FiveOuncesofPain.com recently obtained the list of fighters that passed the testing with flying colors from Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer.

The athletes tested were as follows: Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin, Josh Koscheck, Anthony Johnson, Amir Sadollah, Phil Baroni, Antonio Rogerio Nogueria, Ben Saunders, Paulo Thiago, Kendall Grove, Brian Foster and Caol Uno.

Luiz Cane is stated to have possibly received a fractured orbital bone in his knockout loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, while Jason Dent may have injured his left knee at some point during his submission loss to George Sotiropoulos.

Headliner Forrest Griffin will be able to resume full contact training in three weeks with the earliest date he can return to action being December 22nd. However, the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion also suffered damage to his right foot that must be cleared by a doctor if he plans to compete again in Nevada before May 21st, 2010.

Surprising to some, Griffin’s opponent in the main event, Tito Ortiz, was not among the names listed by the NSAC.

Here is the remaining rundown of medically suspended fighters according to a recent report on MMAJunkie.com:

• Anthony Johnson – Suspended until 12/22/09, no contact until 12/13/09 for precautionary reasons

• Paulo Thiago – Suspended until 12/22/09, no contact until 12/13/09 due to cut on nasal bridge

• Luiz Cane – Suspended until 5/21/10 due to possible right orbital fracture but can be cleared by a doctor, minimum suspension until 1/6/10 with no contact until 12/22/09

• Phil Baroni – Suspended until 1/6/10, no contact until 12/22/09 due to facial and scalp lacerations

• Jacob Volkmann – Suspended until 12/6/09 due to cuts on scalp and nasal bridge

• Marcus Davis – Suspended until 5/21/10 with broken nose but can be cleared by a doctor, minimum suspension until 1/6/10 with no contact until 12/22/09 due to multiple cuts

• Brock Larson – Suspended until 5/21/10 with broken nose but can be cleared by a doctor, minimum suspension until 1/21/10 with no contact until 1/6/10 due to multiple cuts

• George Sotiropoulos – Suspended until 12/22/09, no contact until 12/13 due to cut over left eyebrow

• Jason Dent – Suspended until 5/21 due to possible left knee injury but can be cleared early by orthopedist

Forrest Griffin

The Nevada State Athletic Commission today released the salary figures in a report from MMAJunkie.com.

Other top paid fighters include Josh Koscheck, who collected $106,000 for strangling Anthony Johnson, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who picked up 100 large for the two minutes it took to leave fellow Brazilian Luiz Cane in a heap via TKO.

A full list of the reported salaries from UFC 106 are listed below:

Forrest Griffin: $250,000 (includes $150,000 win bonus) def. Tito Ortiz: $250,000

Josh Koscheck: $106,000 ($53,000 win bonus) def. Anthony Johnson: $17,000

Paulo Thiago: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus) def. Jacob Volkmann: $6,000

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: $100,000 ($30,000 win bonus) def. Luiz Cane: $19,000

Amir Sadollah: $30,000 ($15,000 win bonus) def. Phil Baroni: $25,000

Ben Saunders: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus) def. Marcus Davis: $27,000

Kendall Grove: $44,000 ($22,000 win bonus) def. Jake Rosholt: $15,000

Brian Foster: $12,000 ($6,000 win bonus) def. Brock Larson: $26,000

Caol Uno: $20,000 vs. Fabricio Camoes: $10,000

George Sotiropoulos: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus) def. Jason Dent: $8,000

What do you do with Tito Ortiz now?

Did anyone else catch Josh Koscheck just completely disrespect his own teammate following his submission victory over Anthony Johnson? His comments to Joe Rogan are below:

I know there’s somebody here that thinks he’s the No. 1 contender. He thinks he’s the No. 1 contender, and I don’t think he’s fought anybody, and he’s sitting right over there and his name is Dan Hardy. He hasn’t fought anyone like me, guaranteed. I’m the number one contender in this weight division.

It’s all fine and dandy to look out for your own best interests in getting a crack at the title, but I don’t see any reason to throw your friend’s under the bus in doing it. Obviously Hardy just fought and beat Mike Swick; Mike Swick, friend and longtime training partner to Josh Koscheck at the American Kickboxing Academy is San Jose.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira has arrived and every single UFC light heavyweight has been put on notice. There’s not a single fighter at 205 pounds that I feel would have an easy night with Lil Nog. He made beating the stuffing out of Luiz Cane look easy. It looked like a top level mixed martial artist teaching someone making their professional debut a lesson in humility. Obviously that wasn’t the case, but that’s what it looked like. Looked like something I’d see on MTV’s Bully Beatdown rather than how I expected the fight to unfold.

On that note, it is in my personal opinion that Cane would be much better served if he gave the 185 pound division some serious consideration. I’m no nutritionist but I’m just going to take a chance in stating that I firmly believe that Cane could not only make the cut to middleweight, but he’d be much more effective at the weight. He’d be taking punches from men that aren’t naturally larger than him and I also feel his speed would benefit from the switch while his punching power would remain, or perhaps increase with the combination of more speed in the mix.

