In what is expected to be his last fight, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz tweeted late Monday night that he will face Forrest Griffin for the third time at July’s UFC 148 in Las Vegas, NV.
Ortiz (16-10-1) had been campaigning for Griffin for some time and got his wish. The 37-year-old got a renewed lease on his UFC life with a big upset of Ryan Bader at UFC 132 in July 2011, snapping a five-fight winless streak. Following the win, Ortiz put up consecutive TKO losses to Rashad Evans and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
The 32-year-old Griffin (18-7) has compiled a 2-3 mark since winning the UFC Light Heavyweight title in July 2008. After losing the belt to Evans, Griffin was knocked out by Anderson Silva before earning decision wins over Ortiz and Rich Franklin. He last competed in August 2011, a first round knockout defeat to Mauricio Rua at UFC 134.
The two first fought at UFC 59 in April 2006, a split decision win for Ortiz in a Fight Of The Year candidate. The two battled again at UFC 106 in November 2009 with a split decision going to Griffin.
UFC 148 takes place on Saturday, July 7 and is headlined by the finale in another trilogy with Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber III.
Here’s the announcement from Ortiz: