Let’s begin as we always do, fans and friends: by putting the situation into context.

Rashad Evans has faced a long and rocky road back to top title contention after winning the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in 2008 and losing it in his very first championship defense. Evans followed that loss up with two decision victories over Thiago Silva and Quinton Jackson, and unfortunately for fans of “Sugar”, Evans seemed to embody all the worse critiques of wrestling-based fighters fighting out of Greg Jackson’s MMA super-camp.

What follows next is a matter of much debate: rather than stay active, Evans instead chose to sit on the sidelines and wait for then-champion Mauricio Rua to heal up. When it looked as if Rua would finally be ready, Evans himself developed an injury. Jon Jones would end up getting Rashad’s title shot, and the possibility of Evans/Jones caused a deep rift that ultimately led to Jones and Evans developing a bitter rivalry while Evans walked away from Team Jackson. Evans was finally going to cash in his title shot at UFC 133… but then Jon Jones got injured. Evans then drew Phil Davis… Davis got injured too. On only a few week’s notice, Evans found out that he would rematch a resurgent Tito Ortiz.

In terms of major comebacks, Tito Ortiz’s comeback win at UFC 132 has got to be one of the best. While I still think the biggest comeback belongs to Randy Couture beating Tim Sylvia, Ortiz’s was one of the best I had seen in years. At UFC 132, Ortiz fought Top 10 Light Heavyweight Ryan Bader and absolutely, positively destroyed him. The hype train then swung into full effect, with many fans claiming that Tito was “back” and many more fans arguing against that. The debate would finally be settled in the main event of UFC 133.

In the end… it was no contest.

The last time Rashad Evans looked so dominant in the UFC before UFC 133… he won the Light Heavyweight Championship. Evans was so completely unafraid of Tito Ortiz that it was almost scary. With a combination of crisp strikes, brutal Ground and Pound, and very good takedowns (and even a gigantic slam!), Rashad Evans ran through Tito Ortiz, ending the bout with a truly cringe-inducing shot to the ribs.

In the end, Rashad Evans killed Ortiz’s hype train so badly that many people have gone right back to calling for Ortiz to hang it up and retire. In a night where only one of the main Pay-Per-View fights went to a decision, there’s not a doubt in my mind that this was the most dominating performance. And there’s not a doubt in my mind that Rashad Evans deserves this award.

Next for Chad Mendes: The winner of Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian, plain and simple. And thus, the toughest fight of his young career. Mendes has looked like a stud in all his professional MMA fights, so it’s high time that he gets a shot at the championship. He’ll more than likely be facing Jose Aldo, and it should be a great war.

Next for Matt Hamill: Hamill has had high points and low points throughout his career, and this is one of the lower points. Hamill will keep doing what he usually does, which is being a gatekeeper and a pretty successful one at that. But since he’s lost two straight, look for Hamill’s next fight to be on the prelims once again and against a hot prospect that’s debuting in the UFC. I can’t name names, but I do think that’s the most likely situation.

Next for Rory MacDonald: With his win at UFC 133, I think MacDonald has finally proven that he’s ready for a top-division Welterweight. That said, I think MacDonald needs to fight Jon Fitch. Rory needs to fight a wrestling-focused fighter that can absorb a huge amount of damage and will grind away on MacDonald, testing his endurance, cardio, and takedown defense every minute of every round. And that describes Jon Fitch perfectly.

Next for Brian Ebersole: If he wins his upcoming fight with Dan Hardy, I’d love to see Chris Lytle rematch Brian Ebersole. I also think Ebersole would make an interesting opponent for Josh Koscheck’s comeback fight. Either way, I think Ebersole deserves a high-profile fighter for his next fight.

Next for Vitor Belfort: Considering how he lost to Anderson Silva, Belfort needs one or two more fights to get another shot at the title. Considering how he beat Yoshihiro Akiyama, he probably only needs to win one more if he wins it like he did at UFC 133. I’d love to see Belfort fight the winner of the upcoming Brian Stann vs. Chael Sonnen fight.

Next for Yoshihiro Akiyama: Unemployment, or a drop down to 170 for one last fight in the UFC. UFC President Dana White honestly seems hesitant about letting Akiyama go since he’s such an entertaining fighter, but the possible drop to Welterweight is really the only thing that can save him right now. If he doesn’t make the switch, he’ll go back to Japan and continue to compete there. If he does, I’d like to see him fight someone like Nate Diaz.

Next for Tito Ortiz: I thought this before the fight with Evans, and I’m thinking it now. For the most part, Ortiz has had a long string of tough young fighters as opponents, he’s been in a prolonged “new breed vs. old-school” war. I think it’s time we mix it up and start giving Ortiz veteran talent in order to end his career on a high note if that’s what Tito chooses. Possible fighters I’d like to see go up against Ortiz include Rich Franklin and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Next for Rashad Evans: The next shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, plain and simple. At UFC 133, Evans proved that for all his flaws, he’s still one of the very best in the game. Against Jon Jones, it’ll be an intense grudge match that all of us want to see. Against Quinton Jackson, it’ll be a tough rematch and the second chapter in one of the most bitter feuds in years. Either fight has strong “Fight of the Year”  potential.

Rashad Evans defeats Tito Ortiz by TKO at 4:48 of Round 2. Vitor Belfort defeats Yoshihiro Akiyama by KO at 1:52 of Round 1. Brian Ebersole defeats Dennis Hallman by TKO at 4:28 of Round 1. Costas Philippou defeats Jorge Rivera by split decision. Rory MacDonald defeats Mike Pyle by TKO at 3:54 of Round 1. Alexander Gustafsson defeats Matt Hamill by TKO at 3:34 of Round 2. Chad Mendes defeats Rani Yahya by unanimous decision. Ivan Menjivar defeats Nick Pace by unanimous decision. Johny Hendricks defeats Mike Pierce by split decision. Mike Brown defeats Nam Phan by unanimous decision. Rafael Natal defeats Paul Bradley by unanimous decision.

As I expected, the preliminary fights further proved that I was in the right in crowning the “UFC Prelims LIVE” specials my new “dark horse favorite”. It appears that I may have misjudged Mike Brown, he may yet have a worthwhile future in the UFC. I wasn’t surprised that Chad Mendes won his fight, I’m glad he did and I think he definitely deserves the next title shot, I even think he deserves it more than Kenny Florian does. As a fan of Matt Hamill, it really hurt to see him so resoundingly defeated.

I think Rory MacDonald is going to be a real force in the UFC by the middle of next year at the latest. He simply looks better and better on a per-fight basis. Rivera/Phillippou was a very interesting bout as well. I also enjoyed the Ebersole/Hallman fight, and I think Ebersole did a fantastic job of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. And speaking of “snatch” (excuse the bad joke), I along with many found it cringe-inducingly ridiculous that Dennis Hallman showed up to fight in a speedo. UFC President Dana White almost-instantly took to Twitter and said that that’d be banned from now on, and I have to say I agree with him.

I absolutely, positively knew that Vitor Belfort would win by stoppage against Yoshihiro Akiyama… I just didn’t think he’d do it as quickly as he did. Unfortunately for “Sexyama”, this loss can be seen as further proof that most Japanese MMA stars nowadays just don’t have what it takes to compete in high-level MMA promotions like the UFC. There are some notable exceptions to the rule, but realistically, Akiyama has lost three fights and his only win inside the Octagon was a very controversial decision. As entertaining as he’s been, I think Akiyama is gone after this fight.

And in the main event of UFC 133, Rashad Evans did what I knew he could have done, what I knew even Ortiz could’ve done… he channeled his inner champion. Tito, meanwhile… he just didn’t. He seemed like the old Tito, and not the good kind of old Tito, not the “old-school” Tito that destroyed everyone… the old Tito that hadn’t won a fight in about five years. The Tito that was tentative to engage in all areas, with a lack of confidence that was only made worse by his advancing age and declining skill. Ortiz breathed some new life into his career with his win over Ryan Bader at UFC 132, but Evans’ total all-out domination of Ortiz is all the proof I need to know that Ortiz is only a few fights away from retirement.

Overall, UFC 133 was quite the solid event and perhaps even a “dark horse candidate” for some sort of “Sleeper Hit Of The Year” award.

5. The preliminaries on Facebook all look interesting.

As always, you’ve got virtually nothing to lose when you check out the UFC’s free preliminary fights streamed through Facebook. A novel concept when it first started, the Facebook stream has become so (pardon the pun) streamlined that it features production values almost as good as the main UFC Pay-Per-View show. It even allows high-definition audio/video quality. And to top it all off, these particular fights features entertaining fighters like Mike Brown, Johny Hendricks, and more.

4. The preliminaries on Spike TV feature some pretty big names.

The last fight Matt Hamill competed in was the main event of a major UFC Pay-Per-View. Furthermore, Hamill has a huge following of loyal supporters, both as a deaf athlete and a great fighter. Meanwhile, Chad Mendes was supposed to be fighting Jose Aldo, and Mendes has looked virtually unstoppable so far. These two may be fighting on the Spike TV preliminaries, but they’re both good enough fighters that they probably should’ve been fighting on the main card.

3. The main card is loaded with veteran fighters.

Brian Ebersole is an entertaining veteran with over sixty professional fights on his record. Dennis Hallman is an entertaining veteran with over sixty professional fights on his record. Mike Pyle is an entertaining veteran with almost thirty fights. Jorge Riva, Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz… the list goes on and on. If you’re a fan of long-time fighters and respect veteran talent that remain entertaining to this day, this card is a real treat.

2. Seeing Belfort either bounce back into title contention or Akiyama save his job.

Vitor Belfort has looked amazing at Middleweight except for the one time where he got caught and stopped with a spectacular KO kick that absolutely no one saw coming. Meanwhile, Yoshihiro Akiyama has impressed in all three of his UFC fights but has yet to win a fight conclusively and has lost two straight. This is a “make or break” fight for both men, but two very different things are on the line. Nonetheless, that should motivate both men to bring out their best and this fight has serious “Sleeper Hit of the Year” potential.

And the number-one reason to watch UFC 133 is…

1. The all-out war that Rashad Evans/Tito Ortiz will likely be.

Rashad Evans is a former Light Heavyweight Champion, but so is Tito Ortiz. Ortiz just recovered from a string of losses… but Evans has been sitting on the sidelines for over a year and he’s got no one to blame for that but himself. With so many different factors leading into this bout, there’s at least a dozen ways that this fight could end up playing out. If you’re even a moderate fan of either of these two, this is a must-see fight.

Rory MacDonald vs. Mike Pyle: Mike Pyle is an experienced veteran, and he’s defeated hot prospects on good win-streaks before. So there’s a good chance that this will be a back-and-forth, neck-and-neck fight. But based on his performances in the UFC, I’m think Rory MacDonald is one prospect that won’t feel the sting of a loss to Mike Pyle. Pyle will last all three rounds, but he’ll get thoroughly controlled and even dominated at times. Rory MacDonald wins by Unanimous Decision.

Jorge Rivera vs. Costantinos Philippou: Unlike MacDonald/Pyle, I think this is one fight where the veteran will defeat the younger fighter. Rivera may have thoughts on retirement, but he’s still a very experienced veteran that’s won three out of his last four fights. I expect Philippou to come out looking to assert himself, only to get over-eager and get caught by a surprise bomb. Jorge River wins by TKO in Round 2.

Dennis Hallman vs. Brian Ebersole: When you put two veterans against each other, you’re usually guaranteed a close fight with both men looking good at times. I think both men will display good depth in both striking and on the ground, but in the end, Ebersole’s skill and the wave of momentum he’s riding in on will end up giving him the victory. Brian Ebersole wins by Unanimous Decision.

Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama: Vitor Belfort wants another shot at the UFC Middleweight Championship, while Yoshihiro Akiyama wants another shot in the UFC period. Akiyama will come in reckless hoping to either win and keep his job or be so entertaining in defeat that the UFC will keep him around for one more fight. Unfortunately, that over-aggressiveness will play into Belfort’s style, and with Akiyama not having the pure knockout power of an Anderson Silva, it’s only a matter of time before Akiyama zigs where he should have zagged and eats a major bomb. My prediction is that Vitor Belfort wins by KO in Round 2.

Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz: In the main event of UFC 133, I’m going against the grain and picking Tito Ortiz for the upset. The optimist in me has overridden the realist in me on this occasion, and that’s a pretty rare feat. I know Evans will be a very tough test for Ortiz, but the fact that Evans is coming off such a very long layoff will end up allowing Ortiz to close the gap and eventually work both his striking and his Ground and pound. It’ll be closer than any other fight on the card, but unlike their first fight, Ortiz won’t make a dumb mistake and get a point taken off. In the end, I think Tito Ortiz will win by Split Decision.

The Event: UFC 133 “Evans vs. Ortiz”, currently scheduled for August 6, 2011 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Four free preliminary bouts will be streamed on the UFC’s Facebook page starting at 5:45 PM ET. Two additional free preliminary bouts will air on the Spike TV network starting at 8:00 PM ET. The main card will air live on Pay-Per-View starting at 9:00 PM ET.

Why You Should Care: Although this event has seen a host of high-profile injuries wreak havoc on the card, UFC 133 is a solid event with many fights having “sleeper hit” potential. You’ve got grudge matches, you’ve got hot prospects, you’ve got veterans with over sixty professional fights. It isn’t as good as it could have been, but the overall quality could end up really surprising us all by the time the show is over.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Rashad Evans is fighting to preserve his title shot, while Tito Ortiz is fighting to continue the resurrection of his career. The first time these two met, it was a close back-and-forth war of attrition. The same should hold true for the rematch: both men have their weaknesses and face interesting problems coming into this fight, but their heart and skill is unquestioned.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: If he loses at UFC 133, this will be Yoshihiro Akiyama’s third straight loss. Even though Akiyama is a very entertaining fighter, he will more than likely be fighting for his job against Vitor Belfort. Hopefully that brings out the best in Akiyama, because he’ll have to be at his best to deal with Belfort, who still packs a powerful punch after all these years and has the experience necessary to remain a threat in any division he chooses to compete in.

