“The Ultimate Fighter 11” coaches? Tito Ortiz wants to coach opposite Forrest Griffin
LAS VEGAS With the 11th season of the UFC's reality series set to begin taping in just two months, one hopeful has already pleaded his case for a coaching slot. And he has an additional fighter in mind for the rival team.
Soon after a close split-decision loss to Forrest Griffin in the main event of Saturday's UFC 106 event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Tito Ortiz said he and Griffin should take the slots and then meet in a season-ending fight that would serve as the duo's rubber match.
"It'd be awesome," Ortiz said. "We'd break records with that one."
Ortiz and Griffin first met in 2006. Ortiz picked up a split-decision win and delivered the "TUF 1" champion his first loss in the octagon. Three years later, with a UFC 106 headliner between heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Shane Carwin scrapped and in need of a main event, UFC officials promoted the co-headliner between Ortiz and Griffin to the top spot.
Griffin won the second go-'round, but it wasn't without controversy.
"I'm pissed because I didn't have my hand raised at the end," Ortiz said. "I thought I won. … I thought I took the first two rounds."
The judges split 29-28 scores between the two fighters, but a third awarded a shutout to Griffin, 30-27.
Ortiz, returning from an 18-month layoff due to a back injury and surgery and a clash with UFC management, was in a joking mood in the post-fight press conference. But his continual pleas for the coaching slot were quite sincere; he really wants the gig.
"Dana and I talked before about possibly another (coaching stint on) 'The Ultimate Fighter,'" said Ortiz, who coached opposite Ken Shamrock on a third season of "TUF" that was the highest rated until the current heavyweights-only 10th season. "I don't know. It's in Dana's hands."
And White's thoughts?
"I don't know," he said while slightly chuckling at Ortiz's pitch. "I don't know. We'll have to look at it. We'll see."
Regardless, White thinks there's a case for Griffin vs. Ortiz III, whether it comes in early 2010 or in the summer after "TUF 11" runs its course.
"There possibly a rubber match possible," White said.
In addition to winning the first season of "TUF" (and defeating Stephan Bonnar in a finale that White continually cites as the most important fight in UFC history), Griffin coached against Quinton Jackson on "TUF 7" and produced the show's champion, fellow UFC 106 fighter Amir Sadollah.
So, would he be open to another season?
"Yeah, sure," he said. "I think me and Tito have the same strategy, which I think I kind of got on board before Tito. It's do what Dana says. That's what's best for you. That's pretty much been the strategy for the last five years of my life, and it's worked out pretty good. So I'll keep doing that."
The 11th season of "TUF," set to debut in April 2010, features middleweight and light heavyweight fighters. A recent "TUF 11" open tryout netted nearly 300 applicants, including notables such as former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Bobby Southworth, who appeared on the first season of "TUF," and fellow UFC veterans Nick Thompson and Logan Clark.
Sources close to the show, which could undergo some format tinkering in 2010, told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) a few names have been discussed for "TUF 11" coaching slots but that nothing has been set. Additionally, with four of the UFC's five title pictures in a bit of disarray due to injuries, officials are hesitant to put another championship on hold by booking a title-holder and challenger on the show.
That could open the door for coaches such as Ortiz and Griffin, who have large fan followings and the type of personalities that translate well on the show (but don't immediately factor into the title picture).
However, for a show already criticized for its recent staleness, would recycling former coaches and hyping a third fight between them really be the answer to the problem? That's going to be a paramount concern if UFC officials consider the two fighters for coaching slots.
In any manner, for the latest on "The Ultimate Fighter 11," stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
(Pictured: Tito Ortiz)
Check out more UFC News at MMAjunkie.com. This story originally appeared on MMAjunkie.com and is syndicated on Yahoo! Sports as part of a content-partnership deal between the two sites.
