Griffin vs. Ortiz Left Me Smiling

Like most MMA fans, I was eager to watch UFC 106 to see Tito Ortiz in his return to the octagon.

I have had a grudge against Forrest Griffin ever since I shelled out over 25 bucks to purchase his book, which turned out to be nothing more than a long running joke on whomever purchased it.

Although my son found certain nuggets of what he considered actual wisdom about mixed martial arts and fighting within it's pages, I continued to feel empty and cheated.

And then Forrest added insult to injury when he insulted a fan by talking about the fan's mother in lewd terms. Excuse me, fair readers, but first and foremost, I am a mother of two sons who were athletes. If they had ever dared to talk that way about someone's mother, publicly, they would have regretted it for the rest of their lives!

Aside from hating "Yo Momma" dissing, I also dislike unsportsmanlike behavior, so I had taken Forrest Griffin to task for his run from the ring after his fight with Anderson Silva in an article on this very site. I honestly do not remember how many reads it had.

Of course, today's fans may not approve of my opinions, in fact, my fellow writers on Bleacher Report seldom appreciate the fact that I have voiced my opinions on this site as long as I have. My response has been, "tough noogies, kiddies, Grandma Dee speaks what's on her mind, so get over it!"

I am not a particularly PC oldster, or an overly polite one either.

Unfortunately for a lot of people, I am a big Tito Ortiz fan, too. And before you begin to wonder, "yes, I have read his book and did like it." In my demented mind, it was superior to Matt Hughes and Chuck Liddell's books. (I read a lot of MMA books, OK?)

So, as UFC 106 approached, I anxiously awaited Tito's big return bout with Forrest.

I fully expected to see a repeat of their first fight, where Forrest plaintively insisted that he just wanted to win Tito's respect. If I remember correctly, Tito did not mention Forrest accomplishing his goal after winning that match.

Well, you readers must be laughing your heads off thinking how disappointed old Grandma was after this second fight concluded with Forrest defeating Tito.

You would be very wrong to think those thoughts, my friends, because after all was said and done, Grandma had a huge smile on her face and is still very happy with how it ended.

To see Tito being booed was hard on my sensibilities, but when Forrest stepped to the microphone and defended Tito, I had an epiphany of sorts. Forrest is not really a bad guy at all. A smart-ass when he is backed into a corner maybe, but a real sportsman to stick up for the man he had just defeated in front of a booing crowd.

If there is one thing I do know, it is that MMA crowds are pretty much a fickle bunch. It may be the beer, or mob mentality, but they can turn on a favorite fighter in a second. Therefore, what Forrest said certainly won my admiration for his intestinal fortitude in facing down that mob.

Georges St. Pierre, he is not, but still he did a brave and honorable thing in defending Tito, at least in my estimation.

For quite a while I have felt that Tito was greatly wronged by the UFC. I felt like kissing Dana's feet when he accepted Tito so warmly back into the fold. Yes, Grandma Dee had a genuine rush of affection for the other DW! That is certainly newsworthy now isn't it?

The fact that Tito is with Jenna Jameson has never bothered me, because I feel she is extremely intelligent and a very articulate woman. That she has made money making porno movies which have influenced men to talk about her with disrespect sickens me. She made her money in giving men what they like to look at and fantasize about; I don't think there is anything wrong with that.

So, I think Tito should be envied for having discovered what an exceptional woman Jenna is. Their twins are adorable. What a great life they will have raising them!

In the end, though, Forrest got my respect, not by beating Tito, but by standing up to the booing crowd and supporting him in his return to the cage.

Now I have two more men to admire in the world of MMA!