Why You Should Watch This Card: On paper, the matches sound very interesting. You’ve got stars and former champions on the prelims like Matt Hamill, Chad Mendes, and Mike Brown. On the Pay-Per-View, you’ve got hot prospects like Ryan MacDonald and Costantinos Philippou fighting tough veterans like Jorge Rivera and Mike Pyle. Plus, both the co-main and main event fights should be very entertaining.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: This was supposed to be the latest UFC mega-event, instead it’s the latest UFC card that comes so close to self-imploding due to injuries that you simply have to marvel at the UFC’s perseverance. I won’t sugar coat this: this card could have been a lot better… a whole lot better. Compared to what could have been, UFC 133 is a shadow of its former self.

Closing Thoughts: Even as a shadow of its former self, I think this is going to be a good card. Not great, not astounding, not the best event of the latter half of the year… but good nonetheless. None of these fights scream “must watch” at me, but a lot of them are using their “inside voices” and telling me “it’ll probably be fun”.

Before we begin, it should be noted that this fight was undoubtedly struck the hardest by the rash of injuries that plagued UFC 133. Originally, this would have been the event where Rashad Evans finally got his shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in a grudge match with former teammate Jon Jones. Jones would end up getting injured and replaced by rising star Phil Davis. Then, Phil Davis would end up getting injured only a few weeks before this event. The UFC scrambled for a replacement opponent, and finally settled on Tito Ortiz, who at first declined the fight.

With that said, Rashad Evans has faced a long and rocky road to get back to UFC Light Heavyweight cotendership. Since catapulting himself into top contention with a thunderous KO victory over Chuck Liddell, Rashad’s quest for the title has taken a swift downturn after actually winning the belt from Forrest Griffin back in December 2008. Following that win, Evans lost to Lyoto Machida in what was honestly one of the most embarrassing knockouts in UFC history, with the freeze-framed image of Rashad’s “KO Face” spawning thousands (literally thousands) of spoof pictures.

Since then, Evans has beaten both Thiago Silva and Quinton Jackson. And to be perfectly honest, he beat them in the most boring way possible: primarily by using “wall and stall” and “lay and pray” tactics. Evans hasn’t fought in over a year, choosing to sit on the sidelines and wait for then-champion Mauricio Rua to heal from his injuries rather than fight and risk losing his shot at the belt.

His opponent, Tito Ortiz, recently saved both his job and maybe his entire career with a dramatic performance at UFC 132 a little over a month ago. Before beating Ryan Bader, the formerly-dominant UFC Light Heavyweight Champion hadn’t secured a win in almost five years, going 0-4-1 after beating Ken Shamrock in 2006. At UFC 132, Ortiz went out and completely overwhelmed Ryan Bader, a fighter that many fans and insiders considered a Top 10 Light Heavyweight. Ortiz caught Bader with a beautiful hook and followed it up with a slick guillotine choke.

In all honesty, my head and my heart are both unsure about this fight. Part of me really wants Ortiz to win because I’ve slowly become a fan of Tito throughout the years and I think it’d be an amazing story to see him win and turn his fortunes around that drastically in only two fights. But I just can’t shake the feeling that it’s too soon in more ways than one. It’s too soon for Ortiz to be fighting again, period, and it’s too soon for him to be fighting a name like Rashad Evans.

Then again, Rashad Evans hasn’t looked that impressive lately and he hasn’t fought in over a year. It’s likely that he’ll have a huge amount of ring rust going into this fight, and he’s also coming in with almost no hype. Meanwhile, Ortiz is riding a wave of momentum and many people really want to see him do the seemingly-impossible.

In the end, history will probably repeat itself and this will be a three-round war of attrition. If that happens, then it all depends on which version of these two fighters show up. If either fighter is able to overcome their recent weaknesses and channel the former champion in themselves, expect that fighter to win this fight.

To really appreciate why Ortiz deserves an award like this, you have to look back and realize how strong of a departure Ortiz’s performance was at UFC 132 compared to all of his other recent performances.

Once feared as one of the baddest men on the planet, Tito Ortiz hadn’t won a fight since 2006. It all started with a humbling loss to Chuck Liddell. After that came a semi-controversial draw against Rashad Evans. And after that? Three straight decisions losses.

Back when he returned to the UFC, Ortiz contended that he had never felt better. After losing two straight fights, Ortiz contended that no one had stopped him and that he had only lost to some of the best competition in the world. As controversial as Tito can be, he did have a point, and the UFC ended up agreeing with him. Ortiz was given one last chance at UFC 132, and UFC President Dana White said several times in media interviews that Ortiz would lose his job if he lost the fight. It even became one of the largest selling-points of the encounter.

Ryan Bader ended up being chosen as the man that would either make or break Tito Ortiz’s UFC return and perhaps end Ortiz’s career entirely. Bader was coming off of a tough loss to Jon Jones, but had destroyed five other fighters in the UFC before meeting up with and being humbled by the eventual UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. With an overall record of 12-1 and as a winner of “The Ultimate Fighter”, a lot of people thought Bader was more than dangerous enough to not only beat Ortiz, but to beat him so badly that Ortiz might retire.

Nothing could’ve been further from the truth.

Ortiz and Bader met at UFC 132, and for that one night, the old Tito was back. After feeling out his opponent, Ortiz rocked and dropped Bader with a killer hook before securing a guillotine choke and getting the tap. Afterwards, Ortiz recreated his famous “gravedigger” routine.

Currently, Ortiz fights Rashad Evans at UFC 133 in a matter of days. To put that into context, Ortiz went from “one more loss and you’re done” to “we need you to fight the #1 contender” with just one performance.

It was said before the fight that Tito Ortiz fights best when his back is against the wall. And Ortiz didn’t just fight at his best, he fought like his life depended on it. In a way, it kinda did.

In the end, Ortiz saved himself from the brink in the most dramatic, amazing way possible. There were definitely other great finishes in the month, some of which could be said to have outdone Ortiz/Bader in terms of pure excitement. But the story behind Ortiz/Bader and the way Ortiz won leads me to believe that Tito Ortiz fully deserves to be named July 2011’s “Fighter of the Month”.

5. Evans doesn’t have a whole lot of time to train for an entirely new opponent.

This applies as much to Ortiz for Evans as it does to Evans for Ortiz. For both men, fighting a new opponent on such short notice could end up playing a significantly negative factor in the outcome of this fight. This is the third opponent Evans has had to adjust his training camp for, and each and every time the window to adjust that camp has gotten smaller. First it was Jon Jones, then Phil Davis, and Phil Davis is a very different fighter than Jon Jones. Now it’s Tito Ortiz, and Ortiz is a very different fighter than both Davis and Jones. It’s a tough issue to deal with.

4. Ortiz has already beaten Evans… kind of.

The first time Ortiz and Evans locked horns was at UFC 73 back in 2007. That fight would end up being ruled a draw… but the fact that a point was deducted from Tito Ortiz in that bout likely played a significant factor in that decision. Before the Lyoto Machida KO, the draw with Ortiz was the only black mark on Evans’ spotless record. That’s a big confidence-booster for Tito.

3. Rashad Evans has been hesitant to strike ever since getting KO’d by Lyoto Machida.

A lot of people have been critical of Evans’ new style since getting KO’d by Machida. It wins him fights, but it’s relatively boring and he’s just not the same Evans that won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. With a combination of “wall and stall” and “lay and pray”, Evans just doesn’t like to engage much anymore. Compare this to Tito, who hasn’t been stopped in over five years and has never been afraid of standing with anybody. Ortiz isn’t afraid to strike with Evans while Evans has been afraid to strike, period, in his recent fights.

2. Rashad Evans is coming off of a long, self-imposed hiatus.

By now, even the staunchest Evans supporter has to admit that Rashad royally shot himself in the foot by choosing to wait so long to get his title shot. Evans sat on the sidelines in the prime of his career simply because he didn’t want to risk losing his shot at the gold. Well, after all that time… he’s now in a fight that’s not for a championship and he’ll be risking his shot at the gold. That’s unfortunate, and some would even call it poetic justice. “Ring rust” applies to everyone, and it’s definitely one of Evans’ biggest weaknesses going into this fight.

And the number-one reason why Tito Ortiz could beat Rashad Evans is…

1. Tito Ortiz fights best with his back against the wall, and his back is definitely still against the wall.

Make no mistake, Ortiz isn’t out of the woods yet. He’s taking a fight on ultra-short notice and this’ll be his second fight in two months. There are rumors floating around that Ortiz may even get a title shot if he wins this fight. That kind of pressure, those two factors combined, has got to be almost as much pressure as “fight or you’re no longer employed”.  Ortiz saved his career in his most-recent fight, but this fight sees him fighting for actual divisional relevancy, and perhaps the last title opportunity of his career. So this is definitely a “do or die” fight for Tito Ortiz, and that’s going to motivate him to bring out his best against Evans.

5. Ortiz just got done fighting two weeks ago.

Most UFC fighters fight only a few times a year, with the veterans even less so. But when Ortiz steps into the cage against Evans on August 6, it’ll have been a little over a month since he miraculously defeated Ryan Bader on July 2. Typically, fighting once a month is something only the very young and inexperienced do in an effort to build experience (and their bank account) quickly. Ortiz is not a young man anymore, and even if he won the fight against Bader via first-round submission, he could show up to the Evans fight fatigued and tired before the bell ever rings.

4. Ortiz has very little time to prepare for Evans.

This is a point I’ll be making for both fighters, so expect to see this in the follow-up piece a few days from now. Depending on who asserts themselves both early on and throughout the fight, the relatively sudden nature of this encounter could become a major factor in how both men prepare for this fight.

3. In recent fights we’ve seen Tito Ortiz both manhandled and out-wrestled.

The man that once had some of the best Ground and Pound in the business recently got dominated on the ground by Matt Hamill. In fact, it’s actually been years since we’ve seen some classic Tito Ortiz ground and pound. The closest we’ve got to it were the strikes Ortiz landed on Bader before locking in the submission. And like Matt Hamill, Rashad Evans is a very good wrestler.

2. Rashad Evans’ hand speed and power is still quite good.

As Ortiz himself has pointed out, no one in the UFC is stopping him so that must mean that he’s got something left in the gas tank. However, that fails to take into consideration the fact that Ortiz has come up short in the striking department in many of the bouts prior to his big win over Ryan Bader. The Lyoto Machida defeat in particular highlighted what a precise, fast striker could do against Ortiz.

And the number-one reason why Rashad Evans could beat Tito Ortiz is…

1. There’s ring rust, and then there’s not winning a fight in nearly five years.

Rashad Evans will have to do everything in his power to get over his ring rust, I won’t deny that. But Tito Ortiz just got done taking his career off of life support. Everyone thought Ortiz would’ve been retired by now, instead people are talking about one last big run. However, one fight does not make up for a 0-4-1 record in your five previous fights. Before the win against Bader a whole lot of people managed to beat Tito Ortiz and effectively created a blueprint on how to beat him. So long as Evans studies that blueprint, it’ll be his biggest advantage coming into UFC 133.

We head to MMA Junkie for the official word on the situation. According to their report, Ortiz has agreed to rematch Evans with only weeks to prepare. Ortiz was one of the first fighters approached to fight Evans, but he initially declined to do so, saying it was the best choice for his career. After a day or so of negotiations and rumor, it now appears that Ortiz will be fighting Evans after all.

Tito Ortiz is currently coming off of a massive victory earlier this month. At UFC 132, Ortiz faced top-division fighter Ryan Bader and beat him by first-round submission, completely dominating the hot young prospect. The win was Ortiz’s first since 2006. Leading up to the fight, UFC President Dana White made it very clear to both Ortiz and the press that Tito’s job and maybe his entire career would be on the line against Bader.

Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans have a pretty interesting history together. In a way, Ortiz’s draw with Evans in their first encounter was a clear indicator that Ortiz’s skills were diminishing, and in a way it signaled the start of his winless-streak. Ortiz came into that fight having just lost his shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Chuck Liddell TKO’d him in the third round of what was, up to that point, one of the biggest events in UFC history. Ortiz would end up being penalized a point for holding onto the fence, causing the judges to award the fight to neither fighter and rule it a draw.

I can admit that part of me wanted to see Machida/Evans 2 more than Ortiz/Evans 2, but I still think this will be a very interesting match-up.

I’ll also say this: if Ortiz fights two times in two months and manages to beat both a young prospect and a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion… then there can be no doubt that Tito Ortiz is “back”.

And honestly, part of me does think that Ortiz can beat Evans. Ortiz is coming off an incredibly uplifting win, while Evans has been sitting on the sidelines for what feels like a meteoric age. The man hasn’t stepped inside the cage for a long, long time, and he might come in very rusty.

In a way, I think this fight will be decided by what Tito Ortiz shows up at UFC 133. If it’s the one we saw at UFC 132, then Evans is in for a tough time and may even get beaten due to his significant ring rust. If it’s the Tito Ortiz that lost four times in five fights with the other fight being a draw, then Rashad Evans may spoil Ortiz’s comeback before it ever really gets a chance to get off the ground.

5. Rashad Evans

Coming off of a loss to Chuck Liddell in December 2006, Ortiz looked to rebound in 2007 with a win over a hungry young upstart by the name of Rashad Evans. The fight would end up being ruled a draw, with Ortiz being penalized one point for holding onto the fence. Since then, Evans has become a star in his own right and a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Currently, Evans will be fighting Phil Davis. Win or lose, I think both Evans and Ortiz would prove quite a lot by fighting each other again.

4. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

For the most part, Ortiz has fought nothing but hungry young fighters in his recent fights. I say it’s time for a veteran fighter that has the experience and skill to be a threat in all major areas of the game. And although his career is winding down, “Little Nog” can still go. Personally, I think this would be an awesome fight between one of the best, most experienced, most versatile ground wizards in the division and the man that became synonymous with vicious Ground and Pound.

3. Quinton Jackson

Jackson ranks higher because of his status as a former champion and for his one-hit KO power. He also ranks higher than “Little Nog” because I think this fight would mostly stay on the feet, and to be honest, a stand-up fight between Jackson and Ortiz simply interests me more than a ground war between Ortiz and Little Nog. Ortiz displayed some good striking at UFC 132… can he hang with a striker like Jackson? If he wants to get this fight on the floor, can he deal with the great takedown defense of Jackson? Those are two questions I’d definitely pay to see answered.

