Beginning his career in the 185-pound division where he had picked up some of the largest wins of his career, which includes an 18-second drubbing of former middleweight champ Dave Menne, in what has to be remembered as one of the greatest knockouts of all time.

Emaciating himself to the 170-pound division for his last several fights, “The New York Bad Ass” returns to where it all began in, when he makes his way back to the middleweight division in hopes to deliver another career highlight reel.

In his way, will be fellow banger in the young Hawaiian, Brad Tavares, as MMAJunkie.com has reported. Competing on the eleventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, the 22-year-old finished as a semi-finalist, eventually losing on the show to finalist and TUF winner, Court McGee.

Professionally still undefeated, Tavares was able to return on the shows finale and earned a unanimous decision victory over fellow castmate Seth Baczynski.

Baroni, meanwhile, is riding a two-fight losing streak. After being released by Strikeforce in June of 2009, following a decision loss to Joe Riggs, Baroni was signed to the UFC and competed against season seven winner of TUF, Amir Sadollah at UFC 106 in November of that year, in his last outing. Phil had his moments, however, the then 1-1 Amir was able to outwork the veteran en route to a decision victory.

Phil will likely be fighting for his place with the promotion, where he finds himself with a compiled 3-6 record inside the cage.

UFC 125 takes place on January 1., in Las Vegas, Nev., in what is expected to be the date where Frankie Edgar will look to defend his title for a second time against former for, Gray Maynard, in a rematch stemming back from 2008.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of this match up? Will Tavares be the victor, or will Baroni probe that an old dog can still learn new tricks? Sound off in the comment section below.

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.

The eye poke issue is a hot topic and one that needs to be addressed right away before an athlete has their career ended due to a finger in the eye socket. Fighters have always been subjected to the occasional poke and maybe it is me but it seems to be happening more frequently as of late. It could be attribute to the fact that we now are able to witness more MMA than ever before but regardless, something needs to be done.

In order to fix the problem we first need to look at some of the more severe cases we have seen in recent days.

At Strikeforce Challengers in February the fight between Karl Amoussou (12-2-2) and Trevor Prangley (21-4-1) had to be stopped due to an accidental eye poke from Prangley in the first round. The doctor checked on Amoussou and once he told the doctor he could not see out of his eye, the doc and heard enough and stopped the fight. The fight ended up being a ruled a draw and both fighters would like to get back in the cage and finish this.

“Rumble” Anthony Johnson (8-3) has been involved in two fights where the orbital jab had a profound effect. The first fight took place at UFC: Silva versus Irvin in July of 2008. Johnson took such a bad eye poke it dropped him and the ref thought it was due to an uppercut. Sadly, he lost due to TKO and had some major eye problems to deal with. He later came back and fought Kevin Burns (8-4) again and this time he won.

The second fight was against Fighters.com seventh-ranked welterweight Josh Koscheck (14-4) at UFC 106. Johnson actually caught Kos in the eye and then later Josh returned the favor, twice!

These are just but a few of the major incidents. I could  continue to discuss fights like those above but I feel like we now have seen enough to move forward and discuss how to fix a problem such as this.

The first idea to fix this problem can be found by in the now defunct Pride Fighting Championships. Pride had a glove design that was much different than the current glove used by the UFC. The UFC uses a glove in which all the fingers are separate and the padding does not extend all the way to the finger tips. Pride however used a loose thumb but all four fingers were connected as well as having padding that extends all the way to the finger tips. There is no need to use a glove like the UFC has at this time. Never did anyone in Pride have issues with not being able to sink in submissions due to the glove style. It did however cut back drastically on eye pokes.

Does this mean there were never any Stooges style pokes in Pride? No, there were but they were far and few between. I am still not sure why the UFC has decided to go with the gloves they currently have but as this trend continues both the UFC and athletic commissions will be forced to examine what changes they can make to better protect the fighters.

There is another way to work on eliminating eye pokes but I don’t feel it is as effective as a change to the gloves. This would be to make it a foul in which an eye poke could lead to either a one point deduction or to a loss of a percentage of a fighter’s purse.

Many fighters like to push off to keep the distance or the paw the jab out there with fists that are not closed all the way. This leads to possible career ending injuries. Force the fighters to make a full fist when striking. Making an eye poke a foul in which the fighter gets a point deducted could make a big difference.

However I think using something more similar to the Pride yellow card system would better motivate fighters to close the fist. Pride used a yellow card if fighters were inactive. Once it was issued, that fighter lost ten percent of his fight purse that night. It made fighters become more aggressive and using this for eye pokes could be just what the sport needs to eliminate this foul.

I am of course not a fan of taking money from fighters. After all, not all fighters make the big bucks, even in the UFC. However I am first and foremost for fighter safety and I think it is the job of the organizations and the athletic commissions to protect these men and women. Right now, both are failing to make a positive impact where one is clearly needed.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the eye poke and possible solutions for the problem. As always you can comment here or join myself and Gary Friedman every Wednesday from 8-10 PM EST/ 5-7 PM PST on MMA Gospel Radio by going to www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel.