Does Phil Baroni train for a single five minute round or what? Honestly? Phil has long been one of my favorite fighters to watch throw down……. for about three or four minutes, but I can’t remember the man looking fresh at the start of a second round…. eva. Take his fight with Sadollah at UFC 106 for example; First round: Baroni comes out and lays it all out there, as usual; Second round: Phil comes out, throws two haymakers that wiff, and it’s all downhill from there. Baroni can thank his chin and Amir’s lack of a huge punch for making it to the final bell.

Does Ben Saunders have the most dangerous clinch in the business right now? While that may be a little bit of a stretch, the question deserves to be asked after giving Brandon Wolff a second forehead via knees in the clinch during their meeting and crushing Marcus Davis on Saturday evening with the same technique. Of course the two Silva’s, Anderson and Wanderlei, are both well respected for their clinch game but it seems like Saunders now deserves the same type of fear and respect that those two bring to the table.

Two things that struck me as REALLY odd with Jake Rosholt’s performance in his triangle defeat at the legs of Kendall Grove: First off, I may be crazy, but it sure looked like Rosholt was beginning to tire, or dare I say gas when Kendall sunk the choke in. Secondly, it looked like Jake tapped out REALLY early . I didn’t see him try to wiggle out of the hold once and he was tapping Grove’s thigh before Kendall even had a chance to pull Rosholt’s head down. It looked like one of those sparring taps. One of those taps you get used to when you get caught during practice, but there should definitely be a different standard when it comes to the big show.

I am officially a converted Brian Foster fan. Don’t get me wrong, his previous fight in the UFC with Ricky Story was about as brutal as it gets but the fact that he got caught in a MOUNTED arm-triangle left me in a position where I could see Foster on his way out of the UFC following what I was convinced would be a loss at the hands of Brock Larson. Obviously that was not the case on Saturday evening as Foster gave more than he got in a consecutive back and forth war in the Octagon, putting a beating on Larson that had the respected veteran tapping the canvas in submission. Not only did Foster show that he could beat a very legitimate welterweight in Larson, but more importantly in my eyes, he showed that he puts it all on the line every time out. For the first time ‘I can safely say that I am anxiously awaiting the announcement of Foster’s next bout.

UFC 106 took place from the Mandalay Bay Events Center last night, featuring a headlining bout between Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz.

Kos ended up taking home both the submission, and fight of the fight bonuses for his second round rear naked choke victory over “Rumble” that capped off an electrifying battle. He walked away with a cool $70,000 for each honor, for a combined bonus total of 140 grand.

Also going home with a big pat on the back from the UFC in the form of an enormous paycheck was Johnson for his tussle with Koscheck, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who lit up Luiz Cane like a Christmas tree to collect his bonus.

Forrest Griffin

While Tito managed to score several powerful takedowns during the bout, it was Griffin’s leg kicks and striking that played the deciding factor in the contest with two of the judges that gave the nod to Griffin via split decision.

Josh Koscheck and Anthony Johnson went to war this tonight for as long as their scrap lasted, but it was Koscheck’s dynamic wrestling background that made the ultimate difference in the bout’s conclusion. Koscheck took the beaten and bruised Johnson’s back in the second and locked in the game ending rear-naked choke that likely propelled the AKA trained fighter back into title contention in the near future.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira looked as good as he possibly could this evening as he beat the heavy handed Luiz Cane at his own game, knocking his fellow Brazilian senseless with a series of punches in the first round, and establishing himself as an immediate threat to the 205 pound crown in the process.

In preliminary action Ben Saunders showed why his clinch game is among the nastiest in the business as he put Marcus Davis to sleep with a huge knee, Kendall Grove caught Jake Rosholt with a nasty triangle choke and Brian Foster surprised a lot of people, TKO’ing Brock Larson in the second round of their welterweight match-up.

A full list of the results from UFC 106 are listed below:

Forrest Griffin def. Tito Ortiz via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

Josh Koscheck def. Anthony Johnson via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2

Paulo Thiago def. Jacob Volkmann via unanimous decision (29-28,30-27,30-27)

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Luiz Cane via TKO – Round 1

Amir Sadollah def. Phil Baroni via unanimous decision (30-27,30-27,29-28)

Ben Saunders def. Marcus Davis via knockout (knee) – Round 1

Kendall Grove def. Jake Rosholt via submission (triangle) – Round 1

Brian Foster def. Brock Larson via TKO – Round 2

Caol Uno and Fabricio Camoes fight to a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)

George Sotiropoulos def. Jason Dent via submission (armbar) – Round 2

FiveOuncesofPain.com

UFC 106 is set to take place from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, with a portion of the preliminary action airing live on Spike TV, and the main card being broadcast on pay-per-view.

The main event will be a rematch between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin, with other highly anticipated match-ups including Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson, Luiz Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and many more.

Five Ounces‘ live coverage of the event will begin with the first preliminary bout which is expected to go down right around 8 pm ET, all the way through the Spike broadcast which begins at 9 pm ET, and the main card which is slated for 10 pm ET.

Enjoy the fights!!

George Sotiropoulos vs. Jason Dent

Sotiropoulos controls the action in the first round with takedowns, top control and ground and pound from the top. The second sees George’s wrestling playing the pivotal role in this crowd pleasing match-up, securing the armbar for the finish.