2. Lyoto Machida

When you think about it, Machida’s big victory over Tito Ortiz is what got most people to finally start paying attention to Machida. Machida would be the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion only two fights removed from his decision win over Ortiz. But in the here and now, Machida has recently gotten over a two-fight (some say it should be three) losing-streak with a fantastic KO win over aging legend Randy Couture. That’s not exactly the same thing as winning what many felt would be the final fight of your career by dramatic stoppage, but it’s in the same ballpark. This is another rematch that simply makes a lot of sense right now, and I’d love to see it happen.

And the number-one next opponent for Tito Ortiz is…

1. Forrest Griffin

If Tito Ortiz really wants to prove that he’s “back”, he needs to beat the man that spoiled his heavily-hyped UFC return in 2009. Following that fight, Griffin was out of action for over a year and then took Rich Franklin to a boring decision. Whereas Ortiz found that old flame at UFC 132, Griffin looked like he was only focused on winning and not giving fans a good show when he defeated Rich Franklin. This is a rivalry with a very rich history: Ortiz has won one, Griffin has won one, and both wins were by Split Decision. I think it’s time we end this rivalry once and for all, and I really can’t think of a better way for Ortiz to prove that he’s back.

Let’s begin as we always do, fans and friends: by putting the situation into context.

In a world where many long-time MMA veterans have fallen from grace in recent years and retired on the heels of tough losing-streaks, it seemed as if former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz was destined to follow in the footsteps of his contemporaries and long-time rivals, Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture. Ortiz would go on an incredible rein of domination/devastation for two straight years in the early 2000’s, at one point winning a fight by knockout slam in thirty seconds.

But after a loss to Chuck Liddell in 2006, Ortiz lost his footing and never quite regained it. He would go on to draw with Rashad Evans and then face tough losses to Lyoto Machida, Forrest Griffin, and Matt Hamill. Even worse, the Griffin and Hamill losses came after a substantial layoff that saw Ortiz get major surgery and come back to the UFC promising that he was better than ever. Coming into a fight against Ryan Bader at UFC 132, Ortiz was given an ultimatum by UFC President Dana White: win or retire.

Ortiz’s opponent, Ryan Bader, was still thought of as one of the most-promising talents in the Light Heavyweight Division despite coming off of a supremely humbling loss to Jon Jones. Many fans of “Darth” Bader contend that the blow suffered in the loss to “Bones” was softened a bit with the knowledge that no man has yet been able to withstand the assaults of Jon Jones. And before that loss, Bader was undefeated as a professional Mixed Martial Artist.

With Bader’s high level of wrestling and sneaky one-hit KO power, and with Ortiz’s advancing age and declining skills, many predicted that Bader would win. Some predicted that Bader would even take it by a landslide. Very few had any faith left in Tito Ortiz.

But those precious few ended up proving us all wrong, just like Tito Ortiz proved us all wrong at UFC 132.

The fight started out a bit slow, with both fighters feeling each other out. Then it all happened like a whirlwind: Ortiz caught Bader square in the jaw and dropped him. After some Ground and Pound, Ortiz looked to be hunting for a Guillotine Choke, and after adjusting his position, he hooked it on and cranked it. And he kept cranking until Bader tapped, until the referee had to pry Tito’s grip loose. Afterward, Ortiz recreated his famous “Gravedigger” post-fight celebration, fully capturing the best moments of his youth.

In the end, who knows what’s in store for Tito Ortiz? A lot of fans still remain highly doubtful of a major return. Some fans even think that all Tito did was delay the inevitable. But for those few minutes inside the Octagon at UFC 132, none of that mattered. For a few brief minutes, we saw the resurrection of one of the most dangerous, one of the most dominant, one of the most unstoppable Light Heavyweight fighters in UFC history. The logo on the back of his shirt that Ortiz displayed proudly after the fight said all that there needed to be said: “I’m not the next somebody. I’m the first Tito Ortiz”.

And he’s right, of course. So there’s not a doubt in my mind that Tito Ortiz deserves “Best Performance of the Night” for his thrilling victory at UFC 132.

5. Melvin Guillard KO’ing Shane Roller

For the longest time, Melvin Guillard was an entertaining Lightweight fighter with a penchant for crazy finishes. Unfortunately, he was also generally perceived as a journeyman. At UFC 132, however, Guillard took another big step towards top-contender status when he laid out Shane Roller. Roller had never been stone-cold KO’d before, and he did take a lot of shots before he went down. But the end result was a highlight of the night: Roller stiffened up, in the “fighter’s crucifix”, and with Guillard giving us another outstanding finish in a division that’s known for decisions.

4. Rafael dos Anjos KO’ing George Sotiropoulos in under a minute.

Wow… who would’ve thought that Rafael dos Anjos of all people would KO George Sotiropoulos? It’s sad to see George fall from grace so harshly, and I didn’t like that dos Anjos gave George some unnecessary strikes after the initial KO. But it was one of the most unpredictable moments of a card that thrived on its unpredictability. And that’s why it deserves a spot on this list.

3. Chris Leben KO’ing Wanderlei Silva

We got what we were promised… two guys stepped into the Octagon and started throwing bombs, and then one guy went down. That’s what this fight was all about, that’s what everyone wanted to see, and that’s what we got. But it came at the cost of seeing one of MMA’s all-time greats unconscious on the canvas once again. If you’re a Leben fan, it made you practically ecstatic. If you’re a fan of Wanderlei, your heart sank about as low as it could go. It was one of those “best of times/worst of times” moments, and undoubtedly one we won’t soon forget.

2. Carlos Condit KTFO’ing Dong Hyun Kim.

I’ve rarely been this happy to see a high-level fighter get KTFO’d. I just couldn’t stand “Stun Gun” Kim coming into this fight, he seemed downright egotistical and he talked a whole lot about how he was not only better than Condit, but how he was better than virtually everybody else and how Condit was over-rated. To see him get put in his place made me so very happy that only one other finish outshone this one. Carlos Condit was my white knight in shining armor at UFC 132, and he delivered a stunning KO flurry that I won’t soon forget.

And my personal pick for the best moment of UFC 132 is…

1. Tito Ortiz nearly KO’ing and then submitting Ryan Bader.

This was just… wow. WOW. With his career on the line, with everyone picking against him… for one night, Tito Ortiz morphed into the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” of old. That’s the only way to describe how he took a young upstart, nearly knocked him out, and then choked him out in the very first round… before the fight was even two minutes old. Not even Jon Jones finished Ryan Bader in the first round. With an incredible “risen from the ashes” story behind it, there’s no doubt in my mind that Tito Ortiz’s victory over Ryan Bader was the best moment of UFC 132.

So there you have it, fans and friends: those are the moments I’ll be remembering from UFC  132 “Cruz vs. Faber”.

Next for Melvin Guillard/Dennis Siver: Each other, which is why I’m grouping them together. These two have been tearing through the Lightweight charts recently, although Guillard gave the better performance at UFC 132. Then again, Siver was generally thought of as higher on the food chain than Guillard coming into UFC 132. With those two factors in mind, this fight makes perfect sense, and with both men’s styles, this would also be a wildly entertaining fight.

Next for Carlos Condit: If his huge win at UFC 132 fight didn’t earn Carlos Condit the next shot at the title, he’s only one fight away from doing so. There’s a host of potential high-level Welterweight fighters that Condit could face, but the one thing most of them have in common is that Georges St. Pierre has already beaten them. I say we roll the dice and simply make Condit the next championship contender once GSP and Nick Diaz get through fighting. With his penchant for amazing finishes and his long years as a veteran, I think it’s deserved.

Next for Ryan Bader: Coming into UFC 132, Bader was still generally thought of as a top-division fighter. With this loss, he’s been sent packing to the middle of the division. I think a very smart match-up to make would be to put Bader up against another fighter who’s trying to escape the mid-level after a long time spent as a journeyman. Luis Cane comes to mind.

Next for Tito Ortiz: Some breathing room… for the first time in a long time. Some of the power now lies in Ortiz’s hands, and I think we’re going to see him back in the Octagon soon. Perhaps a third and final showdown with Forrest Griffin? Maybe a rematch with Rashad Evans if he loses to Phil Davis? Either way, don’t expect Ortiz to get anything less than top-division talent for his next fight. He was put to the final test at UFC 132, and he succeeded. So while the rebirth has started, another war is also about to begin for Tito Ortiz.

Next for Wanderlei Silva: I honestly don’t know. Retirement maybe? Silva’s chin just can’t seem to hold up anymore. He’s lost a lot more than he’s won lately. If not now, I think Wanderlei’s retirement is only one or two more losses away. Whatever happens, I certainly wish him the best and I’ll follow him wherever he goes.

Next for Chris Leben: Leben is now more or less on the same ground he was on coming into his fight with Brian Stann. Leben just might be able to make a serious run, but it’s not certain. When you rebound from a humbling KO loss with a fantastic KO win, there are still some questions that linger. If he’s willing to wait that long, a great match-up for Leben would be the loser of the upcoming Michael Bisping vs. Jason Miller fight.

Next for Urijah Faber: Faber won’t be going anywhere until he decides to retire. The UFC loves him, the UFC fans love him, and he continues to put on entertaining fights win or lose. As much as some people dislike it, expect Faber to keep getting a title shot every time he strings together two/three wins.

Next for Dominick Cruz: Whoever it is, they probably won’t beat him. Cruz is one of the most complete fighters out there, and that was clearly evident at UFC 132. The sky’s the limit for Dominick Cruz in the UFC.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends.

Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber: Faber has simply had too many losses lately, and Dominick Cruz has been looking too good lately. If this was the Faber before the TKO loss to Mike Brown, before the rematch that saw him get controlled by Mike Brown, and before the fight with Jose Aldo that saw Faber practically eaten alive in the stand-up… then this fight would be just about dead-even. As it stands, Cruz is just too good even if he hasn’t finished anybody in a while. Dominick Cruz wins by Unanimous Decision.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben: I want to believe in Wanderlei Silva… I do believe in Wanderlei Silva. I think Wanderlei wants to win this fight very badly, and I know he’s a better brawler than Chris Leben. Leben could catch Silva with a good punch and possibly KO him, Silva is also coming off of a long layoff. But that just isn’t enough to force me to pick against one of my favorite fighters in the game. This will be a very tough test for Wanderlei, but one that I both hope and believe he will pass. Wanderlei Silva wins by Unanimous Decision.

Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader: It’s curtains for Tito Ortiz, fans and friends. I just don’t see him beating a hungry upstart like Ryan Bader, especially with Bader coming off of an incredibly humbling loss. Bader will take his recent loss to Jon Jones and turn it into a learning experience, and this will be the fight where Bader begins to realize his full potential. Ryan Bader wins by TKO in Round 2.

Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim: We all know what I want to happen: I want Condit to go out there and take “Stun Gun” Kim’s head off. If Kim does try and stand with Condit, that’s exactly what’s going to happen, and Carlos Condit will win by KO in either Round 1 or 2, most likely Round 2. But if Kim does what everyone is suspicious of and decides to blanket himself on Condit for three rounds, he’ll win a Unanimous Decision. As much as I dislike the notion of Kim winning this fight, I have to admit that it’s definitely a possibility.

Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman: Both men are within shouting distance of each other’s records, but MMA today is a constant game of “what have you done lately?” And lately, Dennis Siver has looked like a wrecking machine in the cage. It becomes tougher and tougher to finish a Lightweight fighter as you get higher and higher up the food chain, which is why I’m thinking Siver won’t get the (T)KO. But I do think Siver will control and even dominate Matt Wiman with crisp, precise kickboxing. Dennis Siver takes a very clear Unanimous Decision.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends.

The Event: UFC 132 “Cruz vs. Faber”, currently scheduled for July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Four free preliminary fights will air over the UFC’s Facebook page starting at 6:15 PM ET. Two additional preliminary fights will air on Spike TV starting at 8:00 PM ET. The five-fight main card will be broadcast live on Pay-Per-View starting at 9:00 PM ET.

Why You Should Care: This is the UFC’s big summer event, it takes place on Independence Day weekend and it features the UFC debut of Dominick Cruz. Even better, he faces one of the most popular and skilled lighter-weight fighters of all time, Urijah Faber. Then you’ve got Wanderlei Silva facing Chris Leben in what should be an epic brawl, plus Tito Ortiz fights with his job, nay, his entire career on the line against Ryan Bader. And on top of all that, you’ve got two big match-ups at Lightweight and Welterweight that should establish the winner as a top contender in the division. And, of course, you get a bunch of free fights on Spike TV and Facebook.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Dominick Cruz hates Urijah Faber… truly hates him. Cruz losing to Faber sparked a fire that has now resulted in Cruz claiming the mantle of the best Bantamweight on the planet as of now. Urijah Faber wants to breathe new life into his career, and he wants to do so not just by beating Dominick Cruz, but by humbling him in the same way he humbled him in their first fight. Both men are two of the best Bantamweights in the world, and their intense rivalry will bring out the best in each other. This fight could end in many different ways, and seems destined to be a “Fight of the Year” contender.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: Are you kidding me? Who doesn’t love a fight between guys like Chris Leben and Wanderlei Silva? These two love to have wild brawls, Silva will probably go down as one of the best brawlers in the history of the sport once all is said and done. This fight could end in an instant, or it could see both men swing for the fences for three straight rounds and never give an inch. If you’re a fan of good fights, this is one you just can’t miss.

Why You Should Watch This Card: It may not be stuffed with superstar talent, but UFC 132 features a host of big names in very well-booked fights. A lot of these fights are brimming with potential thanks to the fact that so many fighters match up stylistically well with their opponents. We may not get to see the biggest stars the UFC has to offer, but we’ll probably be getting a boatload of good-to-great fights.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: The only fights I’d recommend missing are the prelims if you absolute have to and the bout between Dennis Siver and Matt Wiman, also only if you have to. Every fight on this card has plenty of potential, but I’m not so optimistic that I believe that every fight will live up to its potential. I think most of them will, though, and this should be a good card.

Closing Thoughts: I’m very, very, very pumped up for this card. I think it’s going to be a sure-fire “Event of the Year” contender, although I don’t think anything will out-shine UFC 129 this year. Still, I think this one is going to be a hit and I’m going to walk away at the end of the night a very happy UFC fan. Definitely count me in for UFC 132.

