Looking at Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz on the undercard of the Silva vs. Sonnen fight, I'm anticipating that this may be the best fight of the night. I'm certainly looking forward to watching this match at Buffalo Wild Wings in Newington, New Hampshire, tonight. Both men are not afraid to mix it up and neither knows the meaning of the word quit.
Years of Accumulated Damage
This should be a war. Griffin, in past fights, has seemed to get stronger and more aggressive in direct proportion to the amount of beating he receives. The downside to that is that he has accumulated an awful lot of damage over the years.
Ortiz, for his part, has also taken a fair amount of damage over his career, including consecutive knockout losses in his last two fights. Ortiz has lost four of his last five, including the UFC 106 match against Forrest Griffin. Those who beat Ortiz, for the most part, outworked him in the standing game.
Ortiz Outworked by Strikers
Noguiera, Griffin and Evans outscored Ortiz with a combined 172 strikes to Ortiz's 38 over the three fights. Ortiz cannot outscore Griffin if the fight turns into a striking match. It's possible that he could get lucky with a punch or catch Griffin with a knee that puts him out, but it would be more by luck than by design.
Ground and Pound on the Mat
Ortiz needs to get inside Griffin's strikes and turn this fight into a wrestling match. He needs to come in full of fury and maintain it for the entire fight. Neither man, if they come in as well-conditioned and as determined as they have in the past, will tire.
Griffin is no slouch on the ground himself, but if the fight goes to the mat, Ortiz will have the advantage with his trademark ground and pound. Griffin won't wither under that kind of punishment, but a referee will only allow the fighter to take so much punishment before he has to step in.
This fight, promises to be a memorable battle between two tested veterans. For the last few years, Ortiz, however, hasn't been the fighter he used to be. If he tries to stand with Griffin, or finds his take-down attempts stuffed all night long, Ortiz will lose either by a wide margin on the judge's scorecards or by knockout.
If, however, Griffin can't stop Ortiz's take-downs and winds up with his back to the mat for more than a few minutes of the fight, Ortiz may be able to finish him.
Testing Ortiz's Chin
The real question is, just what does Ortiz have left to carry into the octagon with him, a renewed dedication and the unstoppable power he showed in his earlier years, or just his reputation. With two knockout defeats for Ortiz leading into this fight, it's almost a given that Griffin will be looking to see if 37-year-old Ortiz has lost his chin.
A Clash of Personalities
In terms of personality, Griffin and Ortiz could not be any more different. Ortiz is flashy, takes pride in his bad boy reputation, and enjoys being famous at least as much as he enjoys being in the ring. In the past, it's been hard to tell if stepping into the octagon was more about being in the spotlight or being in a fight, for Ortiz. Although that seems to have been tempered somewhat as his ability to back up that braggadocio has declined.
Griffin, on the other hand, is all about the fight. He is quiet, well-mannered, and seems to prefer to keep to himself. He seems most at home when he's locked inside a chain-link fence with someone looking to take his head off. He likes fighting and I don't think it would make any difference to him if he had an audience of a million or if nobody watched at all.
Years of Accumulated Damage
This should be a war. Griffin, in past fights, has seemed to get stronger and more aggressive in direct proportion to the amount of beating he receives. The downside to that is that he has accumulated an awful lot of damage over the years.
Ortiz, for his part, has also taken a fair amount of damage over his career, including consecutive knockout losses in his last two fights. Ortiz has lost four of his last five, including the UFC 106 match against Forrest Griffin. Those who beat Ortiz, for the most part, outworked him in the standing game.
Ortiz Outworked by Strikers
Noguiera, Griffin and Evans outscored Ortiz with a combined 172 strikes to Ortiz's 38 over the three fights. Ortiz cannot outscore Griffin if the fight turns into a striking match. It's possible that he could get lucky with a punch or catch Griffin with a knee that puts him out, but it would be more by luck than by design.
Ground and Pound on the Mat
Ortiz needs to get inside Griffin's strikes and turn this fight into a wrestling match. He needs to come in full of fury and maintain it for the entire fight. Neither man, if they come in as well-conditioned and as determined as they have in the past, will tire.
Griffin is no slouch on the ground himself, but if the fight goes to the mat, Ortiz will have the advantage with his trademark ground and pound. Griffin won't wither under that kind of punishment, but a referee will only allow the fighter to take so much punishment before he has to step in.
This fight, promises to be a memorable battle between two tested veterans. For the last few years, Ortiz, however, hasn't been the fighter he used to be. If he tries to stand with Griffin, or finds his take-down attempts stuffed all night long, Ortiz will lose either by a wide margin on the judge's scorecards or by knockout.
If, however, Griffin can't stop Ortiz's take-downs and winds up with his back to the mat for more than a few minutes of the fight, Ortiz may be able to finish him.
Testing Ortiz's Chin
The real question is, just what does Ortiz have left to carry into the octagon with him, a renewed dedication and the unstoppable power he showed in his earlier years, or just his reputation. With two knockout defeats for Ortiz leading into this fight, it's almost a given that Griffin will be looking to see if 37-year-old Ortiz has lost his chin.
A Clash of Personalities
In terms of personality, Griffin and Ortiz could not be any more different. Ortiz is flashy, takes pride in his bad boy reputation, and enjoys being famous at least as much as he enjoys being in the ring. In the past, it's been hard to tell if stepping into the octagon was more about being in the spotlight or being in a fight, for Ortiz. Although that seems to have been tempered somewhat as his ability to back up that braggadocio has declined.
Griffin, on the other hand, is all about the fight. He is quiet, well-mannered, and seems to prefer to keep to himself. He seems most at home when he's locked inside a chain-link fence with someone looking to take his head off. He likes fighting and I don't think it would make any difference to him if he had an audience of a million or if nobody watched at all.
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