George Sotiropoulos def. Jason Dent via submission (armbar) – Round 2

Caol Uno vs. Fabricio Camoes

A hard fought first round by both men likely goes to Camoes based on several successful takedowns and a near fight-finishing rear naked choke attempt. The action was halted for a moment in round two due to Camoes delivering several kicks to the head of Uno from the bottom. A point is also deducted from Fabricio for the foul. When action resumes Fabricio works for an armbar before winding up on his back for a chunk of the round before they trade knees in the clinch as the round comes to an end. The third round sees Uno controlling the action with takedowns, ground and pound, and submission attempts. The point deduction in the third is the story of this bout.

Caol Uno and Fabricio Camoes fight to a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)

Brock Larson vs. Brian Foster

Larson scores a takedown and works to side control before Foster works back up to his feet and scores his own takedown. Foster drops ground and pound and gets to mount. Larson scrambles loose and lands a kick to the head of a downed Foster. Time is called and a point is deducted. Larson catches Foster with some knees from the three-point position at the round’s end for a loss of yet another point. Foster lands a spinning back kick and fist combo, and tosses Larson to the canvas where he finishes him off with ground and pound.

Brian Foster def. Brock Larson via TKO – Round 2

Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt

Rosholt scores a couple takedowns to start things off and Grove returns the favor. Back to their feet and it’s Rosholt with a big combo and a takedown. Jake gets full mount, but Kendall puts him into his half-guard. Grove throws up a tight triangle attempt and it’s done and done. Rosholt taps.

Kendall Grove def. Jake Rosholt via submission (triangle) – Round 1

Ben Saunders vs. Marcus Davis

They clinch early. They separate and Saunders lands some hard knees in the clinch. Davis is cut and he presses Ben against the cage. Saunders landing big knees in the clinch. Brief exchange and they’re back in the clinch. Saunders lands a knee from hell and Davis is out like a light.

Ben Saunders def. Marcus Davis via knockout (knee) – Round 1

Amir Sadollah vs. Phil Baroni

Round 1: Baroni lands a big punch to get things started. They clinch up against the cage. Amir looking for knees while Phil looks for big punches. Baroni scores the takedown. Sadollah looking for an armbar but Baroni’s out, and they’re back to their feet. Amir works big knees in the clinch. Baroni drops for a takedown but Amir defends and ends the round with a couple of big knees.

Round 2: They clinch up and Baroni lands a big right hand on the break. They exchange strikes and it’s back to the clinch. It’s Amir with a big elbow. Sadollah with a hard leg kick and a crisp combo of punches. Big right hand from Phil but Amir comes right back. Back to the clinch. Baroni’s looking gassed. They finish up in the clinch with Amir pulling away.

Round 3: Baroni’s tired but he’s swinging for the fences and ever-dangerous. They exchange standing. Big elbows from Amir but Phil’s not going anywhere. Good leg kicks from Sadollah. Baroni’s hurt. Amir is just teeing off. This could be stopped. Baroni’s tired but he’s still coming with haymakers. Amir ends the fight with powerful knees and elbows in the clinch.

Amir Sadollah def. Phil Baroni via unanimous decision (30-27,30-27,29-28)

Luiz Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

They feel each other out for a while before Nogueira opens up with a few punches. Big left hand from Rogerio and Nogueira and Cane is rocked. A few more lefts from Nogueira and Cane is on the run. A huge left hook drops Cane and a few punches seal the deal. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira has arrived!

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Luiz Cane via TKO – Round 1

Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann

Round 1: Paulo scores a takedown early and he’s in side control.  Volkmann back into half-guard, and he scrambles to his feet. They clinch against the cage. Thiago with another takedown and he’s in the mount. Volkmann gets guard, and he’s back to his feet again. Volkmann presses Thiago against the fence. They split up. Paulo lands his trademark uppercut and finishes with a huge left-right combo that drops Jacob and has him looking in bad shape at the round’s conclusion.

Round 2: Thiago applies pressure to start things off but Volkmann scores the takedown. Thiago scrambles to his feet and they’re back in the clinch. They exchange and Volkmann lands a hard left hand. Volkmann on top once again. He takes Paulo’s back and mounts but loses position. Thiago on top. Huge right hand to the grounded Volkmann and Thiago takes side control to finish out the round.

Round 3: Volkmann is dropped by a big punch and he’s back to his feet. Thiago scores the takedown. Volkmann has Thiago in the crucifix but Paulo works out of it. Thiago back on top. A lot of transitions in this one. Volkmann with the d’arce atempt. It looks tight. Thiago’s out and he’s in side control dropping the pain. Fight finishes with Paulo on top.

Paulo Thiago def. Jacob Volkmann via unanimous decision (29-28,30-27,30-27)

Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson

Round 1: They exchange strikes to start things out. Johnson connects with a hard shot and Koscheck backtracks. Kos shoots in and Johnson defends nicely. Johnson’s up and lands a big knee to the face of a grounded Koscheck. The action is stopped. The doctor comes in to check it out. Josh says he has blurry vision and he’s told he has three minutes. They start back out and Johnson is stalking Koscheck with powerful kicks. Kos shoots in but AJ does a great job defending, for a while, but Josh secures it after all. He takes Johnson’s back. Johnson scrambles free and works for a takedown of his oen at the round’s end.