Ryan Bader stepped into the UFC on the heels of a seven-fight win-streak and a highly successful run on the eighth season of “The Ultimate Fighter”. Bader would go on to fight in the finals and ultimately win the eighth season of TUF, thrilling fans with a first-round KO. Bader would then fight to a decision for three out of his next four fights, all of them wins, most of them dominant. In the middle of that run came a KO win over Keith Jardine. After beating the tough and very, very experienced Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Bader was given a man that, like him, was considered a can’t-miss prospect and one of the UFC’s biggest potential stars: Jon Jones.

In a career that’s seen him already dominate countless opponents, Jon Jones would go on to dominate Bader and ultimately finish him. Of course, Bader could take solace in the fact that while he couldn’t beat Jon Jones, no one else could either: Jones is now the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Bader could also take solace in the fact that the loss to “Bones” was the first of his professional career. And finally, Bader can also take solace in the fact that his upcoming opponent knows a lot about losing.

That opponent, Tito Ortiz, was once thought of as one of the baddest men on the planet. He was, still is, and probably always will be one of the most-controversial, most outspoken fighters that have ever stepped into the Octagon. Ortiz was one of the first true UFC mega-draws, everyone wanted to see him get his head kicked in but he just kept dominating people left and right. The highlight of Ortiz’s career remains his run as UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, which saw Ortiz win the championship and defend it five times with four stoppages, with three first-round stoppages.

Ortiz remained active and even dominant until 2006, when a loss to Chuck Liddell sent his career into a freefall that it has never recovered from. Ortiz has lost four out of his last five fights, with the other fight being ruled a draw. After taking a break for over a year and making his shocking return to the UFC, squashing the rivalry with UFC President Dana White that had defined both men for years, Ortiz promised that he was a new man and was hungry for a championship. He has since lost twice, and was even dominated at times by his most recent opponent, Matt Hamill.

I hate to say this, since I’ve actually grown to like Tito Ortiz to a certain extent throughout the years. But as a realist first and an optimist second, I just can’t see how Tito Ortiz beats Ryan Bader. Nothing short of a complete career resurrection will save Ortiz now, and with all that’s happened since he returned, that looks very unlikely. What I do think will happen is that Ortiz will make the same mistakes he made against Hamill and Bader will ultimately out-wrestle him for three rounds. This very well might be Tito Ortiz’s last fight, both in the UFC and as a professional Mixed Martial Artist. I don’t think he’ll win, but I do hope that no matter what happens, he decides to give his all and goes out on a high note.

Stay tuned fans and friends, there’s only two entries left into “A Closer Look At UFC 132″.

The news comes from the infamous TMZ website, the go-to location for all manner of celebrity scandals. The report states that after the nude picture was released, Ortiz posted the following on his official Twitter account: “Someone hack my f**king phone.”

Reaction to this picture, like many things Ortiz has done, has been mixed. In fact, a certain section of the fanbase thinks that Ortiz himself leaked the image to the press to drum up some coverage on him. Outside the MMA landscape, one of the hot-button issues going around the internet concerns photos of a seemingly nude Blake Lively, who is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest actors. MMA fans think that it’s a little suspicious that a nude photo of Ortiz was released right as the nude photos of Lively have been getting a ridiculous amount of press.

I’m no conspiracy theorist, so I can’t really comment. And if you’re wondering, fans and friends… yes, I did see the picture. Part of me felt that I just had to know. Before I saw it, I even thought of making a joke about it in this here article. That joke would have been something to the manner of “well, now I see why Tito Ortiz is angry all the time!”

After seeing the picture, I only have one question: why the hell is Tito Ortiz angry all the time?!

That’s a joke too, fans and friends.

In the end, I don’t think any multitude of nude photos will save Tito Ortiz’s career. Ortiz could come out tomorrow with a sex tape featuring him and his wife, legendary porn star Jenna Jameson, and it’d barely raise a blip on the MMA radar, although it would probably get a significant mainstream response.

I’d like to think that most MMA fans don’t easily fall prey to that type of media-induced hype. I’m a realist, and if you’re a realist too, then you know what I’m about to say.

If Tito Ortiz wants to get his name back out there, he should do it by winning fights and not with a nude picture.

Whether or not Ortiz got hacked or if he deliberately leaked this photo is irrelevant. All that matters is that Ortiz is likely one fight away from getting fired and very possibly retiring. Scandals will come and go, but your legacy remains forever. And Ortiz’s legacy is taking a major hit with the many years he’s spent not winning.

With credit going to MMA Fighting, the current UFC 132 card is now: Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber, George Sotiropoulos vs. Evan Dunham, Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman, Melvin Guillard vs. Shane Roller, Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben, and Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader.

There’s been a lot of bad blood boiling between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, so I honestly wasn’t surprised when it was announced that Faber would be getting a shot at the championship after winning only one fight in the UFC. I am and always will be a Urijah Faber fan, but I think even the biggest super-fan knows that Faber has a habit of getting rushed right back into the title picture because of how well-known and marketable he is. Making him the headlining attraction of a major card should fully test his marketability in the UFC, and at the end of the day, I’m looking forward to this bout.

Another bout I’m really, really looking forward to is Chris Leben vs. Wanderlei Silva. I will admit, though, that I would’ve liked it more if Wanderlei fought Vitor Belfort when the UFC returns to Brazil later this year. But this is a pretty great alternative. This will be a hard-hitting brawl and I don’t think it’ll go past the second round. It may not even make it out of the first. But regardless of how long it lasts, it should be one of the most entertaining fights of the night, and depending on how long it lasts, it may even go down as a possible Fight of the Year candidate.

I’m also looking forward to seeing Melvin Guillard back in action after his supremely dominating performance against Evan Dunham. Guillard faces an interesting challenge in Roller, who is coming off a two-fight win-streak that saw him take home both a “Submission of the Night” and a “Knockout of the Night” award.

Speaking of Evan Dunham, he should be an interesting challenge for George Sotiropoulos, especially with George coming off of the first loss of his UFC career. And the man that beat him, Dennis Siver, will also be in action against an interesting opponent: Matt Wiman is currently on a three-fight win-streak.

And to top it all off, I’m even looking forward to Ryan Bader vs. Tito Ortiz. This will absolutely be Tito Ortiz’s last call. When it comes to him finally making good on his promise of an epic comeback, it’s now or never. With his job and possibly his career on the line, perhaps the dominant Tito Ortiz we all once knew will finally make an appearance in the modern-day UFC.

Overall, this may not go down as one of the best UFC events of the year or one of the most star-studded, but already I’m thinking that I’m going to enjoy a majority of these bouts. And what about you, fans and friends? Any thoughts on UFC 132 as it stands right now?

I’ll begin with my first thought when I first caught word of this potential match-up: didn’t Tito Ortiz just get beat by a dominant wrestler?

That question basically sums up my entire argument for why I think this is a terrible match-up for Tito Ortiz. Ortiz’s last fight was against Matt Hamill at UFC 121 back in October 2010. Hamill thoroughly controlled Ortiz to the point where it was barely a competitive bout. Ortiz simply looked like a shell of his former self.

And I see a lot of Matt Hamill in Ryan Bader.

Ryan Bader is a great wrestler that’s beaten some pretty tough opponents in the UFC. His wrestling was so good that he managed to avoid the submission attempts of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira for three straight rounds and took “Little Nog” to a decision, which Bader won. Bader has never lost a fight by decision, and he’s always won his fights that go to a decision by Unanimous Decision.

If this fight goes to the judges, which it probably will, that decision will likely favor Bader. Not only has Ortiz not won a fight in over five years, he’s lost his last three fights by decision. The fight before that was another decision, although it was a Draw. The last time Tito Ortiz finished anybody was when he scored two back-to-back TKO wins over Ken Shamrock in 2006, and Shamrock was already well past his prime even five years ago.

Another thing that scores this fight for Bader is Bader’s punching power. Bader has sneaky one-hit KO power, it’s the main reason why he’s finished five opponents by (T)KO and submitted one with strikes. A lot of people criticize wrestling-based MMA fighters for their penchant for going to a decision, but Bader actually has more wins by (T)KO than by decision, and overall, Bader has twice as many stoppage victories as he does decision wins.

Now, here’s something you may not expect to end this piece: I actually respect Tito Ortiz. I think the time he spent outside of the UFC really matured him as a person. My only problem with Tito Ortiz is that he still makes the same mistakes in the Octagon. He promised he would be back and better than ever, and that’s simply not been the case. He’s fighting once per year, which is a very diminished schedule, and he’s lost two straight fights. He even hid behind an injury after losing to Forrest Griffin.

So while I’m not anti-Tito, I am pro-reality. I think Ortiz hasn’t realized the reality of the situation he’s in. I think Ryan Bader is more than capable of taking out Tito Ortiz as he is now. If Ortiz was in his prime this fight would be anyone’s guess and I’m sure a whole lot of people would be picking Ortiz. But Tito is on the decline, and other than his recent loss to Jon Jones, Bader has looked great in all his UFC fights. It may be too early to say for sure, but in the here and now I just can’t see how Tito Ortiz beats Ryan Bader.

But what about you, fans and friends? Any thoughts on this match?

Recently, the fan-favorite Forrest took to Twitter to release some of his quick jabs that have made him one of the leading men in the business, and it looks like Ortiz may have taken the comments to heart and lashed out in proper Tito manner.

Now, it doesn’t look like it would be much of a stretch should these two men meet again in the foreseeable future.

For Griffin, it was just a normal day full of bad punch lines and improper hyperbole’s. And whether or not Ortiz was meant to be the direct victim of such antics remains to be seen, but one things for certain, Forrest got his attention.

“I am the new tito, bitch about injuries after everyfight win or lose, hold guys down a much as possible, never finish a fight.checkallboxs (sic)”, tweeted the season one winner of “The Ultimate Fighter”.

When Ortiz caught win of Griffin’s remarks, all hell broke loose.

“Hey go f*ck yourself! run forest run like a bitch! never defended a world title!, been KTFO!, runs out the cage like a bitch! Check all the above!”, said Tito who responded in kind.

Probably the more civil thing to do would just leave the matter as is, but we all know that Griffin couldn’t let Ortiz have the last word. And while his intention’s seemed anything from malice, things took a turn toward hostile once the back-and-forth escalated.

“You mean like defend it like 5 times over 3 years? Naw sounds like a lot of work. People forget quick,” quipped the wily Griffin.

“The longest reigning LHW champ and longest competing UFC fighter.- Tito Ortiz,” posted ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’. “My career was tarnished by lies but my name will live forever!”

Even though both men have fought twice before, both bouts “Fight of the Night” worthy, it looks like a trilogy is on the horizon. And why not? Both men have split both bout 1-1 a piece, with both respective matches ending with a split-decision, with Griffin taking the latest encounter in November of 2009 at UFC 106.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the recent Twitter war? Who do you favor in the trilogy? Sound off in the comment section below.

Try to keep up. Phil Davis was originally expected to meet with Matt Hamill this May for UFC 130, however “The Hammer” was since pulled from the bout to replace Thiago Silva who was originally expected to face off against former light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Then, Jason Brilz was pegged as Hamill’s replacement. Now, former titleholder Tito Ortiz has reportedly been forced out of his bout with PRIDE star Antonio Rogerio Nogueira this March, and now “Mr. Wonderful” will be stepping up in his place on just a few weeks notice.

UFC President Dana White confirmed the news via Twitter: “Tito has pulled out of fight night due to getting stitches. 8-0 Phil davis will be fighting lil nog now and is pumped for this fight!”, exclaimed the enegmatic sports figure.

Davis is undefeated in his young MMA career, and is currently riding a four-fight win streak inside the octagon. In his last outing, the former NCAA wrestling champion defeated veteran Tim Boetsch in the second-round of their 205-pound affair, submitting “The Barbarian” with a modified kimura. The victory earned the Allianca MMA product an extra $80k for his “Submission of the Night” performance over Boetsch, who was never submitted before his bout with Davis.

Nogueira is in a bit of trouble in his bout with Phil. While many believed that his original match-up with Tito Ortiz was a much easier one at best, Nogueira has long had troubles with talented wrestlers, case in point his last outing with “The Ultimate Fighter” season 8 winner, Ryan Bader. The powerhouse 205-pounder was able to drive Rogerio to the mat on several occasions, earning him the win by unanimous decision. Nogueira’s previous outing with Json Brilz was another indication of his wanting takedown defense, however he still managed to squeak out a split-decision.

In Davis, the Black House fighter will be taking on not only one of the division’s most promising prospects, but one of the best collegiate wrestler’s in the sport.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the new bout? Who do you favor? Sound off in the comment section below.

He’s winless since a 2006 fight with rival Ken Shamrock, who was 41-years-old at the time, and has been consistently beaten by some of his division’s best fighters in Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida, Forrest Griffin, and most recently Matt Hamill.

“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” is 0-4-1 in his last five bouts, but he still claims that he has it in him not only to win, but to be a champion once again. If anything, his will and determination should be given merit, but his next opponent in former PRIDE star Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, world-ranked star in the 205-pound division, will do Ortiz no favors in their upcoming fight.

UFC President Dana White hinted last October after Ortiz last a decision to former protege Matt Hamill at UFC 121, that their former poster boy could soon be released from the promotion.

“I said, ‘You guys have got to give me a chance, man,’” said Ortiz who spoke with MMAJunkie.com about a phone call he received from Dana and Lorenzo Fertita of the UFC.

“Look at my last fights. I fought Forrest Griffin last year with a ruptured disk in my neck, and I still fought to a split decision. I come back a year later after neck surgery, and I fight a guy who’s on a five-fight win streak, and I lost a couple of takedowns.

It’s hard to argue with the facts. Despite the mounting losses, they have all come against world-ranked opponents. Sure Ortiz could have saved face and asked for a “gimme” fight, but he hasn’t shied away from a challenge yet. In fact, it was the 34-year-old who requested a fight with Nogueira, who was gone 2-1 since his inception in the UFC, having recently lost a close-decision to budding prospect Ryan Bader. Despite the loss, Nogueira remains one of the top-players in the division and has been a perennial top-10 fighter.

“I probably could have gotten an easier fight, but I wanted to challenge myself,” said Tito.

“Do I fight someone who I’m supposed to beat, or do I fight someone that’s supposed to beat me? I like these terms better.”