Forrest is coming off a win against “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-7-1) at UFC 106 bringing his UFC record to 8-4.

Nogueira made his UFC debut the same night his current opponent was winning a split decision against Tito. Antonio fought seventh-ranked “Banha” Luiz Arthur Cane (8-2) stopping him via strikes in the first round.

Forrest has had his share of hard to handle losses in the UFC and is hell-bent on trying to get back the title he once held. Standing in his way is Antonio who is not only a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt but happens to be a good striker as well. Griffin has had problems with heavy handed strikers in the past.

This fight added to the card that already includes seventh-ranked welterweight Josh Koscheck versus Paul Daley and Fighters.com and UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida versus third-ranked Mauricio Rua makes UFC 113 the best card of the year to date.

The UFC is a business and the product they sell are fights via pay per view broadcasts. Pay per view is not new to combat sports as boxing has been selling their fights since the first major pay per view fight in 1981 when “Sugar” Ray Leonard fought Thomas “Hitman” Hearns. The UFC has re-invigorated the pay per view market since the decline of boxing. They currently hold approximately 12 pay per view events a year at a cost of $44.95 and had $349 million in revenue last year from the pay per views alone.

 Many argue that they make enough money and they should not worry about a small number of people stealing the stream via the internet. They have an anti-pirating team that found 271 illegal streams of UFC 106 with over 140,000 viewers. That is a maximum of $6,293,000 in lost revenues for just one event. How small does that number look now that it is converted into a dollar amount? Keep in mind that these are the feeds the UFC found and I am sure there were more that went unnoticed.

I know that the above figures are based on each person purchasing the event while in reality this hardly ever happens. All across the country MMA fans gather in bars and in homes to tune into these events.

The argument has been made that not everyone can afford to pay for each and every event they have and thus people watch for free online. This argument is nonsense because many people have friends come over to help cover the cost of purchasing the fights. I agree that not everyone can dish out an additional $600 a year for fights but how many can pitch in $5 to see the fights? Gathering with fans of the sport to watch the event is something I do while at the same time bringing people over that may be new to the sport. Basically I am purchasing their product with the help of friends and at the same time promoting the sport by introducing it to those that would never spend the money by themselves to see what all the commotion is about for this fast rising sport.

One would still be able to watch the UFC and learn about MMA even if they never bought a pay per view. There are Fight Nights which are free on Spike TV as well as events that would typically be pay per views but due to the fights being overseas they are given to us for free. Dana and the UFC are not just forcing us to buy these events. They give us a fair number of free events mixed in with the pay cards and thus are already giving away some of their product. How many companies actually give away products for free these days? They have a reason to be angry that people are stealing the events and going after those that are responsible is just a smart business move.

Personally, I get angry that people view these illegal streams. I am sitting here spending my hard earned money on the same thing they feel they have a right to see for free. Pay per views are not a right, they are a privilege. If they really must watch the event on the computer then they can go to UFC.com or to Yahoo and purchase the event through those sites. I feel the need to state here that I feel the online broadcasts should be sold at a reduced rate. I think it is the fair thing to do and many more would be willing to purchase these events rather than steal if that was the case.

I am unsure as to how anyone could argue that it is wrong of the UFC to go after the people that facilitate these streams as well as those that use them. They get approximately 70% of their annual revenue from these events. Is it a futile effort? Yes, they will never stop all the people as there will always be criminals that want to steal just for the sake of stealing. However I think as a business this is a fight they must take up. After all, how many business owners would just stand by and watch people stealing from them without taking action to prevent it?

The argument that the events are not affordable for everyone was shattered when I discussed sharing the cost with friends. Never once did I mention that their are bars that actually pay a fee to show these events. Around the U.S. Hooters shows these events to their patrons as do many other bars. Share the event with friends, head to a bar and support a local business while watching the fights but don’t steal. It makes no sense at all and is a criminal act.

I support Dana White and the UFC in this fight just as I would support any business owner’s right to try and protect their product from theft. Buy the pay per views and stop being a low life.

As always you can contact me to voice your thoughts on this subject by emailing me at turk@fighters.com or by joining me on MMA Gospel Radio every Wednesday from 8-10 PM EST at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel. You can join in the Cageside Chat or call into the show by dialing 347-857-1337.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-7-1) labeled his return to the Octagon another run at the title and warned the light heavyweight division to “watch out, Tito Ortiz is back.”

He was right!  Tito is back in all of his ridiculously excuse-filled ways. Ortiz said countless times prior to UFC 106 in Las Vegas November 21 that this was the first time he had been 100% in years and that not since he lost a unanimous decision to “The Natural” Randy Couture (17-10) at UFC 44 in 2003 had he been able to train like he had for his UFC 106 rematch versus Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked light heavyweight and former UFC champ Forrest Griffin (17-4).

Tito went on to say that his training camp was the best he’d had, and that, not only had his stand-up improved, but his already respected wrestling was much better due to this rigorous camp. He guaranteed a victory in his UFC return and said that he’d prove the first split decision win over Forrest at UFC 59 in 2006 wasn’t a fluke.

