Commentary by Nuker: 

The UFC Light Heavyweight Title is one of the most contested belts in MMA history.  It has been held by MMA legends such as Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Rampage Jackson and now Forrest Griffin.  The UFC light Heavyweight division has carried the sport of MMA in North America more so than any other weight division in mixed martial arts, and for the first time in its history we have a champion who is truly qualified in holding the title.

Yes you can say what you want about Forrest Griffin…that hes not qualified, that he does not have the skill, that he is an ultimate fighter alumni who has no real championship skills. These arguments have been lain out before, and Griffin has debunked them each and every time.  Forrest Griffin is a different type of champion.  He is not a champion that has any outstanding skills or ability that sets him apart from the rest of the pack.  He is not a champion that comes from a decorated background in traditional martial arts or wrestling, he doesn’t even match the resume of this weeks challenger Rashad Evans. But what Forrest Griffin has are a set of intangibles that is very difficult to quantify in the world of fighting.  What Forrest Griffin lacks in skill he makes up for with sheer willpower and desire.  Forrest Griffin in the light heavyweight champion not because he is the best fighter in the division, just that he is the most consistent, and more importantly, he is the best fighter because he says so.

Rashad Evans, while on paper is the obvious favorite coming into this fight can be quantified and put on paper.  His strength and advantages are obvious and everyone knows exactly what Rashad brings to the table.  While Rashads willpower and heart are very strong, I don’t think that they are as strong as the desire of Griffin.  Personally, I have only seen Forrest lose once, and it was not pretty.  Forrest truly wants to be the best fighter in the world, and defeat is not something that he chooses to let cross his mind.  Being able to quantify a fighter is actually a negative strike against said athlete.  As it shows limitation…even as dominating as Evans previous performances have been.  Rashad is an athlete with extreme physical gifts and athleticism, but he does not have the rugged desire that we see in Forrest Griffin.

All lines are favoring Evans in this fight, and all every simulation software I have seen is picking Rashad to take this thing with relative ease.  This is why i think it is important to NOT count Forrest Griffin out.  As with his trainer Randy Couture, Forrest Griffin has shown that he performs best when he is the underdog and no one expects him to win.  He upset Shogun, he upset Quinton Jackson…there is no reason to assume that he will not do the same to Rashad Evans.

Sherdog.com’s Marcelo Alonso was granted all access toAntonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s UFC 92 training camp, where the interim UFC heavyweight champion will take on Frank Mir. 

Joining “Minotauro” were Vitor Belfort, Junior “Cigano” dos Santos, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Muhammed Lawal

CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE PHOTOS

You nickname a guy the “Axe Murderer,” and you can pretty much figure out what comes next. 

After a short, brutal stint in Brazil’s fighting circuit,Wanderlei Silva washed up — swimming the Atlantic and feeding on raw fish, one assumes — on American shores with the “Axe” handle courtesy of former UFC matchmaker John Perretti. Perretti likely had little idea that Silva would go on to inflict substantial physical trauma on some of Pride’s biggest stars, many of whom wound up looking like they had just been through a paper shredder.

With a third fight against Quinton Jackson tapped for this Saturday — the first two meetings had downright felonious endings courtesy of Silva — now might be the time to reflect on some of the most horrible, viscerally disturbing beatings of his career. Merry Christmas.

10. Keith Jardine (UFC 84, 5/24/08) 

Coming off the worse for the wear in a long-hoped-for war against Chuck Liddell, some doubted Silva’s ability to return to his feral fighting style. Those concerns were put to rest shortly after the Brazilian downed Jardine and then proceeded to use one hand to batter him while half-choking, half-securing him with the other. 

Level of Brutality (LOB): A standard-issue prison assault.

9. Kazuhiro Nakamura (Pride Critical Countdown, 6/26/05) 

Silva may be a good sport, but he’s hardly above using his opponent’s poor timing to his advantage. Against Nakamura, whom he had been steadily punishing, Silva wasted little time in pouncing when the Japanese judoka decided to discard his gi. By the time Nakamura’s hands were near his face again, it was to collect pieces of his nose.

LOB: Delayed reaction to Pearl Harbor.

8. Yuki Kondo (Pride Final Conflict, 8/15/04) 

One can imagine a pre-pubescent Silva watching soccer star Pele treat the ball like it owed him money; as a fighting adult, he’s often tried scoring goals with craniums. The most jarring incident was against Kondo, who lay in the missionary position while Silva drilled heel after heel into his expressionless, empty face. Not a great first fight to show to athletic commission members. 

LOB: A solid puppy kick.

7. Kazuyuki Fujita (Pride Critical Countdown Absolute, 07/01/06) 

Fujita, while thick of skull, is not the most agile of combatants. Once Silva was able to put him in a corner, it was an academic series of knees to the stationary head that robbed the Japanese fighter of his ability to make change without using his fingers. 

LOB: A two-story fall.

