UFC 106 Run-Up; Parisyan out

The UFC looked to drive home hype for a Tito Ortiz-Forrest Griffin main event Saturday that wasn’t in their original plans, all while grappling with a last-minute pullout by welterweight Karo Parisyan.

The promotion aired an abbreviated half-hour “Countdown” special on Spike TV, likely cut short because of the late change in the original main event between Lesnar and Carwin.

The special, which aired on Monday night and after “The Ultimate Fighter” on Wednesday, gave Ortiz the rare babyface treatment, highlighting his recovery from back surgery and new quest for prestige. Ortiz’s first fight with Griffin in 2006 was dissected, with Ortiz saying he was only at 60 percent for the fight and couldn’t do running or wrestling training. Griffin alluded to his recent shutout at the hands of Anderson Silva, but the actual knockout was not shown on the special. Ortiz, wearing shades to cover a black eye suffered in training, also did a satellite interview on the UFC 105 broadcast.

Interest level in the fight, which takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, was tough to gauge. A rating for the “Countdown” special wasn’t available, nor was there many reports about ticket sales. Ortiz is one of the biggest pay-per-view draws in UFC history, but hasn’t been in a true main event position since his fight with Chuck Liddell in Dec. 2006, which held the record for buys until UFC 100 reportedly broke it this year.

The card still proved unwieldy late in the week, as Karo Parisyan again flaked out of a fight at the last minute, pulling out against Dustin Hazelett on Thursday. No specifics were available, but Dana White did say Parisyan, who has battled anxiety and prescription drug issues in the past, had a “laundry list” of excuses and won’t be back in the UFC. Parisyan was facing a $32,000 fine after he was suspended for testing positive for painkillers after his win over Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 94.

Hazelett will be paid his show and win money. The loss means the Paulo Thiago-Jacob Volkmann fight will be on the main card.

Meanwhile, the entire cast for UFC 106, including a previously weight-challenged Anthony Johnson, made weight Friday with no complications.