Ortiz said he was 60% when he beat Forrest the first time, and now he is the best he’s ever been. He called himself a legend, and reiterated that he was still one of the top light heavyweights in the world.

“I’m a legend, you say UFC, they say Tito Ortiz,” said Ortiz of his own self-perceived awesomeness.

Ortiz stopped just shy of admitting that he could walk on water. Ortiz was going to beat Forrest again, and even more soundly than the first time. Period.

While Ortiz was preparing for war in what he said was the toughest and best training camp of his career, Forrest merely said, “This isn’t one of those ‘If I win, I win, if I lose, I lose.’  This is, ‘I’m going to win this fight.’”

And win he did. Griffin won the decision over Ortiz, and for the first time in a while the UFC fan base wasn’t up in arms over a judge’s decision. Most saw the fight the way the judges did, most everyone but Tito Ortiz of course, who has said over-and-over that he was “robbed.”

When the decision was announced, Tito, who was standing with his arm raised, dropped his arm and smiled. For once Tito looked like he was going to lose like a man. UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan stepped into the Octagon to interview the winner, and Griffin was the same stand-up guy he usually is and thanked Tito and the crowd. Forrest said he would agree to a fight and even used some self deprecating humor to talk about a sweep that took longer than it should have. Forrest didn’t rub the win in Tito’s face, and walked out to an ovation from a crowd that appreciated the respectful victor.

Next, Tito got to speak on the loss. Once again, in the words of Dana White “here we go again.” Tito started off with acknowledging Griffin’s broken foot that Griffin had suffered in training camp.  Ortiz went on to say that he himself had only been able to have “half of a sparring session one day.”  Rogan asked Ortiz what injury he had that barred him from sparring and Ortiz came up with this gem of an excuse: “I had a bulging disc, F, uh, S, was it C11, C6 or C6 and C7.”

Tito, did I hear a “niner” in there?

Then, Ortiz took his hat off and said, “I want to see someone fight with a cracked skull” and pointed to a black eye he was sporting before the fight.  At this point, the crowd realized that Tito was back in all of his grandeur and began booing.

Forrest even stepped in, once again being the nice guy, and defended Ortiz saying, “If you train to fight, you get hurt people.”

Ortiz won the crowd over with his typical “Were you pleased with the show?” question and acted like he single handedly fought himself in the cage, saying he steps up and he…blah blah blah.

UFC 106 is over, the wrap-up is done, and so is Tito, right? Wrong! Don’t forget the after fight press conference, where Tito proclaimed that the fight of the night awards should obviously be his. Tito was asked about his conditioning, where once again we got a 10-minute Ortiz lecture on how amazing he is, how he gave his heart and soul, and he was amazing considering he had a neck injury and only sparred once. When asked about why he said he was 100%, Ortiz said he was selling a fight.  Ortiz spent over ten minutes explaining why he couldn’t win, and capped it off with: “I come in and I fight. I don’t look for excuses.”

Tito is right! He doesn’t look for excuses and he doesn’t have to because he already has the excuses ready. Ortiz isn’t 100% fighter like he proclaims. He isn’t 50% fighter. Tito is an entertainer who has athletic ability. If you say you are here to fight and dominate, and come up short, then don’t reach for any excuse as to why and say that if this or that hadn’t happened you would have won.

Tito said he lied in the pre-fight interviews to sell a fight and that he wasn’t healthy.  Are you lying now about the injury to cover for poor training and the inability to win on that given night? Which time were you telling the truth?

Tito’s antics have damaged his credibility, and who knows when he is telling the truth. In a time when the UFC is hurting to put together cards due to injuries and illnesses, Dana White has brought back someone to sell fights. Tito Ortiz isn’t making a run at the title and. let’s be honest, Ortiz can’t handle the stand-up of Fighters.com and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-0), as we’ve seen already. Ortiz’s wrestling would be negated by fourth-ranked “Sugar” Rashad Evans‘s (13-1-1) equal abilities. Ortiz doesn’t have the tools to put away fighters like he did earlier in his career. The talent pool is too deep, the sport has passed him by, and quite frankly his annoying excuses are going to prove detrimental to the UFC and the credibility of Dana White’s “I do what the fans want.” proclamation.

Tito, learn to lose like a man because your winning days seem long gone, especially with your newly announced neck injury. Tito Ortiz – the “legend” and self-proclaimed “best pound-for-pound fighter” who’s making a run at the title?  How about Tito Ortiz – the best excuse-for-excuse, injury manufacturer, running his mouth, which will always hold the title for biggest legend in his own mind?

MMA Gospel Radio is live from MMA Big Show: Onslaught at Belterra Casino tonight from 6:00-8:00 PM ET.  You can listen live as well as join the chat room at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel.

The statement is an indirect response to Fighters.com’s criticism of White’s response to Parisyan’s unexplained withdrawal from UFC 106 in Las Vegas November 21.