6. Kazushi Sakuraba (Pride Total Elimination, 8/10/03) 

The ultimate demise of reasonable premiums for Sakuraba’s life insurance came after his first meeting against Silva. Bored with his last fight against Dan Henderson, which had the ignobility of going the distance, Silva decided to be pithy and end it with a puree of kicks, knees and stomps; Sakuraba’s face resembled a “Fangoria” layout. 

LOB: Anesthetic-free root canal.

Its the ultimate event of the year with the original Ultimate Fighter®, Forrest Griffin defending his title against Sugar Rashad Evans. Then the Ultimate Fighter® coaches face off as Interim World Heavyweight Champion, Antonio Minotauro Nogueira takes on former heavyweight champion, Frank Mir. Plus, two of the hardest hitting light heavyweights go toe-to-toe when Wanderlei The Axe Murderer Silva battles former light heavyweight champion, Quinton Rampage Jackson.

UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 Saturday, December 27, live on Pay-Per-View from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

Its the ultimate event of the year with the original Ultimate Fighter®, Forrest Griffin defending his title against Sugar Rashad Evans. Then the Ultimate Fighter® coaches face off as Interim World Heavyweight Champion, Antonio Minotauro Nogueira takes on former heavyweight champion, Frank Mir. Plus, two of the hardest hitting light heavyweights go toe-to-toe when Wanderlei The Axe Murderer Silva battles former light heavyweight champion, Quinton Rampage Jackson.

Its the ultimate event of the year with the original Ultimate Fighter®, Forrest Griffin defending his title against Sugar Rashad Evans. Then the Ultimate Fighter® coaches face off as Interim World Heavyweight Champion, Antonio Minotauro Nogueira takes on former heavyweight champion, Frank Mir. Plus, two of the hardest hitting light heavyweights go toe-to-toe when Wanderlei The Axe Murderer Silva battles former light heavyweight champion, Quinton Rampage Jackson

Frank Mir shares his thoughts on fight day.

When free agent light-heavyweight Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) was announced as a special guest at Affliction’s recent press conference, rumors began to swirl that “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” would be fighting for the upstart organization.

Those rumors were immediately halted when Ortiz was introduced as a broadcaster, and not a fighter, for the Jan. 24 “Day of Reckoning.”

But Ortiz later hinted to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the organization may still be in the running for his services as a fighter.

“When I’m 100 percent, I feel really bad for a lot of these light-heavyweights who are competing in Affliction,” Ortiz said. “Because I beat one of the guys — and I guess there’s three more on the card to do. 

“Everybody else keeps saying, ‘What do you think of ‘Babalu’ (Sobral) here? What do you think about (Vladimir) Matyushenko here? ‘Little Nog,’ now Sokoudjou. Like I say, ‘Fresh meat.’ Once I’m 100 percent, people are going to get the best fights possible in a Tito Ortiz fight.”

Ortiz is currently recovering from a recent surgery on his back that included the fusion of three of his discs. The 33-year-old said he still needs another six months of rehabilitation in order to recoup fully from the procedure. That time frame fits perfectly with the termination of his UFC contract.

“Yes, (the UFC can match any offer I receive until June) if they choose,” Ortiz said. “I’ve got to stick to my fight contract on that and just wait for it to finish out. You know (Andrei) Arlovski did the same thing, too, when he was waiting. Why give them a chance to match it?”

Ortiz said his desire to compete outside of the UFC has nothing to do with financial offers.

“It’s just respect value,” Ortiz said. “It’s not about money anymore. I have all the money I need in the world. I have nothing to worry about money-wise. It’s about respect now, and [UFC officials] don’t respect me as a person. They don’t respect me as a fighter. They don’t respect me as a businessman. 

“I’m going to go somewhere where people do respect me and do treat me the way that I think I deserve to be treated after 11 years of competition and after five title defenses — and doing some of the pay-per-view buys that no other fighter in MMA has ever done. But I’ve got to give thanks to all my fans that have been helping me promote myself and helping me get those pay-per-views.”

Ortiz was in this same position just a few short months ago with EliteXC. The collapse of that organization prevented Ortiz from signing, and the former UFC champion feels that he could have proved valuable in saving the financially doomed promotion.

“There was a little hesitation (in negotiating) there in the beginning after [the EliteXC] fell through,” Ortiz said. “(EliteXC Head of Fight Operations) Jeremy Lappen is an awesome guy, and I kind of feel bad for him. I know that the rug got pulled from underneath his feet, as it did mine. 

“I think CBS should have taken a little look into it and maybe taken a chance and thrown the dice on me. I would have bet on myself.”

Ortiz believes Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio and his organization understand the value he can bring to the promotion.

“Affliction is the group who understands that now,” Ortiz said. “I think bringing Golden Boy Promotions along with it is what intrigues me 100 percent to come aboard, because Golden Boy knows how to promote fighters like no other. 

“I’m really excited to be a part of this. It would be nice to see a ‘24/7′ with Tito Ortiz in it. I think a lot of fans would love to see that, also.”

While it would seem there are many positive signs that Ortiz will soon find himself within the ropes of Affliction, the fighter himself stopped just short of confirming the possibility.

“There’s a possibility of that happening,” Ortiz said. “But right now I’m just going to focus on commentating and let the fight stuff fall in place when it does.”