Now after having disbanded his entourage and spending full-time training in Kings MMA in his own backyard of Huntington Beach, California, Ortiz has only surrounded himself with some of the best in the sport, including former Chute Boxe head trainer Rafael Cordeiro, Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Jason Miller, Fabricio Werdum and Wanderlei Silva among others.

Now this could be of the right place at the right time, and what better time then now. Should Ortiz lose his next outing, Dana has hinted that Tito should or would retire altogether. The former titleholder stands firm in his belief that he won’t retire, but he enjoys the challenge thrown down by his former manager.

“It’s just a challenge God has given me, and a challenge the UFC and Dana has given me,” said Tito.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of Tito’s comments? Do you think he will come out on top in his fight with “Lil Nog”? The two are set to headline “UFC Fight Night 24″ which takes place on March 26 at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. Sound off in the comment section below.

With credit going to MMA Fighting, White recently said the following at a Q&A session: “[Machida’s] had two losses in a row… Now he’s fighting Randy Couture in Toronto – and this is a must-win for him… Tito’s got to win this fight to stay in the UFC. If he loses this fight, he’ll probably retire.”

As a semi-converted kinda-sorta Tito Ortiz fan, I have to admit that I do feel bad that Ortiz’s promised comeback has never remotely gotten a chance to materialize. Was it really so long ago that Ortiz was the feared “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” that was known around the world as the most dominant, most popular, and most controversial star in the entire UFC? Because it certainly feels like it’s been an eternity since the last time Ortiz was relevant.

I honestly think Ortiz should indeed cut his losses and call it a career if he loses his next fight, which is scheduled to be against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the headlining bout of UFC “Fight Night 24”, also known as “Fight Night: Ortiz vs. Nogueira“. Ortiz hasn’t won an MMA fight since 2006, and his last two wins were both against a past-his-prime Ken Shamrock (and yes, Shamrock was well past his prime even in 2006). And unless Ortiz wants to become his old arch-rival, ruining a once-great career and turning it into a joke, it may be time to hang up the gloves once and for all.

As a huge Lyoto Machida fan, I’m very conflicted when it comes to his impending showdown with Randy Couture. On one hand, I’ll follow Machida no matter where he goes. On the other, I know Machida has another championship run in him and that he’ll shine brightest facing and overcoming the UFC’s best. On one hand, I’d love to see Machida KO Couture and take a huge step back on the comeback trail. On the other, I’m also a massive Couture fan and I really hate it when Couture loses, especially when you consider that he’s quickly approaching the tail-end of his stellar career.

At the end of the day, I think both Ortiz and Machida could conceivably remain employed in the UFC. Ortiz is facing near-insurmountable odds, but as we so often say nowadays, anything is possible in MMA. Machida seems far more likely to remain in the Octagon, and as always, I wish “The Dragon” nothing but the best and can’t wait to see what’s in store for the former champ. So while I agree with Dana White that both men should approach their next fight as if they’re fighting for their jobs (and there’s a pretty good chance they will be, let’s be honest), I’m also very optimistic and hope that these two turn it all around.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of Dana White’s comments?

Having cut his teeth early against some of the best that the sport had to offer then, including battles with Frank Shamrock, Guy Mezger, and Wanderlei Silva, Ortiz has now fallen on what would be considered the lowest of lows that his career has faced to date.

Currently, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” remains winless since a 2006 victory over the aging Ken Shamrock. Ortiz has lost 3 consecutive bouts, and is 0-4-1 in his last 5 bouts inside the octagon, albeit against top flight competition in Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, and Matt Hamill (respectively).

Although Ortiz remains a popular fighter among fans, a fourth loss will signal a release from the promotion, considering UFC President Dana White thought that his last defeat to Hamill at UFC 121 last October would have been Tito’s last bout inside the octagon.

Tito will now be facing arguably one of his toughest tests to date when he takes on perennial top-10 fighter and former PRIDE star, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. “Lil Nog” most recently suffered his first defeat inside the octagon and his first since February of 2007, when he took on Ryan Bader at UFC 119 last September. The wrestling powerhouse was able to dictate the action when consistent takedowns, though Rogerio gave the contender plenty of trouble on the feet.

The loss to Bader snapped a 7-fight win streak, which included back-to-back wins inside the UFC against notables Luiz Cane and Jason Brilz.

In a recent video, Ortiz blatantly stated “Seattle, I’m coming.. So, Nogueira, you better be ready. Kicking some ass March 26, here I come baby. It’s on.”

The event is rumored to be UFC Fight Night 24, and though no venue has been determined as of yet, it will take place on March 26 in Seattle, Wash.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the light heavyweight affair? Who do you think will walk away the winner and will Ortiz be saying bye-bye to the UFC following the bouts conclusion? Sound off in the comment section below.

The event, currently scheduled for March 26, will be the traditional “Fight Night” special that is used to build anticipation for the latest season of the popular and long-running UFC reality TV show “The Ultimate Fighter”. Ortiz will face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in a fight that was originally expected to go down on the main card of the upcoming UFC 128 Pay-Per-View in New Jersey.

“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” has been on quite the downward spiral for the last several years. Ortiz is currently on an abysmal five-fight winless streak, having drawn once and lost four times. His latest bout saw him get thoroughly dominated by former protégé Matt Hamill. Many thought that Ortiz would be released following that performance, but in the end the smooth-talking Ortiz was able to talk UFC President Dana White into getting one last chance to secure a win in the promotion that he once had so much success in.

He’ll have his hands full with Rogerio Nogueira, brother to former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. “Little Nog” has been on a slight downward curve of his own ever since bursting onto the UFC scene with his brilliant KO over Luiz Arthur Cane. However, Nogueira remains an ace on the ground and a more-than-capable striker standing up.

As a semi-converted sorta-kinda Tito Ortiz fan, I can certainly empathize with the man. I think Ortiz still wants to fight and still believes that he can fight at a high level. The only problem with that is that Ortiz is running into the same problem all the other veterans his age seem to be running into: the mind is willing but the body is weak. Ortiz can swear up and down that he’s a changed man since undergoing numerous surgeries to repair his various injuries, but the simple fact of the matter is that he’s still losing. This was supposed to be Tito Ortiz’s grand comeback, but instead he finds himself needing to make a comeback from this comeback.

I won’t fully count out Tito Ortiz against Rogerio Nogueira, but I do think that the future looks quite grim for the man. Nogueira may be old, but he can still go. And even if he’s past his prime, he’s still won a few in the Octagon and beaten some legitimate competition. Ortiz hasn’t been able to say either of those things for a long, long time… especially when you realize that his last major victories were over a washed-up, ridiculously-past-his-prime Ken Shamrock. So while I will indeed be holding out a sliver of hope for Tito Ortiz, I’ve got a sinking feeling that his upcoming main event will also be his final main event.

But of course, that’s just my opinion. What about you, fans and friends? What do you think of Tito’s chances going into this rescheduled fight with Nogueira?

Here’s what the brash-talking UFC head honcho had to say in a new interview with MMA Weekly: “I thought I was going to cut him… I talked to Tito, me and Tito had a conversation, and Tito said ‘I’m not done, I feel healthy, I feel good’, and he asked me for one more chance. So I’m going to do it. I’m not the evil bastard everyone thinks I am… [but] this is definitely his last chance. And he knows that too.”

I honestly can’t blame Dana White. I recognize how dominant Ortiz was in the past, and how big of a draw he used to be. But it’s been a long, long time since Ortiz was considered relevant in today’s Mixed Martial Arts. The man hasn’t won a fight in four years. His last two victories were both against a horribly-past-his-prime Ken Shamrock. The person Ortiz beat before that (Forrest Griffin) recently evened the score to 1-1 in Ortiz’s much-hyped return to the UFC.  Things just haven’t been working out for the former UFC champion.

I honestly don’t see how you can argue that he still belongs in the UFC if he ends up losing to Nogueira. If Ortiz loses again, he’ll officially be on a four-fight losing streak. No one, not even Tito Ortiz, should remain in the UFC if they’re on a four-fight losing-streak. I think Ortiz’s prior fame and his history as one of the UFC’s biggest draws is good enough to earn him this final shot at redemption, but if he fails once again, I’ll fully support Tito Ortiz being given his pink slip courtesy of Dana White and company.

But don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t consider myself a Tito Ortiz cynic. Press me and I may even admit that I’m a slight fan of the man. I’m simply being realistic here. The reality of the situation is that Tito Ortiz has been in “do or die” mode for a long time now, and all he has to show for it are a large number of nails being hammered into his coffin. It’s tough to say why he keeps failing, and that’s an argument that’s definitely up for debate. But, again, the realism of the situation is this: Ortiz has had some dark days recently, and those days will only get darker if he loses to “Little Nog”.

So, will I be pulling for Tito Ortiz in this last, desperate chance to remain relevant in a division that many wholeheartedly think has passed him by? It’s tough to say. I’m a fan of the Nogueira brothers too, you know. Right now, all I’ll say is that this fight sounds great on paper, and that if Ortiz really does have something left in his tank, he’ll need all of it to handle Rogerio. And maybe some part of me does indeed think that the UFC just wouldn’t be the same if Tito Ortiz wasn’t a part of it.

And what about you, fans and friends? What are your thoughts on Ortiz/Nogueira, and the repercussions it may produce?

After much speculation surrounding the former light heavyweight champion’s standings within the Zuffa owned company, it looks like we will at least see the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” fight one more time inside the octagon.

UFC President Dana White was non-committal when asked whether or not Ortiz would remain in the promotion, and to the contrary, recently revealed during a Q&A session in Germany (in accordance with the pre-fight happenings before UFC 122 tomorrow night) that Ortiz would have an impending fight with former PRIDE star Antonio Rogerio Nogueira next March.

“Yes, that’s true… in March”, stated White when a well informed fan, who clearly pays attention to all the rumors, hustle and bustle of the mixed martial arts industry, had proposed the possibility of the fight.

The next scheduled event in March is presumed to be UFC 128, which takes place in Abu Dhabi.

Ortiz is currently riding a three-fight losing streak inside the UFC, and has not recorded a victory since defeating UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock in October of 2006.

His last loss came at the hands of his former protege and number one pick on the third season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, in Matt Hamill. The two met at UFC 121, serving as one of the main attractions on the night’s pay-per-view card. Ortiz began round one strong with effective striking, however in rounds two and three succumbed to the superior wrestling prowess of Matt, and in the end dropped a unanimous decision to the budding contender.

Nogueira is also coming off of a loss, his first inside the octagon. Against Ryan Bader, Nogueria met his match inside the octagon. Riding a two-fight win streak in the promotion heading into the bout with Bader, which included a knockout victory over Luiz Cane and decision victory over Jason Brilz, Rogerio was thwarted by the strong, powerhouse wrestling style of Bader. Though he had his moments throughout the bout where his superior boxing was on display, Ryan eventually walked away the victor at UFC 119 with the decision victory.

A win here is especially important for Ortiz, whom is in desperate need of relevancy in the MMA world, where he has been written off from the game some time ago.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the match up? Sound off in the comment section below.

6. Tito Ortiz (5,294,000 PPV Buys)

Ortiz’s name on this list proves to me that a once-great star can still have drawing power so long as his fans continue to chase a dream while his cynics keep wanting to see him lose. Ortiz had his day in the sun as a dominant Light Heavyweight Champion, but his continued success as a Pay-Per-View draw is due to his fans wanting to believe that he can finally make good on his promises of a comeback, while those that dislike the man dislike him to such a degree that they’ll consistently purchase Pay-Per-View where he fights just so they can see him lose again. Ortiz proves that a fighter with an established, loyal fanbase can remain a big draw no matter what kind of win/loss ratio he has.

7. Frank Mir (5,209,000 PPV Buys)

Like Forrest Griffin, this one took me by surprise a little. Let’s be honest, Mir doesn’t have the most entertaining style, in fact, many people were quick to call his last fight (against Mirko Filipovic) downright atrocious. And yet Mir has made a mint off of getting fans riled up. His name on this list says to me that you can still be a huge draw even if a vast majority of fans are tuning in solely to see you lose.

8. BJ Penn (5,025,000 PPV Buys)

BJ Penn’s name on this list is indicates that MMA fans don’t forget a dominant face, even if he goes away. Penn has had his fair share of highs and lows, but above all else, people still remember his dominant win over Matt Hughes, his epic win over Diego Sanchez, etc. etc. Even though MMA has entered a mainstream that always looks for the next hot thing and is quick to abandon whatever falls out of favor, Penn’s #8 slot proves that MMA fans may be a fickle bunch in some matters, but they’ve also got quite a memory.

9. Randy Couture (4,767,000 PPV Buys)

I think Randy Couture’s spot on this list is all the proof I’ll ever need in order to know that MMA is a tough addiction to quit. As strange as it may sound to say, consider that there could honestly be some MMA fans that grew up watching Randy Couture. He’s certainly competed in a main event or close to main event capacity long enough for this to happen. Throughout all the years Couture has been competing, his fans have stayed with him and with the sport. In a world dominated by the Males 18-34 demographic, Couture’s spot on this list tells me that the old dogs have a lot more influence than we might think when it comes to who draws in this sport.

10. Anderson Silva (4,650,000 PPV Buys)

Our final entrant on this list, I think Anderson Silva proves above all else that the UFC Hype Machine knows how to make stars. Anderson Silva was always a fantastic fighter, but thanks to the UFC’s marketing juggernauts, Silva has been built up as the be-all and end-all in the UFC, with UFC President Dana White consistently calling him the top “Pound-for-Pound” athlete in the world despite a few puzzling fights where Silva seemed to have little fight in him. Silva is living proof that a great fighter will always be great, but a great fighter marketed correctly can bring in a huge amount of money.

So that’s the list, fans and friends. Remember, the full list can be found on MMA Manifesto. And now it’s your turn: did anyone in the bottom 5 surprise you? Do you think someone should be ranked higher than someone else? And what do you think these athletes say about our sport?

5. Blind, Deaf, Dumb, Zombie Cecil Peoples

The man has blown so many calls in his lifetime that he seems to have no brain. So why not embellish that fact and put together a brain-devouring Cecil Peoples? Bonus points for staring randomly at absolutely nothing and then proudly telling other people to go to hell if they don’t get why you picked your costume. Plus, if any scuffles break out during your long night of partying, you can proudly declare yourself the winner after every one, no matter how bad you get beaten. Everybody (only you) is a winner when you’re Cecil Peoples!