Fighters.com speculated Parisyan’s withdrawal was due to a rumored anxiety disorder and compared White’s response of cutting Parisyan from the UFC to White’s response to Fighters.com’s second-ranked heavyweight and UFC champion Brock Lesnar’s (4-1) serious intestinal disorder which White promised to do everything possible to help.

Fighters.com hasn’t confirmed White’s latest contention that he tried to help Parisyan.

On MMA Junkie Radio, White added,  “When I say ‘tried to help him,’ I went above and beyond the call of duty on that one, man. I won’t go public with [the details], but I’ve done a lot for that kid, and that kid stuck it to me.  He stuck it to me hard.”

Ortiz had won a split decision over Griffin in 2006.

Though Ortiz admitted his loss in the Octagon after the fight Saturday, saying, “Forrest was the better man tonight.  I’ve got to give it to him,” he added during the post-fight press conference, “I thought I won the fight. I pulled it off two rounds to one.”  He added, “Letting down fans, knowing that I came and I gave my heart and soul. To be robbed like that. It is what it is. I’ll be back.”

Griffin said, “I thought I won,” but added, “I think we’ll have to do a third.”

UFC President Dana White complained after the fight about one judge’s 30-27 score.  “The 30-27 score is outrageous.  It’s insane,” White said after the fight.

Ortiz suggested he and Griffin coach on SpikeTV’s “The Ultimate Fighter 11″ before having a rubber match.

White responded, “I don’t know. We’ll have to look at it. We’ll see.”

Before tonight, Parisyan had also pulled out of a matchup versus Fighters.com’s eighth-ranked welterweight “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-3) at UFC 88 in Atlanta in September 2008 and the whispers about Parisyan’s anxiety disorder loudened.  Since then, Parisyan’s illness has become an open secret among the MMA community.

Thursday afternoon, UFC President Dana White announced via Twitter, “Karo Parisyan has fucked over the UFC, the fans and his opponent again!”

“Again”, apparently, Parisyan’s illness has prevented him from a great matchup.  But, notice the difference between Hazelett’s concerns about Parisyan’s illness and White’s callous reaction.

White also threatened, “[Parisyan] will not be fighting Saturday [at UFC 106 in Las Vegas] or ever again in the UFC!”

Parisyan debuted in the UFC six years ago with a first-round submission of Dave Strasser (25-8-3) at UFC 44 in Las Vegas.  He’s 8-3 in the Octagon, with classic fights versus Nick Diaz (20-8) and The Ultimate Fighter 1 champion “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-2).  Parisyan had earned a title shot versus then UFC champion seventh-ranked Matt Hughes (43-7), but was forced to withdraw with a physical injury.

Yet, after a notable career with the UFC, White showed unexplainable contempt for Parisyan and his illness in his reaction to Parisyan’s inability to fight.

Compare White’s reaction to Parisyan’s illness with White’s reaction to second-ranked heavyweight and UFC champion Brock Lesnar‘s (4-1) recent serious intestinal disorder which has caused White to have to twice reschedule Lesnar’s next title defense versus sixth-ranked Shane Carwin (9-0).  White told a post-UFC 105 press conference he and the UFC would do everything possible to help Lesnar recover and he told TMZ he was trying to get Lesnar transferred to the Mayo Clinic.

No Mayo Clinic treatment for Parisyan though?  Is it the stigma that mental illnesses aren’t as serious as physical illnesses?  Or, is it that Parisyan’s value to White has expired since Parisyan’s competitiveness has deteriorated while Lesnar’s star is on the rise?

Fighters.com won’t speculate about what’s in the heart and mind of White, but does think Parisyan and his illness deserve more respect and compassion.  Parisyan isn’t afraid to fight, and never has been.  He’s not missing fights because he isn’t training or isn’t committed.  Parisyan wants to fight, trains to fight, shows up to fight, and then has an uncontrollable, excruciatingly frustrating inability to go through with the fighting career he’s excelled in his entire adult life. 

Parisyan has a serious mental disorder.  Twenty-three year old Hazelett is mature enough to understand and sympathize.  Forty-year old White isn’t.

The hour-long broadcast will run commercial-free followed by UFC 106 live on pay-per-view at 10:00 PM. ET. Additional fights from the UFC 106 undercard may also air on SpikeTV depending on the length of the two scheduled bouts.

Fighters.com broke Carwin’s previous revelation that he had also suffered a bout with H1N1 virus, erroneously called “swine flu”, while training for the matchup originally scheduled for UFC 106 in Las Vegas November 21.

Due to an unspecified Lesnar illness, the fight was rescheduled to UFC 108 in Las Vegas January 2, then postponed indefinitely.  It remains unscheduled.

Carwin’s agent told MMA Gospel, Fighters.com’s partner Internet radio broadcast, “It’s not an issue.  Unlike Brock, if Shane fell ill or got hurt they would slot another top guy into the spot and the show would go on.  This is one of the aspects of being the contender not the Champion.  We’re fine, we are training.”

Via Twitter, Carwin simply stated, “Gotta battle through this.”

Chad Edward contributed to this report.