Round 2: Johnson starts out working the leg kicks and takes a finger to the eye. Koscheck pokes Johnson in the eye again and the action is halted. Johnson must have a magnet in his eye or something. Both men exchange big shots before Koscheck scores with a takedown. Kos working big elbows from the top position. Koscheck working for an arm-triangle but Johnson’s out of danger. Koscheck takes his back and sinks in the rear-naked choke for the victory. Good fight!

Josh Koscheck def. Anthony Johnson via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2

Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin

Round 1: Forrest lands a big punch and follows it with a good kick. Tito with a hard kick. They’re exchanging on the feet. Tito scores with a takedown a minute and a half into the round. Ortiz is working his trademark ground and pound. Forrest scrambles to his feet and Tito presses him against the cage. They separate and Forrest is working his kicks. Griffin lands a couple of hard punches. Tito shoots in and Forrest is out. Round ends with Griffin pushing Tito against the fence.

Round 2: Tito scores a big takedown off f a Griffin leg kick early on. Forrest is back to his feet. Good push kick to the face from Forrest that knocks the mouthpiece out of Tito’s grill. Tito with the takedown. Forrest is cut bad and he sweeps Tito. Griffin finishes the round on top working a little of his own ground and pound. A small shoving match ensues at the end of the round.

Round 3: Forrest doing a good job working his stand up. Tito shoots in but Forrest defends well. More of Griffin working his striking on the feet. Griffin lands a big high kick. Big leg kick from Forrest. Tito shoots in and it’s shut down. Griffin lands several hard punches to the chin of Ortiz. They trade to finish the fight off. Another great fight!

Forrest Griffin def. Tito Ortiz via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

I was not alone in questioning the massive welterweight wrecking machine’s motivations in attempting to stay at a weight that he may not be able to make ever again. But AJ defied modern science again yesterday, somehow constricting his 220 pound frame down to a bone dry 170 pounds for what was likely no longer than 5-10 minutes.

Let’s not forget that “Rumble” fought less than a month ago, literally, and he wasn’t anywhere near weight for that fight. For him to make the weight limit just four weeks required the type of will power, self control and dedication that has allowed him to totally redeem himself in my mind. Fool us once, shame on you; Fool us twice, shame on us. Now don’t let it happen again.

I’m expecting a full blown war between these two with both Johnson and Josh Koscheck coming in at full strength looking to make an exclamation mark out of the other. Johnson is never more than a punch or head kick away from finishing any scrap, and it’s going to be Koscheck’s job to not allow him the space that would afford him that luxury. At the same time, let’s not pretend that Koscheck is anything less than lethal on his feet as well. His striking game has evolved to a point where could currently be considered a top ten striker in his weight class. Don’t blink.

As a side note: I fully expect for the future of Johnson’s weight division participation to lie in the balance of tonight’s bout. If AJ pulls it off, of course he stays at 170 pounds because a title shot is undeniably right around the corner. Cutting down to welterweight is tough for Johnson, but worth it if cutting means becoming a champion. However, if he loses there’s no reason for Anthony to continue to make the sacrifices required to make the welterweight division when he’s looking at a minimum of three or four wins to get back into title contention.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Tito Ortiz‘ fighting style. He’s great at what he does, don’t get me wrong, but pinning someone down, maintaining position and chipping away with elbows has never been my cup of tea. Regardless, I’ll be the first to admit that I get pumped when “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” makes his entrance, 60% of the time, all the time. Whatever “it” is, Tito has “it” in abundance. Love him or hate him, you just have to watch him; Tonight will be no exception.

Now whether Tito comes out on top in this rematch with Forrest Griffin is a huge question mark. There are a multitude of question marks surrounding this bout when you take a closer look. Has Tito recovered properly from his nagging injuries? How will Forrest handle coming back from the most embarrassing loss of his career? Is Ortiz suffering from Octagon rust? Can Griffin stop Tito’s takedowns? The list goes on and on. When the dust clears we should have a clear cut vision of where both of the longtime crowd favorites stand in their decorated careers. One man will make a push for the title when it’s all said and done, while the other will continue to draw large crowds regardless of the outcome.

Be on the lookout for Jacob Volkmann to turn a lot of heads tonight as he will likely put a beating on the Paulo Thiago that will leave the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt between a rock and a hard place with the UFC. I had a chance to speak with Chris Tuchscherer yesterday who told me that Volkmann more than holds his own with fighters such as Nick Thompson and Sean Sherk at Minnesota Martial Art, going as far as to state that Jacob can push him when they grapple, regardless of the 100 pound size difference. Volkmann is the goods. I’ve had my eye on this guy and tonight will be his coming out party.

If Rogerio Nogueira can drag Luiz Cane to the canvas and keep him there, there’s no question in my mind that he should be able to secure some form of submission, but I don’t feel like he’s going to be powerful enough. That being said, expect to see a slugfest in this one, that could very well end up being the fight of the night.