John Morgan is the lead staff reporter for MMAjunkie.com.

Less than a week stands between interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and his title defense against Frank Mir at UFC 92 “The Ultimate 2008” on Dec. 27 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. 
The two men spent six weeks coaching against one another on season eight of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series. Now they prepare to meet inside the Octagon to determine who will face Brock Lesnar for the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship sometime in 2009. 

Nogueira (31-4-1), who has never been finished in 36 professional bouts, believes his training camp has gone according to plan. 

“I’m getting in good shape,” he told Sherdog.com in an exclusive video interview. “I’ve been training very hard. My game on the ground is very tight, my muay Thai’s getting better, [and] my boxing’s good, too.” 

One of the most decorated heavyweights in mixed martial arts history, Nogueira will carry a three-fight winning streak into his showdown with Mir. The 31-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has not competed since February, when he submitted two-time heavyweight titleholder Tim Sylvia with a guillotine choke to capture the interim belt at UFC 81. Outside of Fedor Emelianenko, Nogueira has defeated every man he has faced in his storied, decade-long career, having avenged losses to both Dan Henderson and Josh Barnett. 

Mir (11-3), meanwhile, has won back-to-back fights since his brutal loss to Brandon Veraat UFC 65. He welcomed Lesnar to the Octagon in February, as he weathered an early barrage from the monstrous former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar and submitted him with a first-round kneebar. 

“I’ve got to pretty much be ready for everything … use my muay Thai, my ground, my wrestling,” Nogueira said. 

Check out Marcelo Alonso’s full interview and see Nogueira profess his hope to finish Mir and discuss training alongside Vitor Belfort, Junior dos Santos and his twin brother,Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, in Brazil.

Most fighters will say that at least 70 or 80% of fight preparation is mentally being ready for the battle ahead. One shining example of a fighter who works to out-think his opponent before the cage door ever closes is No. 1 light heavyweight contender Rashad Evans, who is not only physically ready for his title shot against Forrest Griffin, but he’s as mentally prepared as ever.

When the “Ultimate Fighter” season 2 winner stepped into his fight against Chuck Liddell most people were somehow counting him out before it even started. The Michigan native was happy to disappoint, as he landed a thunderous punch that put the “Iceman” out cold, giving him the win.

After the fight, Evans credited his coaching staff of Greg Jackson and Mike Winklejohn for coming up with the perfect strategy to beat Liddell. The next fighter to break down will be Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 on Dec. 27.

“We’re working on a gameplan and going over it extensively, me and Coach Winklejohn and Greg Jackson. They see what I do well and they just capitalize on that and try to make me do what I would do, but just do it better and just add a few things here and there,” Evans said recently during an appearance on MMAWeekly Radio.

He understands all to well that Griffin is a much different type of fighter than maybe anyone he’s faced in the past. His fellow Ultimate Fighter champion is seen as a hard worker and sort of a “jack of all trades” when it comes to his MMA style.

“It can be more difficult in some areas because he’s just so well rounded in all avenues, but it just means I have to step my game up another notch,” Evans commented about his fight preparation. “He’s definitely talented in all areas and he has a gas tank that can just keep going and going, so I welcome the challenge.”

The camp at Greg Jackson’s gym consists of the regular rogue’s gallery of training partners including Keith Jardine, Nate Marquardt, Georges St. Pierre, Joey Villasenor, and Eliot Marshall. Still despite an undefeated record and an overall impressive fight resume, Evans will enter the Octagon on Saturday night as the decided underdog.

“I don’t know if I like playing that role, but it’s a role that I’ve gotten used to,” he said about being the underdog in the fight. “I just learned not to pay it any mind. When you’re playing a favorite, you fight from a different position. You’re fighting from a position that everybody you’re telling about the fight is talking about, ‘awww man, I don’t even know if I should wish you luck. I know you going to mop him up.’ So that puts pressure on you in a different kind of way.

“But when you’re the underdog it kind of puts pressure on you in the fact that you want to prove everybody wrong.”

The biggest lesson that taught Evans how to battle out of that underdog role was his 2007 fight against Tito Ortiz. In the bout, Evans was admittedly giving too much respect to his opponent and not fighting his fight, which cost him early on. Now, he feels like he has the mental aspect of his game down as well. 

“You can’t get to the point where you make it such a mental game that saying, ‘Oh I have to win this. This is my only chance. I’m never going to get another opportunity, another title shot.’ I’d like to go in there and win the fight, but I’m going to go in there and compete, and if I go in there and compete to my best then the bi-product of that is going to be a win,” said Evans. “If things aren’t going in my favor, I can definitely climb that mountain again and enjoy the journey all the way up to the top once more.”

With all the hard work and training winding down, Evans is simply happy to get back in the cage and fight again and with a win this time around, everyone will cease calling him “Rashad” or even “Mr. Evans.” He will simply be “Champ.”

“That’s going to be the greatest feeling in the world. I can’t lie,” he stated. “To have that title, it just says that I put in the work and I reaped the reward for doing that work and it would just be an amazing feeling.”

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