Following a split-decision victory for Forrest Griffin over Tito Ortiz at UFC 106, rumors swirled about the two possibly coaching against one another for the next season of "The Ultimate Fighter". Tonight on Spike TV, Dana White made the announcement that Ortiz would be a coach, but Griffin would not.
The man set to coach opposite Ortiz is "The Iceman" Chuck Liddell. Liddell has not had a professional mixed martial arts fight since UFC 97, where he suffered a knockout defeat at the hands of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.
The season will feature middleweights and light heavyweights, which may be a nice change of pace, especially if the participants can feature better cardio than the heavyweights of season 10.
Questions were raised as to whether or not Liddell would retire after his devastating loss to "Shogun", but now it seems Tito Ortiz and "The Iceman" will meet for a third time inside the octagon. Liddell dominated Ortiz in their first two fights, at UFC 47 and UFC 66, but that was some time ago.
The third meeting will be a chance for Ortiz to redeem himself, or for Liddell to reestablish himself as a force in the light heavyweight division. It will also be another opportunity for Tito's mouth to hype a fight, as "the Huntington Beach Bad Boy" will once again look to get into the head of "The Iceman"
Both Liddell and Ortiz were longtime champions, and each are considered two of the most dominant champions in the history of the organization. Their third bout will hold serious repercussions or rewards, and this next season of "The Ultimate Fighter" should feature all the drama we can expect from two of the most dynamic light heavyweights in the history of the UFC.
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