by Tim Furious, BetUS.com – BET NOW

Forrest Griffin waited three years to get his revenge on the exiled Tito Ortiz, and this past weekend he proved that patience is definitely a virtue worth waiting on. When they last met, Griffin was approaching his peak while Ortiz was thriving in his. With UFC 106 in the bag, it’s now evident that Griffin remains amongst the big dogs. The only thing left for Ortiz, who has five fights remaining on his contract, is to get back in the ring with Griffin and hope to God that he doesn’t lose again.

Ortiz wasn’t without a blabbering confession of excuses at the press conference. His back, which has been a perennial problem for the Huntington Beach Bad Boy, was supposed to be a thing of the past. Anyone who saw the fight knows that isn’t the case, and an 18-month absence from competition was glaringly apparent that Tito wasn’t the vindictive killer of old.

His fans, who got murdered in the book, have every reason to be mad at Ortiz. In the post-fight, Ortiz was throwing more excuses for his conditioning than he did punches in the actual fight. A fractured skull, something weird with his spine and a stubbed toe were all amongst his list of excuses. It’s not like he didn’t try – it’s more that he lied about his health to try and shake the unflappable Griffin.

Coming off two major losses, Griffin needed a win in the worst way possible, and he used his gangly frame to keep Ortiz at a distance, while proving that he can scramble with the best of them. The decision may have been split, but judges had to award Ortiz for some sharp elbows that caused Griffin to bleed. Had it not been for those, this fight wouldn’t even have been close.

So what’s next for the two fighters? If the rumors are true, two of my favorite coaches will return to “The Ultimate Fighter” series which means that Ortiz-Griffin would take shape shortly after the end of the next season. For those that don’t remember, Ortiz was an incredible mentor during TUF Season 3 while coaching opposite an absurdly and constantly hysterical Ken Shamrock. If Griffin and Ortiz do sign on as the coaches, it would extend Ortiz’s career and cause major build up as the two approach the apex of the trilogy in the making.

The problem with the TUF scenario is that I’m not sure what it does for Griffin, who is also being rumored as the next opponent for Antonio Rogerio Nogueira who won his debut fight at UFC 106.

Griffin, who coolly acknowledged that Anderson Silva, “broke me. He broke me,”  knows that he has to carry the momentum for this win back up the ladder. Cementing his comeback after two straight losses with another win over Ortiz may be the best formula as he gets his feet back under him. After all, if we learned anything from UFC 106, its that Ortiz just isn’t one the same level as Griffin anymore…no matter what his big, fat mouth says.

Koscheck Runs Through Johnson, Then Runs His Mouth
Josh Koscheck, one of the more arrogant mainstays of the UFC, didn’t wait to see if he could trade blows with the powerful Anthony Johnson. Instead, he took the fight to the ground and demonstrated that he’s still one of the better mat men in the game. With a guillotine choke, Koscheck closed the fight in the second round.

The fight wasn’t without some cheap play by both men. Koscheck poked Johnson in the eyes twice, and Johnson retaliated with a knee to the head while Koscheck was clearly down. The crowd responded, but the first round of the fight was absolutely thrilling.

In the end, Koscheck’s superior mat genius secured him the win, and then he let his mouth do some fighting for him. He attacked Dan Hardy’s credibility and emphatically made a case that he should be in line to face Georges St. Pierre next. Easy, fro boy. You’re only two years removed from losing via unanimous decision to St. Pierre at UFC 74: Respect and you still have that loss to Paulo Thiago on your 2009 resume. Keep your mouth shut and let your fighting do the talking. Trust me, with the way that you’re fighting lately, silence is pure gold for you.

Cane Gets Walloped By Nogueira
You couldn’t even tell that it was Minotauro’s twin in there, because holy crap is he just as impressive. The boxing specialist came out swinging and closed the fight in less than two-minutes during the first round. Two stiff left handed strikes virtually sealed the fight before Cane could get any offense rolling, and Nogueira’s name is already being listed as a legit contender in the light heavyweight division just one fight in to his UFC career.

Sadollah Bounces Back Against Baroni
Phil Baroni was no match for Sadollah who used a calm and collected attack to wear down the trash talking moron and win by unanimous decision. It was a huge win for Sadollah, whose career has been curtailed by some unfortunate losses. But the big win here is for the UFC betting fans, who won’t have to put up with Baroni’s crude antics anytime soon.

Thiago Hands Volkmann First Loss
Flat out, Thiago was better at every turn than Volkmann. Trading strikes and ground positioning, Thiago had an answer for every trick that Volkmann tried to unleash and won the match by unanimous decision. It proved that Thiago is still a threat, and that Volkmann has plenty to work on if he wants to stay relevant in the hyper competitive field of the UFC.