clarified that the process isn't in his hands.

"Believe me, you're preaching to the choir here," White said. "There's nothing worse than when guys go out and train hard for a fight and lose fights that they won. It drives me nuts.

"That has nothing to do with me, though. The best thing we're doing on our side is that we've got Marc Ratner, and Marc Ratner is out there trying to work with these guys everyday to make it better. I mean, when you watch a fight like this tonight and hear a 30-27 score (for Griffin), I mean - I don't even know. I'm just so exhausted by this whole thing. It's tiring. It's terrible."

Here's Marc Ratner, the current Zuffa Vice President of Regulatory Affairs talking to Heavy.com. The former Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission answers questions about UFC's continuing controversies surrounding poor officiating and bad judging.

And if Ratner can't work it out with the Commissions, Dana advises the fans to reach out:

"I don't know what to say," White admitted. "If everyone wants to call the (Nevada State) Athletic Commission and talk to (executive director) Keith Kizer - he's the guy you have to ask questions to, not me. ... The reality is you guys have to call Keith Kizer. Call Keith Kizer and asked him what we can to do to fix this judging and scoring.

"These athletic commissions need to start looking at this and figuring out what they're going to do. It's wrong."

I do not know how I am supposed to coat this one with sugar. There was not one area, except having a larger active population than any other fight camp on MMA Playground, in which we bested our opponents for UFC 106. The GED Gentry over at Fightlinker managed to end on the positive side of earnings, while MMA4Real earned an average of $200 to our average loss of $200. We were, however, over 50% in our picking percentage for UFC 106, which is something that could not be said about our 105 performance.

The BE personal performance award for earnings goes to aaronb who gained $3,948 on the event. $3,293 of said earnings came off a $500 Sadollah, Saunders, Sotiropoulos parlay. Aaronb is 17th in camp BE over 8 events with a total of $5,645. Sandbox23 is in 1st after 8 events with $84,961.  

SmytheX is our member with most points awarded through correct fight predictions. 66 points for Ortiz vs. Griffin II brings SmytheX's season total to 372. Phantasma475 still holds the top seat with 483 points with two events to go in the Playground season.

Important: If you wish to join the BE betting camp, send me a message on MMA Playground with your BE user name or leave a comment in this thread so I can send you an invite. Please make sure your MMA Playground login name is the same as your BE name or as close as possible so we can give you the proper credit.

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Dan Hardy responds from the crowd to Josh Koscheck's claim that he, and not Hardy, is the real #1 contender at welterweight.

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From Heavy.com:

Koscheck seemed to feed off the crowd’s anger, destroying the bigger Johnson standing and outwrestling him to boot.  On one memorable (yet somehow failed) takedown attempt, Koscheck drove Johnson into the cage so fast and hard that they might have ended up in California without the Octagon to stop him.

"I was blown away by his performance," White said. "We’ve butted heads a lot in the past, but that was a great performance."

Earlier in the day, welterweight contender Dan Hardy was talking up a fight with Koscheck, suggesting the wrestler needed a haircut and that he intended to color his hair red-with blood.  Koscheck called Hardy out in the cage, but White held firm that Hardy would get the next shot at champion Georges St. Pierre.  Koscheck would have to wait.

The last paragraph explains why Koscheck felt the need to call out Hardy from the Octagon in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan after choking out Anthony Johnson.

Koscheck has been a headache for Dana White in many ways, but one of his most annoying habits has been his knack for eliminating other potential title contenders (Johnson, Yoshida) without managing to make a title run of his own (losses to Paulo Thiago and Thiago Alves). There's no way that White is going to risk Hardy when champion Georges St Pierre is desperately in need of challengers and has already beaten Koscheck.

Nevertheless, it's good to see Koscheck and Hardy building a little bit of a rivalry -- they may not be the #1 and #2 fighters in the division, but they're easily the #1 and #2 smack talkers.

Koscheck did make one painful gaffe in his anti-Hardy tirade -- he initially said "(Hardy) ain't fought no one" which he soon corrected to be "ain't fought no one like me" -- presumably to spare the feelings of his teammate Mike Swick who just got beat soundly by Hardy at UFC 105.