Topping the bill is the return of former UFC light heavyweight champion “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) as he is set to face former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin (16-4) in a rematch of the 2006 fight that was Griffin’s first loss in the UFC.

Although a winner of the inaugural Ultimate Fighter reality show, to many observers Griffin’s loss to the veteran Ortiz was the fight that catapulted the Xtreme Couture fighter into the deeper ranks of professional MMA. Now currently coming off a two fight losing streak, Griffin has a lot to win and a lot to lose when he faces Ortiz for the second time.

For Ortiz, UFC 106 will be a triumphant return to the promotion following over a year of bad blood with the organization. His last appearance in the Octagon was a losing effort at the hands of current UFC light heavyweight champion “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (13-0) at UFC 84 in May, 2008.

UFC 106 will also feature two heavy-handed welterweights as Josh Koscheck (13-4) is set to clash against “Rumble” Anthony Johnson (8-2) in the co-main-event. Johnson is recently coming off a devastating win over “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-3) in 41 seconds of a catchweight bout at UFC 104.

The fight card is rounded out by a series of bouts that set a theme of old versus new when veteran of the UFC and PRIDE Fighting Championship “New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni (13-11) returns to the Octagon for the first time since UFC 51 in 2005 to face off against The Ultimate Fighter 7 champ Amir Sadollah (1-1).

Fighters.com seventh-ranked light heavyweight “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (8-1) and fellow Brazilian ”Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (12-3) continue the theme of veteran versus up-and-comer. Nogueira makes his UFC debut following a near decade-long career worldwide.

Remaining main card bouts for UFC 106 include UFC veteran and Judo superstar “The Heat” Karo Parisyan (18-5) as he meets Dustin Hazelett (11-4). “Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (14-4) is set to fight American Top Team’s “KIlla B” Ben Saunders (5-0-2 ). And the Ultimate Fighter 3 winner, “Da Spyder” Kendall Grove (9-6) will take on wrestler and WEC alumnus Jake Rosholt (6-1).

UFC 106 is rounded out by Paulo Thiago (7-1) versus Jacob Volkmann (9-0), Brock Larson (27-3) versus Brian Foster (9-12), Caol Uno (25-11-4) versus Fabricio Camoes (6-0), and George Sotiropoulos (10-2) versus Jason Dent (29-9).

Uno lost a three-round unanimous decision to “King” Spencer Fisher at UFC 99 in Cologne June 13.

Camoes tapped out Torrance Taylor (6-6-1) in a rear naked choke at Strikeforce Challengers Series 1 in Fresno May 15.

The addition of Cane versus Nogueira adds some much-needed weight to to the UFC 106 main card.

Cane is a rising star amongst fans with a trio of consecutive wins in the UFC. Following a disappointing debut with a disqualification due to an illegal knee, Cane has blazed through an experienced heap of MMA light heavyweights inching his way closer to the top ten.

Nogueira, often referred to as “Little Nog” by fans, is the twin brother of former interim UFC heavyweight champion “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1). Nogueira makes his UFC debut following a near decade-long career worldwide with his entrance into the American Octagon being one of potential legend.

Now sitting at the top of the UFC 106 bill is the previous co-main-event between “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) and fourth-ranked light heavyweight Forrest Griffin (16-4). Although an exciting rematch, the return of Ortiz to the Octagon fell a bit short.

Rua confounded and flustered Machida with kicks to Machida’s legs and body for at least three out of five rounds in Los Angeles October 24, and some have argued Rua won four rounds.  But all three judges scored the fight 48-47 in favor of the champ.

Across the great South American nation from which both fighters have travelled around the world to entertain and awe fight fans, familiar lines are being redrawn because of the controversial UFC 104 main event.

Second-ranked “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) of Black House, a team made-up largely of former Brazilian Top Team members, told Tatame, “In my opinion, Lyoto won every round.”

And, ninth-ranked “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1), formerly of Chute Boxe with Rua, declared to Tatame, “[Rua] is the new champion.”

Years ago Brazilian Top Team and Chute Boxe played out one of MMA’s greatest camp rivalries in the now defunct PRIDE promotion.  The hot blood between the two camps was thought to have cooled after many of the greatest fighters from both camps moved on to other camps or started their own gyms.

But, the title fight between Machida and Rua has heated up the old adversaries and reignited excitement about MMA in Brazil.

UFC President Dana White promised an immediate rematch between Machida and Rua; and, Since UFC 104, Machida has announced he will undergo surgery on his left hand, postponing the rematch in 2010.

Brazil deserves the rematch!  It would be a huge UFC return to Brazil since their only Brazilian event in São Paulo in October 1998.

And, besides the top three spots in MMA’s most competitive and popular division being held by Brazilians, three other Brazilians are also ranked among the top ten at 205.

Of course, Anderson Silva will defend his Fighters.com and UFC Middleweight Championship from Brazilian “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) sometime in 2010.  That previously UFC 108 slotted main event could also be postponed until the UFC can put on a show in Brazil next spring, making a Brazilian card with two all-Brazilian title fights at the top.