The Best Eva!!! is back and Amir desperately needs to show that his prior TKO defeat at the hands of Johny Hendricks was the fluke that many of his supporters believe it to have been. The deciding factor in this fight has to be the fact that I firmly believe Phil Baroni to be the better wrestler of the two. He’s going to use that advantage in the wrestling department to keep this fight standing up while transforming Amir Sadollah‘s head into a pinata.

Make sure to check back with FiveOuncesofPain.com all day and all night as we will have all of the latest live updates from UFC 106 as they take place, and most importantly, enjoy the fights!!!

FiveOuncesofPain.com

The weigh-ins are going down at 7 pm ET this evening from the Mandalay Bay Events Center. The same venue that will lay host to tomorrow evening’s card featuring a headlining match-up between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin, along with a slew of other bouts with fight of the night potential.

Below is a full list of the weigh-in results from UFC 106:

Forrest Griffin (205) vs. Tito Ortiz (204)

Anthony Johnson (170) vs. Josh Koscheck (171)

Phil Baroni (170) vs. Amir Sadollah (170)

Luiz Cane (205) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (205)

Paulo Thiago (169) vs. Jacob Volkmann (170)

Marcus Davis (170) vs. Ben Saunders (170)

Kendall Grove (186) vs. Jake Rosholt (185.5)

Brian Foster (171) vs. Brock Larson (171)

Fabricio Camoes (155.5) vs. Caol Uno (155.5)

Jason Dent (155) vs. George Sotiropoulos (155)

UFC 106 will be taking place from the the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on November 21, with the main card airing live on pay-per-view, and a portion of the preliminary action airing live on Spike TV just prior to the PPV broadcast.

In this edition of Trading Punches we’ll take an in depth look at the main card, including scheduled pay-per-view scraps of Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin, Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson, Luis Arthur Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and more.

CLICK HERE to check out the preliminary portion of Trading Punches. Jacob Volkmann vs. Paulo Thiago, which has been shifted to the main portion due to Karo Parisyan‘s withdraw from his bout with Dustin Hazelett, can be found on the preliminary predictions.

As always feel free to respectively agree or disagree in the comment section below, and don’t talk about it, be about it; post your very own set of picks for the 5 Oz. community to analyze and ridicule.

Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz

David Andrest: This is an interesting fight for me. I always enjoy Tito, I always enjoy Forrest. For Tito, this fight will decide if he can be a contender, or if he will be relegated to “showcase” fights on the senior circut. For Forrest, it’s going to be the typical ” How will he bounce back” fight. I would mention the previous meeting but that is a stupid way to look at the fight. Both men should be different fighters, as Forrest has gained experience, and Tito has a new spine that allows him to train. What this fight comes down to for me is Ortiz. How good is the back? How good is his cardio? Has he evolved in any way as a fighter. Forrest is the type of fighter that gets hit, and gets hit alot. Honestly I’m never a fan of picking that type of fighter. All the heart in the world doesn’t stop Herb Dean from stepping in if Tito is on top on you dropping elbows on your bloody corpse. I would think Forrest would want to keep this fight on the feet using a mix of leg kicks and punches to out point Tito. ( very similar to the Rampage Jackson fight). This is a very winnable fight for both guys.

Despite my better judgment, I’m going to believe the hype, I think a healthy Tito gets this fight to the floor and stops Forrest. I’ve heard strong rumblings for a while that one of these fighters has a long standing back problem that needs to be repaired, and this time it’s not who you might think.

Winner: Tito Ortiz via TKO

Cory Brady: Such a tough fight to call because there’s really no telling which Tito is going to show up. If he shows up at 100%, which I don’t feel he has been for many years now, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be able to find a way to get this fight to the canvas and play the monster mash all over Forrest’s face with elbows like he did in their previous meeting with tremendous success. At the same time, lets not forget that this is the same Forrest that recently beat Rampage convincingly to claim the UFC’s light heavyweight strap; Something Tito hasn’t manged to pull off since he lost the title to Randy Couture at UFC 44. I basically see this fight being an instant replay of the pair’s first meeting, with the same result. Should be exciting though, no doubt about that.

Winner: Tito Ortiz via decision

Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson

David Andrest: GREAT MATCH-UP!  With that said, this fight is all on Koscheck to win. If Josh Koscheck the boxer shows up, it’s going to be a short night. Koscheck is a better wrestler and should be able to control the ground quite easily. Johnson is the more dynamic puncher, and training with  Cung Le  I would imagine he’ll bring his kicks to this fight. I just feel Koscheck is the better fighter and not by a little bit.  Koscheck has shown the ability to throw the interception, but I don’t think it will happen this time.  Koscheck is aware of Anthony Johnson, and is not looking past him, and frankly that is all it should take.

Winner: Josh Koscheck via decision

Cory Brady: My man David is absolutely right: GREAT MATCH-UP! I don’t know if any of you guys remember a little article I wrote in April of this year called “If I Was The UFC Matchmaker” where I called for this fight, but this one has been a long time coming for me. While sending any man or beast to La-La Land is definitely not beyond Johnson’s capability at any point in time, there’s no reason that Koscheck shouldn’t win this fight on paper. Johnson used to wrestle but Koscheck’s level is on an entire different level. If Kos chooses to take advantage of his one key advantage in this fight it should be his fight to lose.

