Oklahoma City, OK– Forrest Griffin, Athens, GA (17-6, 3 KOs, 7 SUBs) SD 3 Tito Ortiz, Huntington Beach, CA (15-7-1, 8 KOs, 2 SUBs) Just like their first battle, the second fight was a very close affair. When Ortiz was able to get Griffin down, he utilized his superior ground and pound skills effectively. When they were upright, Griffin was able to out strike Ortiz. In the third round, Griffin did quite a number on Ortiz, picking him apart with kicks and punches. I am unsure if Ortiz was tired, but he seemed tentative in the third and did next to nothing. Now that each man has a split decision win over the other, we will probably see a third bout between the two sometime in the future.
EXCITING UNDERCARD
Josh Koscheck, Buffalo, NY (14-4, 4 KOs, 5 SUBs) SUB 2 Anthony Johnson, Los Angeles, CA (8-2, 6 KOs) This fight was filled with more eye pokes than anything else. Koscheck seemed to be hurt by an unseen shot to the left eye as Johnson threw an illegal knee to the head of a downed opponent. In the second round, it was Johnson who was the victim of two pokes to the eye. After the stop and start action, Koscheck finally was able to secure a takedown, gain position and strap on a rear naked choke on Johnson which caused him to tap with just 13 seconds left in round two.
Paulo Thiago, Brasilia, Brazil (12-1, 2 KOs, 7 SUBs) UD 3 Jacob Volkmann, Brooklyn Center, MN (9-1, 6 SUBs) Back and forth they went in this ebb and flow battle in which both men were in trouble at times. Ultimately the Brazilian was able to walk away the decision and hand Jacob Volkmann his first professional loss. Volkmann deserves a lot of credit for a solid performance.
MEET “LITTLE” NOGUEIRA
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (18-3, 5 KOs, 6 SUBs) TKO 1 Luis Arthur Cane, Sao Paulo, Brazil (10-2, 8 KOs, 1 SUB) Nogueira wasted little time in making a successful UFC debut by stopping his fellow Brazilian in one. After a few minutes of an aggressive feeling out process by both men, Cane got caught with a punch and went down as Nogueira followed him to the mat. Nogueira was all over his opponent and finished the bout with strikes on the ground. Little Nogueira will be a new threat in the light heavyweight (205) division.
BARONI GETS LIT UP!
Amir Sadollah, Glen Allen, CA (2-1, 1 SUB) UD 3 Phil Baroni, Long Island, NY (13-12, 9 KOs, 2 SUBs) Amir Sadollah beat the hell out of The New York Badass Phil Baroni for three rounds. Sadollah survived the typical early onslaught from Baroni and used extremely impressive strikes to pummel his courageous opponent and take the win. Baroni has tons of heart as he took a serious beating.
PRELIM RESULTS
George Sotiropoulos, Geelong, Victoria, Australia (11-2, 1 KO, 7 SUBs) SUB 2 Jason Dent, Cincinnati, OH (19-10, 4 KOs, 15 SUBs)
Caol Uno, Kanagawa, Japan (26-12-4, 2 KOs, 13 SUBs) MD 3 Fabricio Camoes, Curitiba, Brazil (10-5, 2 KOs, 6 SUBs)
Brian Foster, Granite City, OK (13-4, 7 KOs, 6 SUBs) SUB 2 (punches) Brock Larson, Brainerd, MN (26-4, 5 KOs, 18 SUBs)
Kendall Grove, Maui, Hawaii (11-6, 2 KOs, 7 SUBs) SUB 1 Jake Rosholt, Sand Point, Idaho (6-2, 4 KOs, 2 SUBs)
Ben Saunders, Orlando, FL (8-1-2, 4 KOs, 3 SUBs) KO 1 Marcus Davis, Bangor, ME (16-6, 5 KOs, 8 SUBs)
Matthew Grizzle