Seventh-ranked Brazilian “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (8-1) will fight countryman “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (15-3) at UFC 106 in Las Vegas November 11.

Wanderlei Silva is expected to lead the UFC into Australia at UFC 110 February 20, 2010 in a middleweight fight versus tenth-ranked middleweight “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-2).

Newly tenth-ranked Brazilian Thiago Silva (15-1) will get a chance to step-up versus fourth-ranked “Sugar” Rashad Evans (13-1-1) at UFC 108 in Las Vegas January 2.

Fifth-ranked American Forrest Griffin (16-6) will welcome former UFC light heavyweight champion “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) back to the UFC at UFC 106 in Las Vegas November 21 in a rematch Ortiz won the first time.

Sixth-ranked “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-7) remains retired; but, eighth-ranked “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-7) is expected to come out of retirement in 2010.

Fighters.com’s November Light Heavyweight Rankings

1. “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-0)

2. “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4)

3. “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (18-4)

4. “Sugar” Rashad Evans (13-1-1)

5. Forrest Griffin (16-6)

6. “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-7)

7. “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (8-1)

8. “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-7)

9. “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1)

10. Thiago Silva (15-1)

“I’ve grown up. I’ve really, really grown up,” Ortiz stated on MMA Weekly Radio regarding DiSabato’s slur. “I’ll take the high road.”

In the the Tweet a month ago, DiSabato called Ortiz’s wife and former adult film star Jenna Jameson “a whore”. But, in recent days, DiSabato has put forth an apology of sorts according to a recent report by Cage Potato.

“When I said what I said, I was very emotional. DiSabato recently stated to the media. It was me responding without thinking, and that’s not really my style.”

Ortiz replied to the apology and situation on MMA Weekly Radio by saying, “I feel sorry about Mark Coleman having him [DiSabato] as a manager. There’s some really monstrous things that should have never been said about my family.” Ortiz continued, “I would have never said anything about Mark Coleman‘s family.”

Following Coleman’s withdrawal from his previously scheduled UFC 106 bout with Ortiz due to a torn MCL, Ortiz is now scheduled to face former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin (16-4) in UFC 106 on Nov. 21 in Las Vegas, but left the door open concerning a future bout with Coleman.

Ortiz told said, ” Hopefully he’ll [Coleman] get his knee healed up and hopefully they’ll still be able to stick me in that fight because there’s some really bad blood there.”

Sherdog reported Wednesday morning that UFC prospect “Rumble” Anthony Johnson (8-2) will fight Koscheck.

Fighters.com has not confirmed the report.

Johnson knocked out eighth-ranked welterweight “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-3) in 41 seconds of a catchweight bout at UFC 104 in Los Angeles Saturday.  Johnson had weighed-in five pounds over the welterweight limit Friday rendering the matchup a 176-pound catchweight fight rather than a welterweight fight.

Fighters.com’s second-ranked heavyweight and UFC champion Brock Lesnar (4-1) withdrew from his UFC 106 title defense main event versus sixth-ranked Shane Carwin (10-0) due to illness.  That matchup has been rescheduled to UFC 108 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas January 2.

The UFC 106 rematch between fourth-ranked light heavyweight Forrest Griffin (16-5) and “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) has been promoted to main event status.  The Koscheck versus Johnson fight would support that main event and bolster the card.

Doors at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas open at 7:00 PM local time November 21.  Tickets starting at $100 can be purchased at Ticketmaster.  The pay per view broadcast will begin at 10:00 PM EST.

Lesnar withdrew from his UFC 106 title defense versus Carwin (10-0) due to illness, according to Yahoo!Sports.

UFC President Dana White wasn’t immediately positive what would happen to Carwin’s title shot, but Carwin told MMA Gospel Monday afternoon that his manager confirmed to him the fight has been rescheduled for UFC 108.

Carwin’s manager, Jason Genet, told MMA Gospel, “We’re disappointed.  Shane had H1N1 and still wanted to fight!  We will just be that much better come January.”

White had earlier denied that Lesnar’s illness is the H1N1 flu virus, erroneously called “swine flu”.

Fighters.com has not confirmed the rescheduled fight with the UFC.

MMA Gospel broadcaster and Fighters.com staff writer Josh Turner contributed to this report.

UFC President Dana White confirmed the report.  White told Yahoo!Sports, “He said he’s never been this sick in his life.  He said it’s been going on for a long time and he just hasn’t been able to shake it.”

White denied Lesnar has contracted the H1N1 flu virus, erroneously called “swine flu”, and hasn’t decided whether Carwin will match-up versus another fighter or the fight will be postponed.

Larson was upset by Mike Pierce (6-1) in a unanimous decison at UFC Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma September 16.

Foster tapped out to Ricky Story (6-2) in an arm triangle at 1:09 of the second round at UFC 103 in Dallas September 19.

Doors at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas open at 7:00 PM local time November 21.  Tickets starting at $100 can be purchased at Ticketmaster.  The pay per view broadcast will begin at 10:00 PM EST.