Winner: Josh Koscheck via decision

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Luis Cane

David Andrest: Big fight, good fighters. Welcome to the UFC Rogerio. Cane is a blue chip prospect, and has made a steady climb up a division that is very deep.  Nogueira, is a vet, and a very skilled fighter with all the tools to hold a belt in the division.  Nogueira will make his debut in the octagon, and I think this fight will be an entertaining slugfest with Nogueira using superior boxing to take out the youngster Cane.

Winner: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via TKO

Cory Brady: I have a good feeling this is going to turn into a Brazilian boxing match due to Cane’s desire and ability to keep the fight standing. Now on paper one would be quick to give the heavy handed Luis an edge in the striking department, but not so fast. Lil’ Nog is a former South American Games and Brazilian Championship title holder in boxing, along with taking home the bronze in the 2007 Pan American Games super heavyweight division. I see Nogueira edging out Cane with superior technical boxing in what promises to be a complete war with definite fight of the night potential

Winner: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via decision

Amir Sadollah vs. Phil Baroni

David Andrest: If there is an MMA god , he will grant Baroni a moment in the sun here.  I try not to read too much into interviews, but I find myself increasingly depressed watching Baroni talk on camera. He seems a shell of his former self,  almost broken. With that said, Baroni  brings it everytime, with the question being  how much cardio did he pack for the trip. I have no doubt that Baroni has what it takes to take out Sadollah. Amir is going to have to weather a storm like he has never seen, the question is how long will it last. The longer this fight goes, the better it is for our TUF winner. If Amir can hang in longer than Baroni’s cardio, he can pull out the trademark  submission victory over a better fighter. Baroni is training out at AKA with some of the best fighters in the world, he should be prepared, and should KO Sadollah.

Winner: Phil Baroni via TKO

Cory Brady: It’s my opinion that C.B. Dollaway’s inexperience over a year ago made Amir look a lot better than he currently is in his still developing career. Sadollah’s stand-up game was exposed in a major was in his first round TKO defeat at the hands of John Hendricks during UFC 101, and it will be exposed again with the C4 fisted “NYBA”. Amir may hold an edge in the submission department but Baroni being the better wrestler should serve to keep the fight on the feet for as long as he chooses, which should be all night long. Bad match-up for Amir, great match-up for Baroni. Like most of Phil’s fights, don’t expect for this one to be anything less than a war for as long as it lasts.

Winner: “The Best Eva’!!!” (Baroni) via knockout

White recently made the announcement that Hazelett will receive all of his show and win money regardless of Parisyan’s inability to fight as previously expected via his Twitter account, stating:

Dustin will be paid his full purse to show and win. Its not his fault.

Hopefully the UFC will manage to secure another fight for Hazelett at a UFC in the near future. As it currently stands, it has been four days past the one year anniversary of Dustin’s last trip to the Octagon, where he tapped out Tamdan McCrory with a nasty inverted armbar at their UFC 91 meeting.

Karo Parisyan

White posted the news on his Twitter account about thirty minutes ago, stating:

Karo Parisyan has fucked over the UFC, the fans and his opponent again!!! He will not be fighting saturday or ever again in the UFC!!

Fans may recall a similar situation at UFC 88 when “The Heat” stepped down just prior to the weigh-ins when scheduled to take on Yoshiyuki Yoshida. And, though he was initially victorious against Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 94 in his next fight, the Nevada State Athletic Commission changed the result to a “no contest” a few months later when it had been determined Parisyan tested positive for a number of banned painkillers.

Apparently Parisyan removed himself from UFC 106 at some point today. The exact reasoning behind Karo’s withdraw from the card will likely be surfacing shortly. According to Dana:

Pulled out of the fight the day before weigh ins again with a laundry list of excuses!!! Let the press ask karo why! Let him explain.

Stay tuned to 5 Oz. for updates on this still developing situation

The event is headlined by former UFC light heavyweight champions Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin. Also set to appear  Josh Koscheck and Anthony Johnson as well as UFC President Dana White.

The press conference will take place live at 4pm ET and will be replayed, as well as access to other UFC 106 preview videos. You can make your selection in the player below.

Stay tuned to FiveOuncesofPain.com for continuing coverage of UFC:106 including the Live Weigh-i9n and Post fight Press Conference coverage.

UFC 106 will be going down at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on November 21, with the main portion of the event airing live on pay-per-view, and a chunk of the preliminary action airing live on Spike TV just prior to the PPV broadcast.

In this edition of Trading Punches we’ll take an in depth look at the preliminary bouts, including scheduled Spike TV scraps of Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt and Ben Saunders vs. Marcus Davis. Main card will be up shortly….

As always feel free to respectively agree or disagree in the comment section below, and put up or shut up; post your very own picks for the world to put on blast.

Ben Saunders vs. Marcus Davis

David Andrest: Yet another great “undercard” on Spike TV fight. This fight promises to be excitement from start to finish. I tend to lean toward Davis based on experience, but Saunders is still young and improving.   I don’t see Saunders  knocking out Davis,  his path to victory is on the floor. Davis has KO power, and would be smart to keep the fight standing.

