FanHouse Nate Quarry

At first glance, the Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin UFC 106 main event seems simple enough to diagnose. It's Ortiz's wrestling against Griffin's active standup, right? It'll be a carbon copy of their UFC 59 matchup, right?

Maybe, but maybe not.

After all, who can really say with any certainty what Ortiz will look like in the octagon after nearly 18 months away from the sport, after surgery, rehab and a taxing training camp? Unless you had eyes in his Big Bear facility, there is really no way of knowing.

At 34 years old, and out of action for almost 18 months, Tito Ortiz doesn't miss a beat during UFC 106 fight promotion. The former UFC light-heavyweight champion still finds ways to needle his opponent, still has no problem reciting his resume, still talks about his big dreams.

But there's a change, too. There's much more nuance and subtlety in his delivery today. Perhaps changed by a nasty divorce with the UFC, followed by back surgery and a long rehabilitation, followed by a kiss-and-make-up with Dana White, Ortiz -- at least for now -- is a quieter, more mature version of himself. That is a change that he hopes will contrast sharply with his athletic performance. Before he was talking loudly, but getting no results; he hasn't won a fight since 2006. Now, he speaks more softly, but trusts his body to deliver the real statement.

"There's going to be a belt in my future for sure," Ortiz told FanHouse in a recent interview. "It's 'Dream it, work it, win it.' That's the dream comeback. But it's one fight at a time, and I don't want to look past this one."

Barriers are not always smashed with a sledgehammer. Sometimes they're chiseled away a little at a time.

A case in point is MMA's move to mainstream acceptance, which has occurred in bits and pieces. The latest step forward comes courtesy of welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, who has signed a multi-year endorsement deal with top-selling athletic brand Under Armour.

In April, Nate Quarry rebounded from the quickest loss in his career with a dominant first-round victory over Jason MacDonald. Now, the heavy-handed middleweight hopes to make it two in a row, but will need to stop the growing momentum of Tim Credeur, who is on a six-fight win streak. The two square off at UFC Fight Night on Sept. 16.

In this FanHouse interview, Quarry (11-3) candidly talks about the Credeur matchup, his disappointment in losing to Demian Maia, why he'd still take the Rich Franklin fight knowing it would end in infamy, and the best and worst parts of being a fighter at age 37.

The people who knew him still think of him regularly. How can they not? He moved them closer to life's truths than anyone else. He pulled them in, taught them lessons, then disappeared. He made them feel alive. He challenged them to think deeper, look further, rise above. He broke their hearts, then showed them what true redemption was all about.

They remember him because one year later, the life of Evan Tanner still echoes.

After a nine-month suspension for using steroids, UFC middleweight Chris Leben is soon to return to action. Usually in a situation like that, a fighter would have to worry about negative public reaction to his comeback, but in this case, Leben is likely to be hailed as a conquering hero, as the 29-year-old veteran has the good fortune of returning at UFC 102 in his hometown of Portland, Oregon.

The match itself, however will not be easy; Leben (18-6) will take on former three-time NCAA wrestling national champion Jake Rosholt as a featured bout on the televised card.

"The Crippler" recently took a few moments out of his training to talk to FanHouse about his steroids suspension, returning to the octagon, and preparing for Rosholt.

"I would like to begin by saying that I was very happy to fight in Montreal, and that I trained really hard for my fight. I know that there were many people, including myself, who were disappointed with my performance, and I would like to apologize to my coaches, trainers and the fans for what happened. It was by far the worst fight of my career."