The Ultimate Fighter 3 champ Grove lost a three-round unanimous decision to “Cacharrao” Ricardo Almeida (11-3) at UFC 101 in August.

Rosholt choked “Crippler” Chris Leben (18-7) unconscious at UFC 102 in Portland also in August.

The matchup is not scheduled to be broadcast on pay per view.

Doors at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas open at 7:00 PM local time November 21.  Tickets starting at $100 can be purchased at Ticketmaster.  The pay per view broadcast will begin at 10:00 PM EST.

The fight was anticipated by Fighters.com.

Fitch won a three-round unanimous decision over fifth-ranked Paulo Thiago (7-1) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas July 11, avenging his American Kickboxing Academy campmate sixth-ranked Josh Koscheck‘s (13-4) KO loss to Thiago.

Almeida will debut at 170-pounds after a rather impressive 3-1 run in the UFC’s middleweight divsion capped off at UFC 101 in August with a three-round unanimous decision over The Ultimate Fighter 3 champ “Spyder” Kendall Grove (10-5).

The matchup is scheduled to be broadcast on pay per view.

Doors at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas open at 7:00 PM local time November 21.  Tickets starting at $100 can be purchased at Ticketmaster.  The pay per view broadcast will begin at 10:00 PM EST.

The fight was anticipated by Fighters.com.

Parisyan will return from a no contest with “Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim (9-4-1) at UFC 94 in Las Vegas last January, declared so after Parisyan tested positive for banned substances after he won a decision on the judges’ score cards.

Hazelett will return from surgery on a torn right ACL. At UFC 91 in Las Vegas last November, Hazelett tapped fellow lanky, young welterweight talent “Barn Cat” Tamdan McCrory (11-3) in an arm bar in the first round.

The matchup is scheduled to be broadcast on pay per view.

Doors at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas open at 7:00 PM local time November 21.  Tickets starting at $100 can be purchased at Ticketmaster.  The pay per view broadcast will begin at 10:00 PM EST.

For St. Pierre, it’ll be his first fight since injury his groin in a UD over second-ranked “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas July 11.

Though it’s not official, Alves is expected to fight fellow Brazilian fifth-ranked Paulo Thiago (7-1) at UFC 107 in Memphis December 12.

Third-ranked Jon Fitch (19-3) is expected to fight unranked “Cacharrao” Ricardo Almeida (11-3) at UFC 106 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas November 21, though again the fight hasn’t been officially announced.

Fourth-ranked Jake Shields (21-4-1) has apparently abandoned the division and will challenge “Mayhem” Jason Miller (22-5) for the vacant Strikefore middleweight title at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates 33 miles northwest of Chicago November 7.

At UFC 103 in Dallas September 19, sixth-ranked Josh Koscheck (13-4) bounced back from his loss to Thiago at UFC 95 in London February 19 with a first-round knockout of “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (19-7) then called out seventh-ranked Matt Hughes (41-7).

Hughes rebuffed Koscheck, but remains tight-lipped about his opponent when he returns to the Octagon in 2010.

Eighth-ranked “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2) will fight division prospect “Rumble” Anthony Johnson (7-2) at UFC 104

Fighters.com October Welterweight Rankings

1. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2)

2. “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4)

3. Jon Fitch (19-3)

4. Jake Shields (21-4-1)

5. Paulo Thiago (7-1)

6. Josh Koscheck (13-4)

7. Matt Hughes (41-7)

8. “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2)

9. “Quick” Mike Swick (14-2)

10. “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (22-6)

“Coleman, Coleman, Coleman…to bad he sissies out,” Ortiz posted at Twitter Tuesday morning.  “Who’s next?  I’m kicking someone’s ass on Nov 21st!”

MMA Weekly has since reported that it has “confirmed” Coleman’s withdrawal with “sources close to the bout”.

With the possibility of a replacement getting in a full six weeks of training before the November 21 fight versus Ortiz, it shouldn’t be difficult for the UFC to find a willing replacement.

Though a match-up between Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked light heavyweight “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (8-1) and “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (15-3) has been speculated for 106, it hasn’t been officially announced.  Either fighter could step-in to fight Ortiz in a legitimate co-main event.

Other light heavyweights who could step-in to a co-main event versus Ortiz include “Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (14-5-1) and Forrest Griffin (16-5).  Griffin is unlikely to take the rematch with Ortiz on somewhat short notice after his embarrassing knockout loss to “Spider” Silva at UFC 101 in Philadelphia August 8.  Jardine, however, should be fresh after his first-round loss to Thiago Silva (14-1) at UFC 102 in Portland August 29.

Another possibility, though unlikely, is eighth-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (24-7) finishing-up his contract negotiations with the UFC immediately and taking on the challenge.

Deep into the UFC’s 205-pound list, top prospect “Bones” Jon Jones (8-0) is expected to fight Ortiz’s former pupil “Hammer” Matt Hamill (6-2) at The Ultime Fighter 10 finale in Las Vegas December 5, but could be drafted to step-up versus Ortiz in a pickle.

