ANAHEIM, Calif., April 15 — Tim Sylvia (Pictures), a heavy underdog against UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (Pictures), rebounded from a vicious right hand Saturday night at the Arrowhead Pond to recapture the belt and reign atop the scrambled UFC heavyweight division for a second time.
During Arlovski-Sylvia I it was the Belarusian, by way of Chicago, who punctuated the fight’s first meaningful moment. Tonight was no different as he slammed a right hand into Sylvia’s jaw. The challenger, who showed much better footwork and timing over his previous effort, stood his ground.
A second right-handed offering off one of the few sloppy jabs Sylvia threw tonight, something that plagued him in their previous clash, put the tall “Maine-iac” to the canvas.
“He caught me with a good right again — I got lazy,” Sylvia said.
The new champion refused to allow a swarming Arlovski, unbeaten since March 2002, to go in for the kill. Willing himself off the canvas, Sylvia sat up and moved forward, eventually standing on al dentelegs.
“No playing around,” he said of his actions in the Octagon. “I got the hell back up.”
With the end seemingly in sight, Arlovski challenged his heavy-handed challenger to stay in the fight with a telegraphed right-hand lead. “I was trying to catch him, but Tim this time ended up being quicker and trickier,” Arlovski said.
A roaring arena crowd, which was marketed as sold-out but offered pockets of empty seats, jumped to its feet after Sylvia dropped a short counter right hook to a chin many have questioned since Pedro Rizzo (Pictures) unloaded a highlight-reel knockout on “The Pitbull” in 2002.
Arguably the most athletic heavyweight in the sport fell face-first to the canvas. Forming a “T” to Arlovski’s prone body, Sylvia joined him on the floor and unloaded unanswered shots to the Belarusian’s head.
Referee Herb Dean (Pictures) moved in to save Arlovski from further punishment 2:43 after the opening bell. An exuberant Sylvia leapt to his feet much the same way he did after defeating Ricco Rodriguez (Pictures) to capture the belt in February 2003.
“The same thing happened with Ricco,” Sylvia said with the UFC belt strapped to his waist. “All week it was déjà vu. ‘Tim’s gonna lose. Tim’s not ready for Arlovski.’ I love being the underdog.”
Tonight’s stunning upset of the first UFC heavyweight champion to defend and hold the belt since Randy Couture (Pictures) stopped Pedro Rizzo (Pictures) at UFC 34 is sweet vindication for Sylvia, who was forced to relinquish his title after testing positive for anabolic steroids in September of ’03.
“I can’t explain the feelings I’m going through right now,” Sylvia said. “It’s unbelievable.”
Ortiz Edges Griffin in Front of Hometown Crowd
A competitive and exciting three-round light heavyweight clash between two of the UFC’s biggest stars saw Tito Ortiz (Pictures), fighting just miles from his boyhood home of Santa Ana, leave the cage a split decision winner against Forrest Griffin (Pictures).
Judges Cecil Peoples (29-27 Ortiz) and Hector Hernandez (29-28 Griffin) split with arguable scores. Veteran judge Abe Belardo, who concurred earlier this month in Stephan Bonnar (Pictures)’s questionable unanimous decision over Keith Jardine (Pictures), had a ridiculous 30-27 tally for the local fighter.
As the contest opened a split arena cheered both men. But when Ortiz put the fight on the floor in the first 40 seconds and swarmed with the kind of ground-and-pound that netted him five consecutive UFC light heavyweight title defenses, the fickle audience turned decidedly pro-“Huntington Beach Bad Boy.”
Coming out of the debut season of Spike TV’s The Ultimate Fighter, Griffin became a major draw for the UFC during Ortiz’s 14 months away from the Octagon.
He showed the flare for the dramatic that ingratiated him to fight fans by escaping Ortiz’s clutches and returning to the feet. The respite from slicing elbows was short, though, and soon Griffin dealt with another barrage. By the close of the opening period he bled from his forehead and wore a noticeable mouse under his right eye.
But Griffin, a mudder who’s at his best in a good scrap, was still clearly in the fight. He showed that in round two, which was the Georgian’s best.
Stopping the takedowns that plagued him early, Griffin found his range and started to connect. He also scored via low kicks to a bandaged left leg that the former champion said he injured a month and a half ago while taping the current season of The Ultimate Fighter.
“I had no way to pull out for this fight,” Ortiz said. “You see there’s 20,000 fans in my own hometown. I was not going to pull out of the fight.”
“I realize he had his leg taped there and I kicked it once he slipped,” noted Griffin. “And I’m so fricken nice I stopped. I was like ‘eww, God, did it hurt your leg? It’s got a bandage on it. I shouldn’t kick that, huh?’”
Generally speaking, there are more suitable places for charity than the Octagon.
As action moved into the final period it appeared to most inside The Pond that they were watching an even fight. It remained tight — with Ortiz delivering power punches and his challenger sharing the odd combination — until the powerful grappler put Griffin to the canvas with a minute and half remaining in the fight.
Though his ground striking was not nearly as vicious as round one, Ortiz scored enough to grab an edge. With Randy Couture (Pictures) watching in his corner, Griffin escaped from the bottom again and returned to his feet.
“You know, I never said I was that good,” Griffin stated. “But there’s nobody in this sport at 205 you put me in with and I won’t make it a fight. That’s just the way I am. I’m just a dog. I fight. Period. I’m not that technically good. I’m not that great. But I’m gonna fight and I’m in good shape. That’s it. That’s all you need.”
He pressed forward in the last 30 seconds and had the building shaking. Ortiz worked to answer and, in the eyes of the judges, did. But the crowd belonged to Griffin and it booed lustfully when Ortiz had his hand raised.
“I was really nervous,” said Ortiz regarding the judges’ scores. “Forrest did an awesome job defending the double (leg takedown).”
“I didn’t fight the first round,” said Griffin when asked if he thought he’d done enough to walk away the winner. “(Ortiz) had that takedown at the end. I think that stole the third round for him. I’ll be honest. If I had gotten up quicker and not taken the pounding in the third round that would have been my third round. But he won it with that takedown fair and square.”