The Mandalay Bay Events Center could feel like bizarro world on Nov. 21. At UFC 106, as he enters the arena to face Forrest Griffin, Tito Ortiz may actually be the fan favorite. It's still unknown as to whether fans have turned their backs on Griffin after two straight losses and his odd behavior after the UFC 101 loss to Anderson Silva. After being knocked out, he sprinted from the cage back to the lockerroom.

Ortiz, a polarizing figure, always says he's about the fans. He told Cagewriter he's not so sure that's the case anymore with Griffin:

"After any loss, that's the last thing you want to do, is run away from your fans, not give an explanation, kind of quitting on your fans." Ortiz said of Griffin's mad dash. "I've heard a lot of people already talk about that."

There's plenty of pressure on both fighters. Griffin can't afford a third straight loss especially to a guy that Dana White, for the last few years, said wasn't even a top 10 fighter anymore at light heavyweight.
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"He took this fight thinkng maybe Tito Ortiz isn't a 100-percent after back surgery."

But Ortiz says Griffin may the one who's not 100-percent: 

"I've seen time and time before where guys get knocked out and their heads get soft. I hope he's getting weak."

Ortiz's back surgery was back on Oct. 6 of 2008. Before that, he said it felt like someone was stabbing him in the lower back with an ice pick. Now pain free, he's ready to go. 

Now a main event fighter, Ortiz also has the pressure of trying to sell an entire pay-per-view. Sure the fans got screwed with the Brock Lesnar-Shane Carwin fight being dumped but it was Ortiz who really took a hit in the wallet. Most high level fighters with the promotion get some sort of back end PPV cut. Without Lesnar, this card may have just gone from a buy rate of 1 million down to around 300,000-400,000.