What began as an uninteresting matchup forced after fifth-ranked “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-7) turned down a title shot versus Machida has become a bona fide grudge match between the Brazilians.

Top contender “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) will be tied-up through January defending his Middleweight Championship versus countryman “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) at UFC 108 in Las Vegas January 2.  Silva has repeated that he won’t fight his friend Machida, but Fighters.com sources say the fight could be made if UFC President Dana White meets certain conditions.  But, if Rua beats Machida at UFC 104, former Chute Box training partners Silva and Rua have been tossing verbal barbs back and forth and would make an exciting 205-pound title fight.

Third-ranked “Sugar” Rashad Evans (13-1-1) swapped a much-hyped grudge match versus “Rampage” for a fight versus Thiago Silva (14-1) at UFC 108.

“Rampage” has evidently retired, but Fighters.com isn’t buying it.  I’ll put money down that Jackson will fight in the Octagon in 2010.

The winner between Evans and Silva is next in line for the UFC title shot if Machida successfully defends.

Seventh-ranked “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (8-1) will welcome fellow Brazilian “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Noguiera (15-3) to the Octagon at UFC 106 in Las Vegas November 21.  The winner will quickly enter the title mix.

Fourth-ranked Forrest Griffin (16-5) has been laying low since his embarrassing knockout loss to “Spider” Silva at UFC 101 in Philadelphia August 8.

Eighth-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (24-7) is a free agent and in negotiations to return to the UFC, but Hendo’ told Sherdog negotiations aren’t going well.

Ninth-ranked “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-7) has also “retired” and can be seen on “Dancing with the stars”, but Fighters.com expects to see Liddell return to the Octagon in 2010 as well.

“Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1) is preparing to debut at 185-pounds.

Fighters.com October Light Heavyweight Rankings

1. “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (15-0)

2. “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4)

3. “Sugar” Rashad Evans (13-1-1)

4. Forrest Griffin (16-5)

5. “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-7)

6. “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (18-3)

7. “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (8-1)

8. “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (24-7)

9. “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-7)

10. “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1)

Fighters.com has learned Rogers has trained at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose for the fight, where UFC contender Cain Velasquez (6-0) and “Headhunter” Paul Buentello (27-9) train full-time.

In September, seventh-ranked “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (9-1) cemented his ranking for October when he forced once-feared “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic (25-8-2) to quit at 2:00 of round three at UFC 103 in Dallas.  The win wasn’t enough to push dos Santos ahead in the rankings though.  Let’s face the fact that Cro Cop is a shell of the fighter he once was.  Still, the “W” further justifies dos Santos’s place among the elite heavyweights.

The heavyweight “Cigano” forced from the top ten with a first round KO at UFC 90 in Montréal last October, “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1), returned to the elite list in October at the nine spot.  He tapped “MAK” Mike Kyle (11-7-1) in a guillotine in 1:24 at Strikeforce in San Jose August 15.

Second-ranked Brock Lesnar (4-1) will defend his UFC title from Shane Carwin (10-0) UFC 106 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas November 21.  The hype around this monster fight has been strangely muted, hasn’t it?

Former UFC champ and recent challenger, third-ranked Frank Mir (12-4) will fight Cheick Kongo (14-5-1) at UFC 107 in Memphis 12 December.

Tenth-ranked “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-10) has evidently followed through on his intimations to leave the heavyweight division and return to 205 where he’ll fight “Truth” Brandon Vera (11-3) at UFC 105 at M.E.N. Arena in Manchester November 14.

“Minotauro” Rodrigo-Nogueira”>Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1) and “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) are waiting in limbo for potential title shots, Nog’ versus the winnner between Lesnar and Carwin and Barnett possibly versus “Junior” Antonio Silva (13-1) for a Sengoku title.

Fighters.com October Heavyweight Rankings

1. “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (30-1)

2. Brock Lesnar (4-1)

3. Frank Mir (12-4)

4. “Minotauro” Rodrigo-Nogueira”>Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1)

5. “Grim” Brett Rogers (10-0)

6. Shane Carwin (10-0)

7. “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (9-1)

8. “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5)

9. “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1)

10. “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-10)

UFC champ and Fighters.com’s second-ranked heavyweight Brock Lesnar (4-1) will defend his title versus sixth-ranked Shane Carwin (10-0) in the UFC 106 main event.

Also on the card, light heavyweights “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) and “Hammer” Mark Coleman (16-9) will fight in a battle of UFC legends.

Lesnar beat the pulp out of Frank Mir (12-4) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas in July.

Carwin knocked out former UFC title challenger “Napao” Gabriel Gonzaga (10-4) last March in Columbus at UFC 96.

Also officially announced is a light heavyweight bout between former UFC light heavyweight champion “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) and former UFC heavyweight champion “Hammer” Mark Coleman (16-9).

Ortiz lost a unanimous decision to Fighters.com and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Dragon” Ryoto Machida (15-0) at UFC 84 in Las Vegas in May 2008.

Coleman won a unanimous decision over “American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar (11-6) at UFC 100.