The return of former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz suffered a setback. Ortiz’s opponent, former champion Mark Coleman has pulled out of their UFC 106 match. Coleman reportedly suffered an MCL tear or as Ortiz said on Twitter, “sissie[d] out.”

In my opinion, this is a blessing in disguise. This fight had boring written all over it. Even with the win over Stephan Bonner, I still can’t take Mark Coleman seriously. Both of these guys have great wrestling acumen which would have likely resulted in a boring, grinding, ground war. Styles make matchups and the styles of Ortiz and Coleman didn’t make this an intriguing matchup in the least.

The UFC and Ortiz have a few potential options right off of the bat at light heavyweight. Keith Jardine or Jon Jones are names that immediately come to mind. Not that either man would be easy, but they would probably be the easiest competition available for Ortiz. A juicier match would be a rematch with Wanderlei Silva. Rich Franklin is another intriguing match at light or catch weight. Depending upon how serious Tito wishes to be tested, there are several names available, all of which are more appealing than Coleman.

The money match would be a rematch with Forrest Griffin. Ortiz beat Griffin via split decision over three years ago. To this day, the result is still a controversial decision. Most MMA fans believe that Griffin won the fight and was robbed. The money is in this match, yet I don’t think it would be wise to throw Tito in with Griffin on his first match back. Tito needs a big win to be taken seriously by the MMA community and the UFC fans. After all, it was UFC president Dana White that has been saying for three years how Ortiz is overrated.

UFC could pull a bait and switch and throw Randy Couture into this match. Couture is scheduled to fight Brandon Vera at UFC 105. UFC has changed two big matches in the last few months due to a variety of reasons. A Couture-Ortiz match would be huge. It is the perfect match for either fighter to take. I don’t know how impressive a win by Ortiz would be over Couture at this stage of the game, but he would have a hell of a shot with the Natural. Taking into consideration that Spike TV is televising UFC 105, I doubt that UFC would switch the match. However, it is not entirely out of the question looking at similar business decisions that UFC have made in the last few months.

So the ball is really in Tito Ortiz’s court. He can take a safe match with someone like Jardine, Silva, or even Stephan Bonner. Granted, nothing is ever a given in MMA but Ortiz would be heavily favored in any one of those matches. At the same time, Tito has a chance to up the ante and take his return to a whole different level. I guess it comes down to whether Tito Ortiz sissie[s] out or not.

Thanks to MMAFanhouse.com for the tip!
Check out Tito’s first day back in training for UFC 106

Place your UFC and MMA bets on BetUs.com by clicking here.

New Items Marked Down! Shop the UFC Sale at the UFC Store.

Order The Ultimate Fighter: Season 3 – The Ultimate Grudge on DVD by clicking here.

Tito Ortiz’s autobiography This Is Gonna Hurt: The Life of a Mixed Martial Arts Champion by clicking here.

Randy Couture will begin his quest at the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 105. Couture has signed to fight Brandon Vera at UFC 105. The fight will air delayed on Spike TV a few hours after the event. A win over Vera could open up numerous possibilities for the Natural at light heavyweight.

Couture is a former UFC light heavyweight champion. Couture has fought at heavyweight since coming out of retirement several years ago. It has become evident to me that the guys are just too strong at heavyweight for Couture. Although he did hang in there with Brock Lesnar for a round, Antonio Nogueira seemed to be too powerful on the mat for Couture. The move back down to light heavyweight is a good move in my opinion for Couture.

The move also opens up a ton of UFC Super Fights at light heavyweight. The obvious fight would be against champion Lyoto Machida. Couture has told people that he is confident he knows how to beat Machida. It will likely take a win over Vera and one other win to get that fight. However, it only took Brock Lesnar one win to get a title shot. It isn’t out of the question to think that a win over Vera would grab Couture an immediate UFC title shot.

Should Dana White choose to wait, there are plenty of other juicy matches for Couture at 205. A match with Rashad Evans could be a very good possibility with Rampage Jackson now out of the mix. Anderson Silva needs to defend the middleweight title, but a match with Couture could do record business. Other possibilities include Jackson, Forrest Griffin, or even a rematch with Tito Ortiz. I would be shocked if we don’t get Couture-Ortiz II at some point.

Brandon Vera is a great choice from a UFC perspective for Couture. Vera has won his last two fights, but hasn’t really seemed to catch on with UFC fans. Vera moves up and down just like Couture. Vera is obviously being set up to lose in my opinion. On the flip side, a win could give Vera instant appeal with fans. The win would and should put Vera right in front of the line to get to Lyoto Machida.

The fight will also be aired on tape delay later that night on Spike TV. It isn’t everyday that you get someone like Randy Couture fighting for free on Spike TV. He would probably be the biggest star to fight on Spike unless you argue Anderson Silva. The fight is scheduled for Manchester which seems to be a curse for UFC fans. Fights scheduled for Manchester seem to have a way of falling apart for whatever reason. Until it happens, I wouldn’t completely count on it.

Place your UFC and MMA bets on BetUs.com by clicking here or Boddog.com by clicking here.

New Items Marked Down! Shop the UFC Sale at the UFC Store.

Buy UFC tickets at clicking here.

Pre-order the EA Sports: MMA Video Game featuring Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko by clicking here..

Read Randy Couture’s autobiography – Becoming the Natural: My Life In and Out of the Cage by clicking here.