4. The Korean Zombie with “Shin on Chin” Attachment

You’ve seen the “arrow through head” hat that always gets trotted out at or near Halloween, why not one-up the competition with a Chan Sung Jung outfit that comes with a shin-on-chin attachment? That way you can crush two birds with one stone: go to a party as the fierce and unstoppable Korean Zombie, while earlier in the night you lay down in front of your porch KTFO’d and scare any children that pass by. Not because you jump out at them, just because they’re so scared of how heinously you got your head kicked in.

3. Skeleton Tito Ortiz with Highlighted Injury Areas

For the man who hasn’t won a battle in over four years through no fault of his own. Didn’t get that sexy girl’s number? It’s not your fault, you’ve got a cracked skull. Have to take a break from dancing every five minutes because you’re dead tired? It’s just your back injury flaring up again. With the Tito Ortiz outfit, nothing you do is ever your fault. Just don’t hurt any women, even though you could probably get away with it. Domestic violence isn’t cool, kids.

2. Bandolier-wearing, Corona-drinking, Burrito-eating, Sombrero Brock Lesnar (Complete with Mariachi Band)

Nothing says, “I’m an insensitive bastard, deal with it” quite like a Brock Lesnar costume outfitted with traditional Mexican garb. Like the Korean Zombie costume, this costume is awesome thanks to its versatility. At the start of the night, you can proudly prance up and down the street like an idiot, sipping your beer, wolfing down your burrito, and dancing around your sombrero while your faithful friends play the Mexican Hat Dance. Once it annoys everyone to the point of violence, you can then get somber, paint a huge gash on your cheek, and talk about being a humble champion. Bonus points for sporting a Viking beard that looks cool at first but makes you look like an idiot after you get your ass kicked, and even more bonus points for busting out the Lesnar Twirl when you hit the dance floor.

But above all else, the #1 MMA Costume for Halloween just has to go to…

1. Rashad Evans “KO Face”

Nothing I could ever write could accurately convey the awesomeness of the following picture:

The face that spawned a thousand Photoshop spoofs, each one more hilarious than the last, Rashad Evans would be the ultimate Halloween outfit. Start the night out by talking about how much you respect everybody while wearing a suit everywhere for no real reason, and then begin cursing at everyone while grabbing your junk, blowing them kisses, and twisting your nipples. Then, just when everyone is tired of the act, you bust out the big guns: “KO Face”. You’ll be the life of the party as everyone tries to imitate your epic flop to the floor. “KO Face” is the gift that just keeps on giving.

And that’s my list, fans and friends. Feel free to let me know some other awesome ideas for MMA costumes if you’ve got them. And Happy Halloween!

As if you couldn’t guess, UFC mega-star Brock Lesnar earned the most money at UFC 121. In fact, he earned double that of his opponent, despite losing to Velasquez in very humbling fashion. Lesnar’s situation is mirrored by Tito Ortiz, who pocketed a cool quarter million despite Matt Hamill making easy work of him. Here’s how everyone’s pay scale broke down, courtesy of MMA Weekly.

Cain Velasquez: $200,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus) defeated Brock Lesnar: $400,000. Jake Shields: $150,000 (includes $75,000 win bonus) defeated Martin Kampmann: $27,000. Diego Sanchez: $100,000 (includes $50,000 win bonus) defeated Paulo Thiago: $18,000. Matt Hamill: $58,000 (includes $29,000 win bonus) defeated Tito Ortiz: $250,000. Brendan Schaub: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win. Court McGee: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) defeated Ryan Jensen: $10,000. Tom Lawlor: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) defeated Patrick Cote: $21,000. Daniel Roberts: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) defeated Mike Guymon: $8,000. Sam Stout: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus) defeated Paul Taylor: $16,000. Chris Camozzi: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) defeated Dongi Yang: $8,000. Jon Madsen: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) defeated Gilbert Yvel: $30,000.

Ironically, Lesnar finds himself the most well-paid fighter of UFC 121 but also the fighter that may be out the longest due to injuries sustained during the fight. Unless Lesnar is medically cleared, he’s looking at a six-month layoff thanks to Cain Velasquez’s barrage of fists. Jake Shields could also be sitting on the sidelines for 180 days unless he too is cleared by a doctor. Courtesy of MMA Mania, here are the full list of medical suspensions for UFC 121.

Brock Lesnar, Jake Shields, Diego Sanchez, and Court McGee are all suspended for 180 days unless cleared by a doctor for various injuries incurred during the course of their fights. Brendan Schaub, Tito Ortiz, Ryan Jensen, Dongi Yang, Gilbert Yvel, and Gabriel Gonzaga were all suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days, for precautionary reasons. Paulo Thiago and Chris Camozzi were suspended 60 days, with no contact for 60 days, due to the cuts they sustained during their fights. Both men are looking at reduced suspensions if they are cleared by a doctor.

Love him or hate him, I think Brock Lesnar earned every penny of his almost half-million salary. Everyone is still talking about UFC 121, and that’s a good thing even if you hate Lesnar. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if this Lesnar-headlined card drew another million buys, which seems to be the norm for him nowadays. And people wonder why UFC President Dana White looked so crestfallen when he had to put that big lump of gold around Cain’s waist. In regards to the fighter suspensions, they all seem par for the course.

So what do you think, fans and friends? Who earned their dollars and who got an easy paycheck at UFC 121? And anything noticeable about the suspensions from where you’re sitting?

“No way, not even close to the end of my career… I’ve gone through some surgeries that people don’t come back (from). (But) I feel great. Besides my face being a little bit sore, I feel fine… It sucks to lose cause I let down a lot of my fans, and my fans are what means to me. I let down the UFC, I let down Dana. I want to prevail.”

Speaking of Dana White, the equally-as-controversial UFC figurehead, who had an incredibly bitter rivalry with Ortiz before both men played nice and buried the hatchet, wasn’t exactly optimistic about Ortiz’s chances in the UFC. In the same report on MMA Weekly, White said the following: “I don’t think Tito looked absolutely horrible tonight, but Tito’s lost what four in a row now? …I think we all know what happens when you lose four in a row in the UFC.”

Even though I’ve grown to like Tito Ortiz over the years (at one point I didn’t care for him at all), I find myself agreeing with the fans and insiders calling for Ortiz to retire. I think it’s very honorable that Ortiz hasn’t made a single excuse for his performance against Hamill (yet), but even with all manner of corrective surgeries, it’s plain to see that the game has passed Tito Ortiz by. Although Tito isn’t as one-dimensional as his fellow “old guard” alumni, against the top crop and even the middle of the UFC’s Light Heavyweight division, Ortiz is made to look one-dimensional by comparison.

I think Ortiz could fight several more times if he wanted to, and apparently he does want to, but really, should he? Just look at the cold, harsh facts. The last time Tito Ortiz won a fight was in 2006, when he beat Ken Shamrock. If you want to make a case that beating Shamrock meant nothing because he was so remarkably past his prime (and I think you do have a case to make if you do decide to go that route), then the last legitimate competition Tito Ortiz beat was Forrest Griffin, who avenged that loss in November 2009. Even Ortiz’s status as one of the longest-reigning UFC champions ever faces the humbling footnote of Tito’s historic run as UFC Light Heavyweight Champion beginning over a decade ago and ending over seven years ago.

At this point, the only thing Tito Ortiz can do nowadays is continue to pass the torch. I don’t think Ortiz will be able to handle the realization that he’s now a divisional gatekeeper, so I do think he’ll retire before 2011 is over and done with. The alternative is that Ortiz remains a member of the old guard and continues to get drowned in a sea of new, young, and very talented UFC Light Heavyweight fighters.

But what about you, fans and friends? Is the time right for Tito Ortiz to retire from MMA, or does he have one big comeback left in him?

New UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez was rightfully awarded “Knockout of the Night” for making quick work of former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. The fight was blissfully brief: both men traded takedowns, then Lesnar got clipped and Cain pounced on him like the monster that he is. Daniel Roberts earned himself $70,000 as well for a great Anaconda Choke on Michael Guymon that Guymon fought bravely against but ultimately tapped to. And finally, Paulo Thiago and Diego Sanchez each got their additional $70,000 as well, as the two men received the “Fight of the Night” award for their fast-paced and very exciting encounter.

I think Cain Velasquez definitely deserved “Knockout of the Night” for his amazing performance against Brock Lesnar. If you recall, I thought Cain would win it by TKO, but I had Lesnar lasting four rounds and succumbing to punches out of fatigue more than anything. Instead, Cain picked his shots, delivered huge power right onto Lesnar’s chin, opened up a massive gash on his cheek, and pounded out the man who famously survived the striking game of Shane Carwin. In an era where “bigger is better”, Velasquez proves that you don’t need to tip the scales at 265 to be a UFC Heavyweight Champion. I wish him all the best and am really looking forward to seeing him defend his championship.

As for Paulo Thiago and Diego Sanchez, I was very impressed by their fight as well. Paulo Thiago always seems to have a problem when it comes to justifying his hype, he’s never truly gotten out of the shadow of his KO win over Josh Koscheck but he’s made some admirable attempts. Diego Sanchez seemed to discover that old fire inside himself in this fight, and I think he earned himself another worthy entry into his highlight reel when he ran screaming across the cage with Paulo Thiago on his shoulders before sending the man crashing down to the mat with a massive slam.

Overall, UFC 121 was a big event and saw some big finishes that were awarded with big bonuses. I’m glad that the UFC’s “Of the Night” bonuses continue to increase, the athletes receiving them usually fully deserve them, and a huge bonus is a great incentive to keep producing entertaining and engaging fights. I think UFC 121 set up quite a lot of fights that will play out in 2011, so I look forward to seeing what the future holds.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of the UFC 121 fight bonuses, and UFC 121 as a whole?

Next for Brendan Schaub: In all likelihood it’ll be a rematch with Roy Nelson once Roy Nelson loses to Shane Carwin. I love me some “Big Country”, but I just don’t see him being able to withstand Carwin’s raw punching power, which I think is the pound-for-pound best in the UFC right now. If Nelson does beat Carwin somehow, then Schaub might get another gatekeeper like Cheick Kongo.

Next for Gabriel Gonzaga: Gatekeeper status, as harsh as that sounds. Gonzaga has been hit-or-miss for a long while now, and his performance against Schaub proved that that’s not going to change anytime soon. He’ll always have the Mirko Filipovic KO to look back on, but he’s never again going to be anywhere close to a UFC championship. Even with all that said, though, he’ll probably be a pretty good gatekeeper. I still like Gonzaga, I’m just being a realist when I say that he’s going to be welcoming rookies into the upper echelon or sending them back down the pecking order for quite some time.

Next for Tito Ortiz: Retirement. No more excuses, Tito. Ortiz looked downright bad against Matt Hamill, and with absolutely no disrespect meant to the man, Matt Hamill has never been a top-division fighter. No matter how many corrective surgeries he’s had or how healthy he keeps saying he is, Tito Ortiz hasn’t gotten a good win over a relevant opponent in a long, long, long time. It’s time to pack it in and call it a career before you become your most hated adversary, Ken Shamrock.

Next for Diego Sanchez: It’ll be a trip back down to 155 as earlier reported, but now I can safely say that I think Sanchez will work his way back up to title contention when he cuts to Lightweight once again. Sanchez put on a vintage performance and rejuvenated a career that had honestly begun to stagnate. If we see the Diego Sanchez of UFC 121 show up in the UFC’s Lightweight division as it stands right now, we’re looking at a possible champion.

Next for Jake Shields: It’s already been confirmed that Dana White has made Jake Shields the top contender to the UFC Welterweight Championship. How do I think he’ll do? It depends who he’s facing. I think Jake Shields is a phenomenal fighter that simply made a few mistakes and perhaps let the pressure get to him, which is why he gassed out and barely edged out Martin Kampmann at this event. Whether it’s Georges St. Pierre or Josh Koscheck, I think Shields will once again do a lot better than virtually anyone gives him credit for and perhaps even win the title.

Next for Brock Lesnar: He’ll be back and better than ever, that’s all I can really say right now. Lesnar isn’t done, and he’s still growing by leaps and bounds as a Mixed Martial Artist. In his next fight, we’ll either see a Lesnar with an incredibly improved stand-up game or a Lesnar that does nothing but shoot for a takedown. Either way, I think Lesnar will jump right back into the title picture and may even get another shot at it by the end of 2011.

Next for Cain Velasquez: Junior Dos Santos if we’re talking specifics, getting marketed for everything he’s worth by the UFC if we’re talking in generalities. With how stacked the Heavyweight division has been lately, the UFC is going to milk Cain’s status as the first Mexican UFC Champion for all it’s worth, both because it makes sense and also because he may lose to Dos Santos.

And that’s what I see when I stare into my little crystal ball, fans and friends. What about you? What do you think is next for the winners and losers of UFC 121 “Lesnar vs. Velasquez”?

Brendan Schaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga: I honestly believe that Schaub is overlooking Gonzaga and is beginning to believe his own hype. There’s no doubt that Schaub is talented, but the fact that he’s already talking about a title shot convinces me that he’s not nearly focused enough on “Napao”, who can still be a major threat to the right opponent. Gonzaga may be a glorified gatekeeper, but he’s got a lot of fight left in him. Expect him to catch Schaub off-guard and get the (T)KO in the second round.

Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago: I think this is a make-or-break fight for both fighters, although much more for Sanchez. Even if it’s been revealed that Sanchez is dropping back down to Lightweight win or lose, I think that another loss would put his job in serious jeopardy. For Thiago, it’s all about getting the hype train rolling again after Martin Kampmann derailed it. I simply think Sanchez has more experience and wants the win more, but it’s going to be close, so I’m picking Sanchez by Unanimous Decision with 29-28 scores across the board.

Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill: Part of me hates myself for doing this again, but I truly believe Ortiz when he says that he’s back and healthy and better than ever. I think Matt is a good fighter, but he’s consistently proven that he’s just not up to top-level standards. And if Ortiz really is as healthy as he says he is, he’s still a top-level athlete. This is another do-or-die situation, with Ortiz squarely in the cross-hairs. Because he needs it badly and says that he hasn’t felt this good since he went on his historic run as UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, I’m picking Ortiz to win via Unanimous Decision. But if he loses again, and worse yet, if he makes more excuses, Tito Ortiz may as well call it a career.

Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann: His performance against Dan Henderson fully converted me; I now consider myself a Jake Shields fan. As such, I’m pulling for him as well as picking him to defeat Kampmann. I think Kampmann will always be a real-life example of “so close and yet so far away”, I see him hovering around the top of the division for the foreseeable future but rarely getting into true title contention. Shields is already a proven champion, so I think he’ll really impress in his UFC debut. I don’t expect him to outright dominate Kampmann, but I do think he’ll finish this fight. I’m picking Jake Shields to submit Martin Kampmann early in the third round.

Cain Velasquez vs. Brock Lesnar: I’ve been favoring Velasquez from the start, and that hasn’t changed. Cain has incredible cardio, serious power, unbreakable will, incredible heart, and trains with one of the most prestigious training camps in Mixed Martial Arts. Lesnar won’t be able to withstand the pace Cain will set and the leather he will throw for what could turn into a five-round fight. I’m still thinking Lesnar gasses out, despite the negative reaction that opinion has been getting. Trust me: Lesnar’s cardio has looked great because he’s controlled the pace for every single one of his fights, other than the Shane Carwin fight where he just absorbed punishment and survived to the end of the round. Cain will push Brock like he’s never been pushed before and tire him out. Look for Cain to nail one last barrage on a weakened and slow Lesnar and get the TKO in the fourth round.

And those are my picks, fans and friends. It’s not final call: who’ve you got for UFC 121 and why?

Adorned on the cover of magazines, video games, posters, there was no denying the impact that “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” has had on the sport, but are his best days behind him?

Well, he certainly doesn’t think so.

After a tumultuous relationship with Dana White that hindered any talks of Ortiz, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, returning to the worlds largest mixed martial arts organization, he was later able to revitalize his career, mend fences and after two successful surgeries, he finds himself in awkward space: at the bottom, looking for his way back to the top.

One of the original stars of the UFC, Ortiz has had his fair share of obligations with the organization. Having defended his title when he was champion at a record setting (for the 205-pound division) 5 times, coupled with his brash and cocky attitude, there was no denying the magnitude of Ortiz’ celebrity, even in the organization’s infantile stages. Now that he’s just another face on the card, he relishes the new role, and has no problem handing over the reigns to Brock Lesnar, who will be headlining UFC 121 this Saturday opposite of Cain Velasquez in defense of his heavyweight title.

“It takes a lot of pressure off. It’s awesome”, said Tito during the pre-fight press conference in Anaheim, Cali.

“I like to see Brock doing all the work, and Cain doing all the work. But at the same time, I still do the extra P.R. the UFC will let me do. It’s Dana’s decision at the end. I’m thankful just to be on the card.”

Tito is grateful to be on what he call’s “Brock Lesnar’s card”, and with a subtle 0-3-1 record in his last four fights, albeit all against former champions (Chuck Liddell, Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida and Forrest Griffin, respectively). At the end of the day, he envisions victory over his former protege Matt Hamill, and hopes to make his way back to the top, once again.

“To be on Brock Lesnar’s card, I kind of jumped at it”, began the 35-year-old.

“I seen this card being here in Anaheim, and I called Dana, and I wasn’t even clear from my doctor yet, and I said ‘is there an opening for that card?’. I mean to be on a pay-per-view card of this magnitude is an awesome opportunity of course.

“I just need to earn my way back up on top. Coming off of an 0-3-1 record, I need to work my back up, and I understand that. When I prove myself on Saturday night, then I’ll be in the UFC’s hands.”

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of Tito’s chances Saturday night? Can he overcome all the adversity leading up to his bout with Hamill, check the ego at the door and come out on top?
Sound off in the comment section below.

He’s claimed being healthy on, who knows how many occasions.

Heading into his second bout with Forrest Griffin at ufc 106, all the pre-fight hype surrounding Ortiz was centered around him claiming that his re-entry into the the worlds largest organization would be on the heels of a successful surgery repairing damage to his back and neck (which had been sustained over the years).

And claiming a clear bill of health, after the bouts conclusion Ortiz revealed a broken orbital bone and a cracked skull as the ultimate cause of a poor performance turned against his rival (the two met previously some years ago, where Ortiz claimed a highly disputed split-decision victory at UFC 59, while Griffin picked up a split-decision victory in the rematch).

“I got bounced on my head, trying to take down one of my friends inside the Octagon that I have in my house up here in Big Bear”, said Ortiz while speaking with USA Today concerning some of his previous dehibilating injuries heading into his rematch with Griffin.

“I got bounced on my neck. Arms and legs went completely numb. Scared me. I laid on the floor for about a good minute and a half. I was completely paralyzed for about a minute and a half”, continued the former light heavyweight champion.

“Slowly but surely my feeling came back to my arms, came back to my legs, and I was able to stand up. I’d never felt that feeling before. I had severe achiness to my neck, and I kind of realized that I had a ruptured disc in my neck.

“…I got through a physical for the UFC and I fought with a fractured orbital bone and a ruptured disc in my neck.”

However, after it’s all been said and done with, Tito (again) now says no excuses, no turn overs, and he’s in perfect shape to be able to defeat his former “The Ultimate Fighter” protege, Matt Hamill come this Saturday, at UFC 121.

“It’s nice to be injury free”, claimed “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy”.

“If anybody has ever had any back problems, lower back problems, neck problems — any spinal problem that’s compressing on the spinal cord — they’ll feel my pain. Now try doing that stuff where you’ve got to train five days a week, where you’ve got to do the sparring and do the running and do the jiu-jitsu and the kickboxing.”

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of Ortiz’ recent claims of a perfect bill of health? Is it just talk, or will we see the old Tito back in the cage once again? Sound off in the comment section below.

Here’s what the always-controversial MMA veteran had to say over at USA Today: “I’m just happy to be fighting back in the UFC and to continue my career… I feel like a new man after going through two major surgeries… I’m a new man now… I told myself I would never take a fight like I did last year ever again. I promised myself I’d never do that, because I never want to give a guy an opportunity to beat me again… It’s been a good six, seven years since I felt the way I do now. The last time I felt like this was when I had my world title.”

I know, I know. Believe me, fans and friends, I know: we’ve heard this all before. We’ve heard the excuses, the “I’m back and better than ever”, the “Oh wait I was injured” after “back and better than ever” didn’t exactly go according to plan. At this point it’s hard to take anything Ortiz says seriously unless he proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt in the Octagon. Only the staunchest Ortiz supporters jump on his hype train nowadays. A large majority take anything that comes out of Tito’s mouth with quite a few grains of salt.

But in all honesty, I think Ortiz still has the chance to make good on his long-ago promise of being a contender in the UFC again. He may not be up to the impressive standard set by veterans like Matt Hughes and Randy Couture, but he’s not Chuck Liddell by any stretch of the imagination. Ortiz is down, sure, I don’t think anyone can seriously try to raise an argument to the contrary. But he’s not out.

It simply remains to be seen where Ortiz belongs in the UFC. The future does look bleak, despite his credentials and past Ortiz hasn’t won a fight since 2006. But anything is possible and Ortiz may have one last run left in him. Then again, he may not. He may be done no matter what he says, and his fight against Hamill would just be a case of prolonging the inevitable win or lose. But if anyone deserves a second chance, it’s Tito Ortiz. He’s still got a lot of name valued and could become a big-time draw again if he just wins his next few fights.

In the end, I’ll be pulling for Ortiz in this fight. I think his year-long layoff from the UFC mellowed him out considerably, and most of the time he seems downright respectable nowadays, scandals with wife and famed porn star Jenna Jameson notwithstanding. Ortiz still has plenty left to give and could go on a pretty decent run in the UFC if everything works out. But if he loses, I don’t want to hear any excuses. I know that’s a lot to ask of Tito Ortiz, but he’s only digging his own grave if he continues to cover up his losses with a laundry list of injuries. Win or lose, I think we’ll find out once and for all what the future holds for Tito Ortiz at UFC 121.

And what about you, fans and friends? What does the future hold for Tito Ortiz?

Originally seen on MMAWeekly, this is what Dana had to say regarding the potential match-up: “Chuck’s one of my good friends, and I don’t want him to fight anymore. Chuck’s been a warrior, he’s been a great champion, and a great friend and a great partner. I don’t want to see it anymore.”

I honestly and wholeheartedly agree with Dana White’s assertions. I just can’t take seeing Liddell getting KO’d again. I think Liddell would fight until he was seventy and had to enter the Octagon in a Hoveround if he had his way. But his legacy is set in stone, he’ll always be remembered as one of the most dominant champions in UFC/MMA history. The man has absolutely nothing left to prove, and while just fighting for the sake of fighting has proven beneficial to aging (but still good) veterans like Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell isn’t one of those examples. He shares far more similarities with Ken Shamrock than he does Randy Couture.

Even if Liddell does come back one last time to fight “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” again, would a third fight really prove anything? “The Iceman” already holds two (T)KO victories over Ortiz. At this point, adding a third would just be redundant, it would do virtually nothing to rejuvenate Liddell’s career. Worse yet, it would provide even less of a benefit to Tito Ortiz. It may make for some interesting television to see Ortiz KO Liddell, but everyone on the planet would hold this one simple fact against Ortiz if he wins the third fight: Ortiz would never have been able to KO Liddell in his prime and only succeeded by breaking a chin that has been so weakened over the years that it’s basically glass.

The jury is still out on Tito Ortiz, we’ll have to wait and see how he does against Matt Hamill before we get on the comeback hype train. But when it comes to Liddell, the sentence was delivered long ago. Liddell didn’t go down without a fight, he even appealed that decision several times, but his death sentence has finally and rightfully caught up to him. I’m sure my pain at seeing Liddell continuously getting KO’d doesn’t come anywhere close to the pain that Liddell must feel knowing that he’s got to give it all up and hang up the gloves, but I still firmly believe that Chuck Liddell needs to retire and stay retired.

But as always, it’s not just about what I think. What do you think, fans and friends? Should Chuck come out of retirement one more time, one last time, to face Ortiz again? And how would that match go down if it ever happened?

Previously mentioned, the main event of the evening is looking like it will be a battle between Brazilians when Vitor Belfort challenges former teammate Anderson Silva for the ufc middleweight title. Also on the card, a battle between light heavyweights Ryan Bader and Jon Jones will battle it out for top contenders status in a stacked 205-pound division.

Seemingly a shoe in for co-main event honors, the bout was trumped when a recent news breaker was published, which will garner a lot of attention come fight time.

MMAJunkie.com has recently reported that a battle between former champions is in place, when Forrest Griffin (a former light heavyweight champion) will do battle with Rich Franklin (former middleweight champion).

Franklin is coming off a devastating knockout over UFC Hall of Famer, Chuck Liddell, last June, at UFC 115. Then dramatic ending came when it appeared that Franklin was on the ropes in the waning moments of the fight, as he was reeling back against the cage, Franklin uncorked a right hand that put “The Iceman” down and out. The win helped Rich bounce back from a knockout loss to Vitor Belfort at UFC 103 in September of last year.

Forrest, meanwhile, was last seen in action at UFC 106, in November of last year. There, Griffin met with rival Tito Ortiz. The two had met a few years back, in April of 2006 at UFC 59, where Ortiz had won a very controversial split-decision victory. Forrest was then sent on the fast track towards the top of the weight class and eventually became the 205-pound champion. He proved to be victorious over Tito, gaining a bit of revenge over his rival, and evening the score. The win helped snap a two-fight losing streak that Griffin has sustained against Rashad Evans, in an unsuccessful attempt to defend his title, and than a knockout loss to current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, at UFC 101.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match up? Sound off in the comments section below.

Since his inception into the world of mixed martial arts, Matyushenko has experienced the full gamut that the sport as had to offer, the highs and lows. The former IFL light heavyweight champion holds signature wins over Jamal Patterson, Pedro Rizzo and Antonio Rogerio Nogueria. He’s challeneged for the UFC’s 205-pound strap against then champion Tito Ortiz, was a contender in it’s heavyweight division, but has never been able to secure a top spot in the organization.

While his second stint in the UFC was fairing well, with commanding victories over Eliot Marshall and Igor Pokrajac, Matyushenko appeared to be on the fast track towards contender status once again. That is, until the IFL champ locked horns with 205-spitfire Jon Jones. The New Yorker was able to mop the floor with “The Janitor”, easily handling Matyushenko to the ground before locking up Vlad with a crucifix on the ground, before delivering rapid fire elbows to the head, halting a stop to the contest.

While some have been cut from the UFC for less, Matyushenko has now officially secured his spot in the promotion and will now look to work his way back up the ranks, once again. Though at the ripe age of 39, Vlad’s time is limited and he will have to work quickly.

Matyushenko’s representation, Alchemist Management broke the news that the Belarusian signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC. And interesting enough, thanks to MMAFighting for having initiated this, Vlad’s next fight will signify the first time that “The Janitor” would fight four times, consecutively inside the UFC.

So, who should Vlad’s next opponent be? Who would you like to see him up against next? And has the loss to Jones set him back considerably, or just a little bit–considering where Jones has been heading in his UFC career.

In the co-main event slot, former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion and Elite XC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields will make his debut in the UFC, fresh off his five-round outclassing of Dan Henderson at Strikeforce: Nashville in April of this year. Standing in his way is the tough Martin Kampmann, who rebounded from a KO loss to UFC exile Paul Daley with big wins over Jacob Volkmann and Paulo Thiago. Speaking of Paulo Thiago, the man still trying to step out of the shadow of his surprise KO over the current UFC Welterweight Championship #1 Contender Josh Koscheck will also be competing at UFC 121. Facing Thiago will be Diego Sanchez, in Sanchez’s second Welterweight fight since losing a fight for the UFC Lightweight Championship to then-champion BJ Penn.

Also announced is a fight between popular UFC Light Heavyweight Matt Hamill and his friend/coach/mentor Tito Ortiz, the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and one of the most controversial fighters to ever step foot in the Octagon. Ortiz will be returning from an injury that forced him to back out of a proposed third fight with Chuck Liddell. It’s been four long years since Tito Ortiz has scored a win inside the Octagon. Rounding out the main card is a fight pitting Heavyweights Brendan Schaub and Gabriel Gonzaga against each other. Gonzaga may have been cast in the role of elite-level gatekeeper in his recent fights, but should prove a very tough test for Schaub, who has looked excellent in all his UFC fights save for a KO loss to Roy Nelson.

