 Originally, Tito Ortiz was offered to fight Ken Shamrock in a rematch at this event.However, Ortiz left the UFC shortly after UFC 51 due to contract disputes.Even though both Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar had good records at the time (Griffin 9–2, Bonnar 7–1), many were expecting this fight to be nothing more than filler before the main event between UFC legend Ken Shamrock and rising superstar Rich Franklin.