Tito Ortiz: New Year, New Contract

Tito Ortiz has a new (surprise) contract with the UFC. According to the mouth of the "Hunnington Beach Bad Boy," the first fight will be a rematch against Ken Shamrock at the conclusion of the Ultimate Fighter Season 3. I will be surprised if they don't kill each other before they finish the show. Possibly around April, Tito has said he is signed to fight Forrest Griffin. This would be a giant step forward for Forrest who has not yet fought the caliber of talent of a fighter like Tito. Tito (love em or hate em: I hate him) is a former champion and not to be taken lightly. I wonder whether or not Forrest is ready to take this step in his career. If he wins it would propel him to the top of the Light Heavyweight division. If he loses, the dream could be over with Forrest returning to the minor leagues like King Of The Cage. Only time will tell.
Tito has also said around September, he will get a title shot with the winner of Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture 3! This seems suprising because there is a possibility that he could lose two fights before then. The UFC might have promised him this fight knowing if he loses on the way to September, they can cut their losses by cutting Ortiz.
Let us not get ahead of ourselves. Tito must first fight an angry, albeit aging Ken Shamrock. Ken is on a losing streak and lost to Tito in their first fight. Ken is already 42 and many in the MMA are starting to suspect it is time for Ken to retire. Can "The World's Most Dangerous Man" step up one more time and defeat Ortiz? I am in the minority, but Ken has done it before.
At any rate, it should be a big year for Tito Ortiz and the UFC. I wonder how long the two can coexist with the giant ego of Ortiz. It will however be a ratings boom for the UFC and cause many upcoming fireworks. Stay tuned.

UFC 56 FALLOUT: Major News!

UFC 56 has come and gone and what a PPV it was. Rich Franklin went to work brutally KOing Nate Quarry in round one. Nate's nose was broken and he was unconscious before he even hit the mat.

Joe Riggs made UFC history by not making weight for his title fight with Hughes. Then Matt Hughes proved how amazing he is defeating Diesel by armbar in the first round!

GSP devastated a game Sean Sherk and begged for another title shot against Hughes (which he should get).

The biggest reaction for the night was when Dana White announced KEN SHAMROCK would be one of the coaches on the third season of the Ultimate Fighter. The he shocked the crowd even more brining out none other that TITO ORTIZ to be the second coach! Ken immediately went face to face with Tito and they had to be separated by security.

Not finished, Dana announced another competitor in the 170lb. division, former champion BJ PENN! This was even more of a shock than Tito (who cannot seem to get along with UFC management especially Dana) because BJ Penn left on worse terms and has (had?) a lawsuit against the UFC. BJ Penn, George St. Pierre, it looks as though it will be a tough year for Matt Hughes (who lost to BJ).

Before all of this, FRANK MIR was announced as returning to the heavyweight division to fight Andre Arlovski (at an unspecified time in 2006).

A great night of suprises and fights. If you missed it, it is worth catching during the replays.

Joe Rogan vs Wesley Snipes!?!

Joe Rogan vs Wesley Snipes, say it ain't so!

Apparently this disaster waiting to happen is for real. The Ultimate Fighting Championships has envisioned celebrity MMA fighting. Wesley Snipes is trained in Karate, Kung Fu, and Capoeira, while Joe Rogan is well versed in Tae kwon do and has trained with legitimate MMA fighters for years. Still, how go of a match could these two men put on under the glaring lights of the PPV in front of an audience of thousands? My guess is either a very ugly match or an instant win because neither men were ready for the other. At any rate Joe Rogan claims to have already signed the contract which has now been sent to Blade himself. Snipes is a huge UFC fan and Joe has been commentating with the UFC for quite some time.

Many MMA fans have bashed Pride for putting on freak shows but this one would take the cake. Stay tuned for the undercard of Stallone vs Schwarzenegger. Thats a fight I've been waiting on for years!

UFC 56 Battle For The Belts: RESULTS

It is time for another UFC PPV

Rich "Ace" Franklin vs Nate "The Rock" Quarry: Winner-Franklin This is going to be a great match and do not be surprised if Nate wins in an upset. Nate has a great ground game and we already know he has KO power. Its just that Rich has such good sprawl that I don't know if Nate can take him down. Rich also has great hands and can KO anyone. I see this as being a long tough fight where either man can win. I just have this feeling Rich will find a way to pull it off.

Rich finds a way and wins by devastating KO

Matt Hughes vs Joe "Diesel" Riggs: Winner-Hughes Both of these men have insane power and great wrestling skills. The difference will be that Matt is at home in this division while Joe has only fought once at Welterweight. Matt has faced the best for years while Joe hasn't fought the same caliber of fighter. Matt has always found a way to win against the toughest opponents in the world.

Very disappointing that Riggs could not make the weight, bu then Matt makes him look silly with a quick tapout victory.

George "Rush" St. Pierre vs Sean Sherk: Winner-GSP Look I've been waiting for Sean to return to the UFC for quite some time. The problem with the Matt Hughes clone, is that he is facing GSP. GSP absolutely dominated Trigg and embarrassed a world class fighter. GSP also has a big reach advantage against the very short Sean Sherk. Sean however enjoys staying compact and hard to hit. However, I cannot see Sean keeping GSP on the mat where he can beat him. GSP can out box him and is too fast and slick to be stuck on the ground. GSP should win by submission.

GSP is amazing in his win by ref stoppage!

Jeremy Horn vs Trevor Prangley: Winner-Horn Jeremy has waaay more experience than Trevor and has fought much tougher opponents. Trevor's only real test has been against Babalu, a match which he lost. Trevor is American Kickboxing Academy member so we know he can strike. Still, Jeremy has fought and beaten many great strikers before. Horn should beat this game yet green opponent by submission.

I picked it right with Horn taking the judges decision but I question whether the judges made the right call.

Kevin "The Shaman" Jordan vs Gabriel Gonzaga: Winner-Gonzaga I'm picking the Brazilian to win since all 4 of his wins have come by submission and Jordan was submitted by Paul "I Don't Even Know How To Submit Somebody" Buentello. Kevin has won his notable fights on decisions though that speaks well for his stamina. Still, always go with the Brazilian fighter when in doubt.

This way an ugly boring fight until Gonzaga brutally KO'd Jordan in the third.

Sam Hoger vs Jeff "Karate Kid" Newton: Winner-Newton Though Hoger impressed me in his fight against Stephen Bonner, he still has stamina issues and Newton has none in that department. Newton will come non-stop for all 15 minutes if need be. It will be interesting to see if Newton can translate his karate knowledge into the MMA world. If he can, he should be able to KO Hoger.

Sam Hoger wins and calls out Stephan Bonner for a rematch!

Nick "The Goat" Thompson vs Keith Wisniewski: Winner-The Goat Thompson has good submissions as well as KO ability. Both men have nearly identical records.

The Goat wins by decision.

Thiago Alves vs Ansar Chalangov: Winner-Chalangov Ansar is undefeated at 7-0. Thiago is an American Top Team striker who has shown himself susceptible to submissions.

This should be a great PPV and good luck to all the fighters.

Alves wins a stunner in my opinion.