UFC 106 went from one of the biggest pay-per-view cards of the year to one of the weakest when UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar had to pull out of his fight with Shane Carwin. But you'll still get some good fights if you purchase the pay-per-view on Saturday night, and we've got the full preview of those fights below.
What: UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2
When: The non-televised undercard starts at 7 PM ET Saturday, the Spike TV card starts at 9 and the pay-per-view card starts at 10.
Where: Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas
Predictions on the four pay-per-view fights:
Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin The first fight between Ortiz and Griffin was a very exciting back-and-forth battle, but I'm not expecting the same kind of fight this time around. I think Griffin, coming off an embarrassing knockout loss to Anderson Silva, will fight a more tactical fight, and Ortiz will be unable to take him down and unable to hang with him in the stand-up. Predicted winner: Griffin
Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson Give credit to both Koscheck and Johnson for agreeing to take this fight on short notice. If Johnson can make the 170-pound welterweight limit and beat a Top 10 fighter like Koscheck, I think he could be getting close to a title fight in 2010. But I look for Koscheck to use his superior wrestling to grind out a decision. Predicted winner: Koscheck
Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann This fight was a late addition to the pay-per-view card after Karo Prisyan dropped out of his bout with Dustin Hazelett. I was at Volkmann's last fight and came away impressed with his aggressive jiu jitsu style, but I don't think he's quite ready for an opponent like Thiago. Predicted winner: Thiago
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Luiz Cane This might actually be a better light heavyweight fight than the main event. Nogueira, making his long-awaited UFC debut, is one of the best Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioners at 205 pounds. Cane, whose only career loss was by disqualification, is one of the best strikers in the division. I'm excited about their clash of styles, and I see Cane winning the fight. Predicted winner: Cane
Amir Sadollah vs. Phil Baroni This is one of those fights that we're seeing on TV more because of the fighters' personalities than their MMA skills. Sadollah is a former Ultimate Fighter winner, while Baroni is the "New York Bad Ass" who talks a good game. I think the UFC set this fight up because it wanted to give Sadollah a win over an opponent casual fans will consider credible, and I think Sadollah will get that win. Predicted winner: Sadollah
Follow along on Saturday night with FanHouse's live UFC 106 coverage and UFC Twitter updates.
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