UFC 148: Saturday, July 7, 2012 MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada Light Heavyweight Contender Forrest Griffin (-290) Profile: The first winner of The Ultimate Fighter and former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin (18-7) is nearing the end of his storied career, and one of the final chapters will be completing his trilogy with former champion Tito Ortiz at UFC 148. After losing via split decision to Ortiz in what was the Fight of the Year in 2006, the 33-year-old Griffin bounced back and took home a split decision victory of his own in 2009. Now, they look to settle the score in what will definitely be the last fight for Ortiz on a day he is inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Griffin is coming off a tough first-round knockout loss to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in front of a Brazilian crowd at UFC 134 last August 27 that was also a rematch of an earlier submission win at UFC 76. Before that loss, he defeated Rich Franklin via unanimous decision at UFC 126, one of just four bouts for him over the last three years, including the second fight against Ortiz at UFC 106 and a first-round knockout loss at the hands of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 101. Light Heavyweight Contender Tito Ortiz (+225) Profile: Ortiz (16-10-1) is coming into this fight as his last, and with an induction into the UFC Hall of Fame, he is going out on top even if he loses. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” has had a long and storied career, dominating the light heavyweight division for years until the tail end of his fighting life that has seen him go 1-6-1, with the lone win turning out to be a shocking upset victory over Ryan Bader. The 37-year-old is still a strong opponent that will try to use his solid wrestling background against a younger, but still battle-weary Griffin as they fight for the third time at UFC 148. However, that strategy did not work for him in recent TKO losses to Rashad Evans and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira since beating Bader. Opening UFC 148 Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made Griffin a big -290 favorite (bet $290 to win $100) while Ortiz opened as a +225 underdog (bet $100 to win $225) according to the MMA odds. The fact that Ortiz will be making his last appearance inside the Octagon at UFC 148 could give him a sentimental edge. However, Griffin is not the type of fighter who will just lay down and concede to one of his rivals. Griffin is coming off a disappointing loss to Rua but had his mind elsewhere as his wife was going into labor earlier than expected with their first child in Vegas while he was trying to fight thousands of miles away in Brazil. That obviously will not be the case here, as he would like nothing more than to send Ortiz into retirement with another loss. Ortiz showed he still has some fight left in him when he stunned Bader, but he followed that up with a couple duds against veteran opponents in Evans and Nogueira. A similar result could end his career.
