After a knee injury sidelined original opponent Mark Coleman, Tito Ortiz’s new foe at UFC 106 will be former rival and fellow ex-UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin, who will battle Ortiz in a rematch from their controversial UFC 59 bout in 2006.

It will be Griffin’s first fight back since his embarrassing defeat at the hands of UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva at UFC 101, but he will receive a chance to avenge the Split Decision loss that he suffered in the first fight with Ortiz.

Coleman suffered a suspected tear to his MCL while training for the Ortiz fight, but refused to confirm that he would not be able to compete. With the announcement of Griffin as Ortiz’s new opponent, it would appear that “The Hammer” will be sidelined for quite some time.

Ortiz (15-6-1) has had a rollercoaster 12-year tenure with the UFC, and all but one of his career fights have taken place inside the Octagon. He left the promotion following his Unanimous Decision loss to current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida at UFC 84.

Ortiz later underwent back surgery and has since made peace with his long-time enemy, UFC President Dana White.

Griffin (16-6-0) has also had ups and downs during his UFC career and, like Ortiz (who is 0-2-1 in his last three fights), is currently in the midst of a downward spiral. The loss to Silva, via knockout from a half-power jab, will live on in highlight reels for years, but it is something that Griffin would much like to forget.

While Coleman’s injury is unfortunate, the rematch between Ortiz and Griffin allows both fighters to get back on-track as each looks to prove that they are the superior fighter. Both depserately need an impressive victory as both look to climb back to the top of the 205 ranks once again.

UFC 106 takes place on November 21st at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada and airs live on pay-per-view.