Winner: Ben Saunders via decision

Cory Brady: There are a bunch of fights on this card with fight of the night potential, but Saunders vs. Davis is without a doubt my front runner for the bonus check. Both guys have a long history of bringing the pain every time out of the gate and this fight will be no exception. Mike Swick is the key ingredient in how I came to the conclusion I did in this match-up. Allow me to explain: Swick recently lost to Hardy, sure, but Hardy had a tougher time with Davis than he did Swick. Swick also fought Davis three rounds to a decision. The same Mike Swick that recntly beat the snot out of Ben Saunders in a one sided second round pumeling. My conclusion being that it should be one hell of a fight, but a fight Davis should be able to pull out when the dust settles.

Winer: Marcus Davis via decision

Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt

David Andrest: The other fight on the free Spike prelims. Honestly I get the feeling that Kendall Grove is one loss away from being out of a job. And I think Kendall has had that same feeling for sometime. Rosholt is another up and coming prospect that has been a part of some of the most forgettable KO’s and submissions I can never remember. I have such a low expectation for this fight I’m setting an alarm clock to remind me to watch. I think Grove finds a way to win allowing him to hold on to the dream one fight at a time.

Winner: Kendall Grove via decision

Cory Brady: No question in my mind that Kendall is one loss away from being out of a job like Mr. Andrest so delicately explained. Pretty crappy position to be in coming off of a record of 2-1 in the UFC in your last three, but what are you gonna do? It is what it is; it being that Grove knows full well he needs to win this bout and expect for him to fight accordingly; like a Hawaiian wildman. While I still feel like Rosholt has a question mark hanging over his chin since being knocked loopy several times with Nissen Osternick in the WEC, there’s no reason a wrestler of his pedigree shouldn’t be able to drag the lanky Grove to the canvas. And let’s not forget for one moment how tall Grove is, and how good of a wrestler Rosholt is.

Winner: Jake Rosholt via decision

Brock Larson vs. Brian Foster

David Andrest: Both guys are coming off of a loss. Based upon history alone, Larson will submit Foster. Larson is 26-3 with 18 wins by submission. Foster loses by submission to fighter not nearly as good as Larson.

Winner: Brock Larson via submission

Cory Brady: Let’s be real here folks: Foster’s out of his league with Larson. While David is correct in stating that both men are coming off of losses; Foster is no Mike Pyle, and Larson is no Ricky Story. Huge differences on both ends in my opinion. I expect for Larson to come out and punch Foster in the mouth. From there I expect for Brock to drop a little old fashioned GNP before strangling his victim with a side choke.

Winner: Brock Larson via prison beatdown

Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann

David Andrest: This is the fight I would much rather be watching on Spike. A battle of two great young fighters. Thiago has obvious KO power, and Volkmann comes into this fight undefeated. This should make for an amazing fight. I’ll give Thiago the edge based upon tougher opposition.

Winner: Paulo Thiago via decision

Cory Brady: With a prior knockout victory over Josh Koscheck and a recent hard fought decision loss at the hands of Jon Fitch, Dave’s statement that Thiago has faced the tougher opposition is absolutely correct. However, there’s no doubt in my mind that Volkmann is the goods. Future title challenger material. His wrestling pedigree and ability to understand and escape submissions will make this fight look eerily similar to Paulo’s recent defeat at the hands of Fitch.

Winner: Jacob Volkmann via decision

Caol Uno vs. Fabricio Camoes

David Andrest: Caol Uno has seen it all, and has faced the who’s who of the division. Camoes is a young up and coming fighter who has shown promise. Uno has been spotty of late but the losses have come to quality fighters. I’m taking Camoes in this fight, and see it as his coming out party.

Winner: Camoes via decsion

Cory Brady: A second degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Royler Gracie, there’s no question as to what Camoes brings to the table. Unfortunately for him, Uno hasn’t been submitted in like….. ten years, and he fought Aoki recently. That being said, this fight either goes the distance or someone’s getting KO’d. Either way I’m giving the edge to Uno based on balanced results against the tougher opposition.

Winner: Caol Uno via decision

George Sotiropoulos vs. Jason Dent

David Andrest: I see this as a tune up fight for Sotiropoulos, I think he goes though Dent quite easily on his way to the main card for the Aussie show in the spring.

Winner: George Sotiropoulos via submission

Cory Brady: At first glance one would love to assume that George is going to have an easy time with the 19-9 Dent, but that’s an unlikely scenario. Dent hasn’t been finished in a fight in more than four years, and has more recently gone the distance with fighters such as Roger Huerta and Gleison Tibau. This should be a high paced bout, but I don’t see either guy walking through the other.

Winner: George Sotiropoulos via decision

The telecast is set to kick off on Spike at 9 pm ET just one hour before the start of the main card.

The event is scheduled to take place from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on November 21, featuring a main event between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin.

Both Davis and Saunders will be looking to build some momentum with a victory, with Marcus recently dropping a close decision to Dan Hardy at UFC 99, and Ben catching a second round TKO beating at the hands of Mike Swick during the same event.

Grove will also be looking to set things straight following a unanimous decision defeat to “The Big Dog”, Ricardo Almeida during UFC 101, while Rosholt is fresh off of the biggest victory of his rapidly developing career, finishing Chris Leben with an arm-triangle in the second round of their UFC 102 meeting.

