| UFC 106 Aftermath: Ortiz vs Griffin III, Koscheck vs St.Pierre? |
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| Written by Maxwell Destree | |||||||||||||||||||
| Monday, 23 November 2009 00:29 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Tito Ortiz vs Forrest Griffin II Ortiz vs Griffin II took place this weekend, with the result being the exact opposite of the first matchup. Griffin was awarded a split-decision victory that some would argue should have gone to Ortiz. Ironically, the first fight between the two light-heavyweights had Ortiz as the victor by split decision in what some still argue should have gone to Griffin.
Both fighters' fate seemed to be intertwined at this point. At the post fight press conference Ortiz and Griffin were debating between one another who truly had just won their fight. During the press conference it was suggested that the TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) veteran coach (Ortiz) and the TUF one winner/veteran coach (Griffin) should coach against each other on the next TUF season. Dana White would not say yes or no to the idea, but apparently will give it some consideration.
Whether these two face off against one another as coaches is somewhat trivial, because it seems that both fighters will be fighting one another in a rubber match no matter what. The only question is when?
Right away may be the best time, and Dana White may want to strike while the iron is hot on this one. Right now the majority of the UFC's champions are still recovering from injuries, and the UFC will be hard pressed to find very many marquee matchups that would bring the fan base of an Ortiz vs Griffin rubber match.
Regardless, it appears that the two fighters are willing to fight again, and a rubber match seems imminent. Expect the UFC to capitalize on the "controversy" of this fight and schedule an immediate rematch. Josh Koscheck vs Anthony Johnson Koscheck came out with something to prove in this fight, and according to him, it's that he is the number one challenger for the welterweight title. After just having submitted "Rumble" Johnson in the second round, Koscheck called out Dan Hardy (who is scheduled to be the next challenger for Georges St.Pierre's title). Koscheck stated that although someone in the audience (Hardy) thought they were the number one contender, he was in fact number one.
In the end it was a good try by the American Kickboxing Academy fighter but it would not sway Dana Whites mind. Hardy still gets the next shot at Georges St.Pierre, while Koscheck will have to win at least one more fight before getting a rematch against the Canadian.
Jon Fitch has a bout coming up at UFC 107 against Mike Pierce, if Fitch can win, a fight between him and Koscheck would be very interesting. Otherwise, Koscheck could wait and fight the winner of the Carlos Condit vs Paul Daley fight, which is scheduled for UFC 108. Koscheck is 3-2 in his last five fights, so expect him to have at least one more fight before getting a shot at the title.
Anthony Johnson may be forced to move up a weight class before too long. The young welterweight has had trouble cutting the weight to get down to the 170 lb weight limit for the division, yet he insists that he will keep fighting as a welterweight. If so, Ben Saunders and John Hathaway may be good opponents for him. Johnson is consistently getting better, but this fight against Koscheck showed he is not quite ready for the very top of the welterweight division.
Luiz Cane vs Antonio Rogerio Nogueira In his debut fight with the UFC "little Nog" took no time at all in introducing himself to the UFC fan base. Nogueira was given the tall task of fighting the heavy-handed Luiz Cane. It took only a minute and fifty-six seconds for Nogueira to dispatch his fellow countryman. With the impressive win, the Brazilian fighter solidifies himself as a force in the light-heavyweight division.
Most of the light-heavyweight division's top contenders have fights coming up in the near future; but there are two fighters just under the top of the division that would be a great test for the Brazilian. Rich Franklin is coming off of a devastating loss to Vitor Belfort, and Keith Jardine is coming off of back to back losses. Both fighters have plenty of octagon experience, and both need wins to get back on track. Either fighter would be a step up from Luiz Cane, and would give everyone involved a chance to get a win over a respected fighter.
Luiz Cane unfortunately takes a step backwards in the division. Brian Stann and possibly Brandon Vera are potential opponents for the heavy-hitter. Brian Stann is coming off of a unanimous decision win over Steve Cantwell, who is also the last person that Cane defeated. Vera is coming off of a devastating loss to Randy Couture and is looking to start yet another climb into light-heavyweight contention.
Also, just a reminder, be sure to watch UFC 107, because it features Alan Belcher, a Roufusport fighter that is looking to rebound from a split-decision loss to Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 100. Belcher will be fighting the always tough Wilson Gouveia.
Photo courtesy of yorkblog.com
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Comments (5)
Maxwell Destree
said:
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Forrest Griffin evened the score against Tito Ortiz with a split decision victory this last Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Josh Koscheck stormed back into title contention with a dominant win over Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira beat the heavy-handed Luiz Cane at his own game. See what's in store for these fighters in this edition of The Aftermath.
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... GSP has already beaten Kos by Unanimous Decision when either Serra or Hughes had the belt. It's tough, because GSP truly has depleted the division at this point. Alves, Fitch, and Kos all have lost to him, so it's time to give these guys rematches, or for GSP to move up a division. Personally I would like to see a Fitch rematch. I hear that since his loss he has been training even harder, and that he is better now than he ever was. But, I do like Hardy as GSP's next opponent, he has real good power, and could pull a Serra type upset. |
Paul Fladten
said:
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... Carlos Condit, Jake Shields, Nick Diaz. Those are the fights I want to see. Make them happen UFC. |
Bobby Hutch
said:
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... Jake Shields is a boring fighter,ok he won against Mayhem Miller but all he did was lay on top or Mayhem and just hold him down.he has no stand up game,he's just a good wrestler thats it very boring. Koscheck doesnt deserve another title shot,GSP destroyed him,i agree that he should fight Dan Hardy & Hardy will knock his ass out after Koscheck pokes Hardy in the eye with a jab like he's done to other opponents in the past few fights or he'll FAKE an injury like he faked getting hit with that illegal knee.what a douche,he complained about the knee pooking him in the eye while if you watched the fight he did get poked in the eye but the poke happened way before the knee,he didn't cry when the actual knee happened,he's a goof. |
Sam Alvey
said:
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... I'm pretty sure both hardy anf Koscheck could fight GSP at the same time and GSP would win. |
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