Ortiz brings new plan of attack

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In the lead-up to his training, Tito Ortiz has been showing off his poker skills. Ray Mickshaw/PokerStars.net Josh Gross's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Josh. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

Tito Ortiz has a game plan and he's sticking to it.

Seated on a lavish television set in Van Nuys, Calif., Ortiz's trap is set in a matter of minutes, leaving his opponent hanging on for his card-playing life. The play -- made possible by a charity poker tournament on FOX following the NFL on Sundays -- earns Ortiz bragging rights over an Internet qualifier, and $10,000 for the charity of his choosing.

This is how the former UFC light heavyweight king spent his final Sunday before commencing with "seven weeks of hell" in Big Bear, Calif., where he'll round into fighting shape for the first time since major back surgery 12 months ago.

Relaxing in his trailer outside a soundstage that looks like six brownstones viced together, "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" hoped, perhaps thinking about himself as well, for Mark Coleman's body to hold up prior to their Nov. 21 appointment at UFC 106 in Las Vegas.

"He's 44 and he's been doing it for 13 years," Ortiz said of his first opponent in a year and a half. "With Coleman, I know he has had knee problems, back problems and neck problems. Hopefully he can make it through training camp uninjured. I pray everyday for him."

From Tito's lips to deaf ears.

The next day "The Hammer" withdrew because of a torn MCL. Both camps traded barbs online, with Ortiz insinuating one of mixed martial arts early pioneers was being a sissy, while a buddy of Coleman's responded by denigrating Ortiz's former-porn star wife, Jenna Jameson. Meanwhile, the UFC worked through a list of potential replacements including Travis Wiuff, whom Ortiz wanted to fight, and Keith Jardine. UFC president Dana White and matchmaker Joe Silva eventually settled on a smart rematch between Ortiz and Forrest Griffin.

"Coleman would have given a great fight of course, but Forrest is a lot tougher," said Ortiz (15-6-1). "I'm fighting a ranked fighter now. The stakes are much higher. He's still ranked fifth in the world. Last time we fought was three years ago and he's gotten better. If I can bounce back, it would make a huge difference for me. There's a big difference between Mark Coleman and Forrest Griffin."

Ortiz, who trains out of the mountain resort home he purchased from Oscar De La Hoya a couple years ago, originally hired a grappling-centric cast of training partners. Led by his longtime coach Saul Soliz, Ortiz was set to work with Fabricio Werdum, Jake O'Brien and Aaron Rosa. But when Coleman fell off the card, he switched it up and brought in better stand-up fighters to help focus on kickboxing and his timing, which is buried somewhere underneath layers of rust accumulated over six torturous years of numbness and shooting pain.

"After the [Lyoto] Machida fight I couldn't go a day without Vicodins," said Ortiz, who estimated he lost an astounding three inches off his legs. "And painkillers aren't the way to go."

When fellow UFC veteran Nate Quarry underwent a successful new procedure called Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion, Ortiz did his own research and decided he should follow suit, even if he wasn't sure it was the right move.

Podcast: Gross Point Blank Listen to this week's episode of Josh's podcast, with guest Cain Velasquez, and talk of WEC 43 last weekend. Gross Point Blank Archive | Find on

"I took a huge chance," he said. "I was scared."

Because of Ortiz's densely muscled core, a 90-minute surgery played out over three and a half hours. Rather than operating though his back, a "minimally invasive" incision was made along Ortiz's left side. There's a scar there now, though the pain is gone.

"The first day of jogging was a great experience," he said.

As he worked to recover, Ortiz played out his free-agency, weighing offers from several promoters. For a while it appeared Strikeforce was close to signing him. Yet, despite the public abuse directed at him by Dana White, the light heavyweight chose to remain with a company that can guarantee big bucks on pay-per-view against the top fighters and draws in his division, like Griffin (16-6).

"I can compete against hand-picked guys in Strikeforce and fans wouldn't look at me as one of the best in the world," he said. "Now, I come back and start beating guys in the UFC and get a chance at that world title and win that world title -- Tito Ortiz is back."

While he prepares for Griffin, Ortiz will undoubtedly pass some time with a few hands of Texas Hold 'Em. He did well enough against the Internet qualifier that all-world poker player Daniel Negreanu, who was there to advise Ortiz's opponent, called the final trap "mean."

As Ortiz sealed the win, Negreanu turned to the former UFC champ as his victim's walked off the lot. "It's fun to win, huh?"

FOWLKES: Ortiz, Griffin are both in need of a win