Below is a full list of the bouts expected for UFC 106:

Main Card

Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz

Anthony Johnson vs. Josh Koscheck

Phil Baroni vs. Amir Sadollah

Luiz Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Dustin Hazelett vs. Karo Parisyan

Aired Prelims

Marcus Davis vs. Ben Saunders

Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt

Un-Aired Prelims

Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann

Brian Foster vs. Brock Larson

Fabricio Camoes vs. Caol Uno

Jason Dent vs. George Sotiropoulos

The event is scheduled for November 21 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

The light heavyweight bout between Nogueira and Cane is set for the main portion of the card, while the welterweight showdown between Thiago and Volkmann will be on the preliminary portion.

Twin brother to former UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Lil Nog is currently riding a five fight win streak following a knockout loss suffered at the hands of Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in February of 2007, while Cane has recently racked up wins over Jason Lambert, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Steve Cantwell during his time with the UFC.

Thiago will be looking to get things back on track following a recent decision loss to Jon Fitch on the heels of the Brazilian’s breakthrough Octagon knockout over Josh Koscheck at UFC 95, while Volkmann, a three-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, currently sports an unblemished record of 9-0.

It would appear Koscheck has been added to a UFC 106 card that suffered from a lost main event Monday when heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was forced to pull out of his scheduled title defense against Shane Carwin.

Since the announcement Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz II was thought to have been moved to main event, but it now appears a welterweight fight with two of the UFC’s top level fighters appears close to being added.

A recent report on Sherdog.com is indicating that Anthony Johnson could be the possible opponent for Koscheck. The report states that both fighters have verbally agreed to the fight.

Koscheck would be entering the bout on the heels of a very impressive performance at UFC 103 where he stopped Frank Trigg via TKO, while Johnson who is riding a 3 fight win streak, most recently fought this past weekend at UFC 104 where he was victorious in just :41 over Yoshiyuki Yoshida, a bout he failed to make weight for.

Thiago’s manager Wallid Ismail recently revealed the news of the bout to Terra Magazine, and FiveOuncesofPain.com has subsequently confirmed the bout through sources close to the match-up.

Thiago will be looking to [place himself back into the winners circle following a unanimous decision loss at the hands of Jon Fitch during UFC 100. Just prior to the loss Paulo shocked many when he left Octagon veteran Josh Koscheck in a daze via TKO in the Brazilian’s UFC debut.

Volkmann trains out of Minnesota Martial Arts Academy and sports a career record of 9-0. Known for his strong wrestling base and tenacious fighting style, Volkmann’s last trip to the cage saw him secure a first round submission over Kevin Knabjian during a Bellator event in May.

A full list of the bouts expected for UFC 106 are listed below:

Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin

Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin

Karo Parisyan vs. Dustin Hazelett

Amir Sadollah vs. Phil Baroni

Ben Saunders vs. Marcus Davis

Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt

George Sotiropoulos vs. Jason Dent

Luiz Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Brian Foster vs. Brock Larson

Fabricio Camoes vs. Caol Uno

Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann

A middleweight preliminary bout between Kendall Grove and Jake Rosholt is one of three newly confirmed bouts for the card.

Rosholt is coming of a “Submission of the Night” win against Chris Leben at UFC 102. His win against “The Crippler” was his first in the octagon since coming over from the WEC.

Grove, who was “The Ultimate Fighter 3” winner, has had some ups and downs since winning the reality show. “Da Spyder” has gone 4-3 since winning the contract with notable wins over Evan Tanner and Jason Day. He will be looking to rebound after suffering a unanimous decision loss at the hands of Ricardo Almeida.

Almeida, who has improved his record to 11-3, has signed on to face top contender Jon Fitch for the main card of the event.

“Big Dog” who appears to have rededicated himself to MMA after taking a four-year layoff, has only one loss in his last ten fights in a very close split decision to Patrick Cote.

Fitch, who’s only loss came at the hands of champion Georges St. Pierre, is looking to earn himself another shot with a win over Almeida. Fitch has put together two wins in a row since losing in his title shot, and has notable wins against Akihiro Gono, Diego Sanchez, and Thiago Alves.

Finally, a welterweight bout between two “inactive” fighters has also made the main card. Dustin Hazelett whos coming off a torn ACL has been confirmed to fight against judo specialist Karo Parisyan.

“McLovin” who tore his ACL prior to a bout with Ben Saunders, hasn’t fought since November 2008. The submission wizard was riding a two-fight win streak over Tamdan McCrory and Josh Burkman prior to his injury.

Parisyan, who returns from a drug suspension handed down after UFC 94, is looking to reclaim his position in the 170 lb division. Parisyan was suspended after testing positive for prescription painkillers after a win over Dong Hyun Kim. The win was eventually changed to no-decision.

The pay-per-view event is scheduled for November 21st, live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Below is a look at the remaining bouts confirmed:

Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin

Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz

Luis Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Ricardo Almeida vs. Jon Fitch

Dustin Hazelett vs. Karo Parisyan

Phil Baroni vs. Amir Sadollah

Marcus Davis vs. Ben Saunders

Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt

Jason Dent vs. George Sotiropoulos