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Ortiz-Griffin tops UFC 106 card

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By Dann Stupp, Contributing Writer 11:27 PM Friday, November 20, 2009

LAS VEGAS — An early fan favorite meets a new one when former champions Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin headline UFC 106 tonight, Nov. 21, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

The fight serves a rematch from their initial meeting in 2006, when the veteran Ortiz (15-6-1) edged a green Griffin (16-6) via split decision.

While both fighters are former light heavyweight champions, the fact that Ortiz and Griffin are winless in their past five bouts underscores their popularity.

Griffin’s popularity was born after he won the first season of the UFC’s reality series in 2005 and with his title win in 2008. Ortiz’s came from his status as the sport’s first true superstar in the 1990s and a legendary title run from 2000-03.

In fact, Griffin said it was the first fight with Ortiz that put him on the map.

“I mean, it was a loss, but I showed up, and I survived some adversity in the beginning ... and I kind of came back and held my own toward the end,” he said.

Both fighters, though, need a win to stay relevant in the division. Griffin lost his belt in late 2008, and then middleweight champ Anderson Silva moved up a weight class and embarrassed him with a first-round TKO in August.

Ortiz, meanwhile, returns to the UFC following an 18-month layoff due to back surgery and a yearlong clash with UFC management. He’s 0-2-1 in his past three fights and hasn’t won a bout since 2006.

“It’s going to be 15 minutes of my life that I’m going to give 100 percent, and when I step in the cage, people are going to realize that Tito Ortiz is back,” he said.

Anthony Johnson (8-2) takes on fellow welterweight contender Josh Koscheck (13-4) in the UFC 106 co-headliner.

No fight for Hazelett

UFC 106 was supposed to be Dustin Hazelett’s triumphant early return from a torn ACL. However, on Thursday — just two days before the event — the West Chester Twp. resident’s opponent, welterweight Karo Parisyan, pulled out of their fight.

UFC president Dana White said Parisyan (18-5) pulled out of the bout with a “laundry list of excuses.”

Keith Kizer of the Nevada athletic commission refuted Parisyan’s initial claim that he wasn’t licensed for the fight due to an unpaid fine.

Parisyan, who first sought treatment in 2008 for panic attacks, later said his withdrawl was anxiety-related.