Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz have faced each other in the UFC Octagon twice already, but if the two have it their way they'll do it one more time. While Ortiz was able to earn a split decision victory in their first meeting at UFC 59, it was Forrest's ability to make it close that signaled to the world that he was ready to be more than just the guy who won The Ultimate Fighter. They would meet over three years later at UFC 106, this time with Forrest on the winning side of the split decision.
With Tito looking for one last UFC fight before calling it a career, he took to "Inside MMA" to issue the challenge:
"Forrest, you know I deserve it, man. Step up. Let's do this. It's an awesome fight for you. I lost my last one. You lost your last one. Let's do this -- unless you're scared!"
Griffin responded:
"He knows better than that. You know what's funny about me and Tito? The truth is we each consider the other an easy fight. For me, that's the perfect 'get right' fight. Coming back from a bad loss and beating Tito Ortiz up? No problem. For Tito, he's thinking, 'Forrest ain't that good. He's getting old, prematurely. This is a great way to go out, with a win over Forrest!' So, I think it's a beautiful match up because we both think of the other as an easy fight."
This is a bit of a sign that Forrest is likely approaching his final days in the cage as well. A win over Ortiz doesn't do much for his career, he already beat him in '09 and only has a win over a blown up Rich Franklin and a brutal KO loss to Mauricio Rua since then. Beating Ortiz again doesn't put him in the title hunt, but it's a "name fight" and the kind of thing that keeps him in the spotlight.
There are a lot of miles on Griffin's 32 year old body and we're a long way removed from a meaningful win over a top-tier light heavyweight (Franklin only beat a horribly shot Chuck Liddell to earn his spot in the rankings). I suppose a fight with Ortiz may be the best we can hope for at this point. - bloodyelbow.com