UFC 121 is shaping up to be one of the best cards of the year, an astonishing fact considering that 2010 gave us “Aldo vs. Faber” and UFC 116. This card is loaded with potential from top to bottom, and I think every single Pay-Per-View fight could have been a headline attraction in their own right. Lesnar vs. Velasquez is a no-brainer. With the mentor vs. student appeal, Ortiz vs. Hamill could have headlined its own Pay-Per-View. Shields/Kampmann could easily have led a British PPV or a Fight Night Live, as could Paul Thiago vs. Diego Sanchez and Brendan Schaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga. Anything can happen when the cameras go live, but on paper, the Pay-Per-View card is filed to the brim with can’t-miss fights. If all the fights live up to their potential, UFC 121 will be like a Christmas gift come early, even though it takes place near Halloween.

And what do you think, fans and friends? How excited are you for UFC 121, and which fight in particular are you looking forward to the most?

While the former light heavyweight champion has been on the mend since having necessary shoulder surgery following his win over Tito Ortiz at UFC 106 in November of last year, he has taken the opportunity to follow up his best selling book “Got Fight?” with another reader-pleaser, and is now en route on a book tour across the country.

The new book, cleverly titled “Be Ready When the Sh*t Goes Down: A Survival Guide to the Apocalypse”, is being sold where all major books can be purchased, and Forrest Griffin is answering any and all questions along with his book tour, and also addressed the issue that Jon Jones is beginning to become in the light heavyweight division.

“That’s just ridiculous,” he said in an interview with WWUZ. “(Vladimir) Matyushenko’s been around a decade. He fought Tito (Ortiz) for 25 minutes. He’s a great guy. So I haven’t really been paying attention, but I keep hearing he’s the next big thing, and I’m inclined to believe it.”

While Griffin is not inclined to take on any fights while he is still healing up from injury, he throws in his two cents, and is campaigning for a Jones-Silva match up.

“I think they should fight. I really do,” said Griffin about a potential bout with Anderson Silva and Jon Jones. “I think that’s a great fight. I think Jones is the next thing, man. I’ve known this for a while, and I thought Brandon Vera would be the test for him.”

So Griffin thinks Silva and Jones should get together, what do you think? Too much, too soon?

How about Kazushi Sakuraba? Does the “Gracie Hunter” still make you wish you would have paid attention to Japanese manga more and bought a cheap leatard and called yourself a wrestler?

Well, I didn’t think so.

For most hardcore fans, Pedro Rizzo and Kevin Randleman are still names that resonate in the sport of MMA today, though they are clearly past their prime, people still tune in for the sentimental value they represent to us as fans, and we acknowledge them as pioneers of this very young sport, which hasn’t even seen two-full-decades yet.

But as the sport continues to grow, it’s these same fighters, these dimmed stars who won’t recieve their fair share of neither compensation, nor near star studded status that some enjoy today.

If you can liken Pedro Rizzo to anyone in his early days of the UFC, it would be Anderson Silva–based on his striking.

Meaning, that at the time, Rizzo was considered by most pundits, the greatest striker in MMA during his era. Battles with Randy Couture, Josh Barnett, Kevin Randleman, and Tank Abbot bolster his resume.

The Nova Uniao product crushed Barnett in the UFC, with a huge KO victory over the to be UFC heavyweight champion, but most probably remember their most recent meeting in Affliction not too long ago, when Barnett exacted revenge on a now-chinny Rizzo, crushing him with a left hook and a short a nap.

Tito Ortiz, while he still remains a draw do to his iconic presence that he won’t let you forget, as he was the man who initially set the precedent with title defenses with 5, before Anderson Silva trumped him with 6 (7, unofficially, since Travis Lutter couldn’t make weight) and he’s working on his 7th.

Interesting to note though, that both Anderson and Tito are just around the same age…but what make’s Silva the better all around fighter, and thus well recieved (most of the time) with fans and media alike–garnering attention is a pound-for-pound great?

While Ortiz remained in big bear and drudged it out with his same coaches, Saul Soliz for striking and Dean Lister for Jujitsu, Anderson traveled the world, fight in several different promotions, cross-trained with some of the best, and paired up with the Nogueria brothers and helped initiate “Black House”, he has been able to redefine himself again, and again.

Though both men are in the midst of constant criticsm and controversy, there’s no doubt that Silva is the better fight, even though both men began their inception into MMA about the same time.

And because he is the better fighter, he gets the bigger fights, the bigger fights, the more of a draw and house hold name he has become, making the old-timers less, and less relevant in an ever expanding sport.

TMZ once again scoops the entire mixed martial arts (MMA) world by announcing that the Orange County District Attorney rejected the case based on “insufficient corroboration to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he attacked his girlfriend Jenna Jameson.”

Tito was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence after officers were called to the couple’s residence on April 26 in Huntington Beach, California.

The lack of charges filed likely stems from the constant changing story of Jenna. Originally she stated Tito had been physical with her. Tito stated he found the pill Oxycontin in her pants and this was the reason for the argument.

Later Chip Matthews, Tito’s lawyer, told Sherdog that the incident had been a “misunderstanding” and the couple was moving towards reconciliation.

Then Jenna recanted once again and the District Attorney decided to take a look at the charges.

I am sure all the MMA fans worldwide are happy to see an end to “As the World Turns” starring Jenna and Tito.

Jenna Jameson had accused Tito of injuring her in a domestic dispute but told TMZ “What actually happened has now been dramatically distorted and misinterpreted and remarks that both Tito and I made after the police arrived reflect the state of shock that we were both in”

According to the report Tito is now backing off his original statement that Jenna is an OxyContin addict. The story being told now is that he found two pills and may have jumped to conclusions. Jenna stated that the pills were very old.

According to Tito’s lawyer, Chip Matthews, the whole thing “was a big misunderstanding”

Many news outlets and fans alike had begun to crucify Tito after the arrest. Like I stated in my earlier piece, in order to report accurately and keep from hurting the lives and careers of those involved we must wait until all the facts come out before making any judgments on the matter. Innocent until proven guilty comes to mind when faced with reporting on stories such as this one.

Stay tuned to Fighters.com for more information on this developing story.

As websites push to discuss how Tito has given the sport of mixed martial arts a black eye, Fighters.com wonders why no one is objectively reporting the case and doing as the legal system intended to do. A person arrested for a crime is supposed to be innocent until proven guilty but I guess that does not apply to MMA media. Let’s look at the facts and rumors of this story before we go any further.

The first report that TMZ put out to the public was:
“TMZ has learned Tito Ortiz was just arrested for felony domestic violence at the home he shares with Jenna Jameson.

We’re told when cops arrived at the couple’s home in Huntington Beach, CA — Jenna Jameson had “visible injuries.”

We’re told someone called 911 today at 9:53 AM and reported a “disturbance.”

Tito is currently in custody and on his way to a Huntington Beach jail in Orange County, CA.

Tito and Jenna are not married — but they have twin boys together.

Story developing …”

Dana White wasted no time stating that next to going on a killing spree, this is the worst thing you could do and that he will wait to see the police report before deciding if he will cut Tito from the UFC roster. I believe that basing Tito’s future with the company off a police report is highly irresponsible. With all due respect to the police, the reports are not the clear cut facts in the case but rather what the officers on the scene noticed and dealt with.

Now as a new day dawns on the case, many new allegations are coming from both Tito and Jenna. As of this article Tito was out on bail in the amount of $25,000 and no charges had been filed.Here is where the story gets confusing as statements are starting to be made.  “Unfortunately, Jenna relapsed this morning and suffered the consequences of that,” Chip Matthews, Ortiz’s personal lawyer, said at the press conference. “We’re here because Tito was trying to help her.”

Tito also made a statement in the press conference, he stated “My parents have gone through an addiction, and I’ve seen a mirror again, and I’m not going to let my family go through that.” “I speak from the heart, and as I say … I hold everything dear to my heart that Jenna will be OK.”

Jenna denied that Tito beat her by stating “He didn’t beat me, “We had an argument, and it escalated, and things got out of control … the cops were called, and because there were visible marks on me, they took him to jail.” She goes on to further claim that during an argument Monday morning she, “said something very hurtful to his ego.” She alleges that Tito then grabbed her and, “threw me into the bathtub and tore two ligaments in my shoulder.” Tito’s attorney denied that to TMZ saying  “He did not put his hands on her, he did not hit her, he did not do anything to her.”

Matthews claims Tito found pills in Jenna’s pants pocket and that when Tito confronted her she had an “emotional meltdown.” Rumors indicate that the pills were the popular narcotic oxycontin.

Jenna says Tito’s addiction allegation is, “completely false” and “the last nail in the coffin” for their relationship.

I think it is clear that there is much left to be heard about this case and any rash judgment on behalf of Dana White, the UFC, fans of MMA and/or major media news outlets goes against everything the judicial system in this country was founded upon. I do not condone the abuse of any woman or significant other for that matter but I also hate to see anyone ruined due to a rush of judgment. My MMA Gospel Radio co-host, Gary Friedman pointed out that before crucifying Tito, we should all wait and see what truth comes out of all this. After already witnessing the national sports media burning the players from the Duke lacrosse team at the stake only to find out they were in fact innocent, is this a road we want to travel?

Is Tito being on TMZ bad for the sport of MMA? I have no idea what impact it will have on the sport but I do know the NFL, NBA and MLB all have players that are in the news for these events regularly it seems. I doubt this will have any real effect on the sport but will have more of an effect on the career and reputation of Tito Ortiz.

Stay tuned to Fighters.com and MMA Gospel Radio as we keep you updated on this story while keeping in mind that Tito is in fact innocent until proven guilty.

Tito has been blasted for lying to fans and telling them the fight between him and Chuck was still on even though he knew he was off of the card. His response came via Twitter and is one all fans and media alike should understand.

“I haven’t lied to anyone. I was told not to say “Anything”! Having a chance to be sued for $5 million was not a chance I wanted to take. So watch TUF 11 and see what happens. I was just doing what I was told, for once. Sorry!”

Fans and media alike are well aware of the nondisclosure agreement coaches and fighters appearing on”The Ultimate Fighter” must sign. It comes as no shock to Fighters.com that he was unable to tell the truth. Regardless many fans felt he should have just stated they would have to wait and see what happens. Now using our brains here, had he come out and not responded to the questions regarding his health, him leaving the show and his fight with “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-7) the media would have gone crazy with it. The only way to ensure that the information stayed locked away until the UFC was ready to release it was to say that everything was still a go and leave it at that.

Regardless of what Tito said or did not say, the change of fighters in the main event seems to have made an impact on the sale of tickets for UFC 115.

UFC 115 takes place in Vancouver and on Tuesday pre-sale tickets were available. UFC fans were not messing around as the set a new record for the fastest sellout in UFC history, with the event selling out just 30 minutes after tickets went on sale at 10 AM PT. Dana White announced it via Twitter by saying “Vancouver sold out in 30 mins!!!! Thank you Vancouver we worked hard on getting it there. Thank you Mayor Robertson.”

There is no way to tell if the change from Tito to Rich had any effect on the speed of ticket sales but I would venture to say that it was a factor. Consider what the headline was and what it has now become.

Chuck versus Tito is a fight fans have twice before and neither fight was very competitive. Chuck did what he wanted in both fights and Tito never really seemed to have a shot during the fight. Other than the fact that so many enjoy watching Tito get beat, what other motivation would there be for fans to rush out and buy tickets to the event? Chuck is now fighting Rich Franklin and this fight is much more intriguing.

Chuck Liddell is on a slide in the UFC with four losses in his last five fights. Even though there have been talks of his retirement by UFC president Dana White, Chuck still has the drive to fight and carries the power to put people to sleep. Chuck has beaten the best during his reign as UFC light heavyweight champion. He has ten knockouts inside the Octagon and had seven consecutive at one time. A UFC Hall of Famer, Chuck is coming in prepared to get back on the winning track.

Chuck told MMA Weekly “I’m ready for this fight, I’m in the best shape of my life, and I can’t wait to get back in the Octagon.”  “I can’t tell the fans what happens in the Ultimate Fighter 11, you have to watch the show, but I’ll tell you how this is gonna end, I’m knocking Rich out.”

Rich on the other hand is a fighter that has been in limbo since his defeats to Fighters.com and UFC middleweight champion “The Spider” Anderson Silva (26-4). He has had a couple of fights at a catch-weight of 195 as well as fights at 205. Rich currently has twelve wins inside the Octagon and is now looking to make a run at the light heavyweight championship as he takes on the former champion.

“Chuck is a gamer,” Franklin said. “He is a professional – take Randy for example. He and Randy are friends, but he didn’t have a problem fighting Randy and punching him in the head, so he sure won’t have a problem punching me in the head. I’m excited about fighting Chuck, I’m going to give everything I have, and I look forward to giving fans a great fight in Vancouver.”

Rich is the epitome of a company man, always saying the right things and doing whatever is needed of him by the UFC. He did not want to coach again on TUF yet here he is stepping in to take over for Tito and face a man who regardless of public opinion, can take you out with one punch.

This is a fight fans love to see, two former champions trying to get back what they once had and coveted. Two true fan favorites who will give us what Anderson Silva did not, non-stop action. I have been asked by fans if I believe Rich has the chin to stand and trade with Liddell and honestly I don’t have an answer to that question. We all watched as Rich stood and traded with a man many thought was the scariest on the planet when he was in Pride, “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (34-10-1). Rich went on to win by unanimous decision in that fight. So can he take a shot? I believe he can but I doubt Rich will attack like the fallen that have stood before Chuck in the past.

Liddell is known for his ability to suck fighters inside and is one of the best counter-punchers in the game. Rich is well aware of this and his trainer Matt Hume is sure to develop a game plan that will include getting inside, using the clinch and working some dirty boxing. I would not be shocked to see Rich try and take Chuck down either but getting Chuck down and keeping him there has never been an easy task.

The bottom line is that this fight is one I believe had much to do with the fastest sell-out in UFC history. Two legends known to bring the fight to their opponents and both looking to rise up out of the ashes.

Tito lied but really had no choice, just like the fans in Vancouver had no choice but to clammer for tickets to see what is sure to be a great main event.