#6
Forrest Griffin
Summary: Well rounded, good grappling skills, heart
Fighter Info
From: | Columbus, Ohio USA |
Fights Out Of: | Las Vegas, NV USA |
Age: | 32 |
Height: | 6' 3" ( 190 cm ) |
Weight: | 205 lb ( 93 kg ) |
College: | University of Georgia |
Degree: | Political Science |
Before the Ultimate Fighter he fought the likes of Jeff Monson, Jeremy Horn, Chael Sonnen and early UFC veteran Dan Severn in his first pro fight. Forrest Griffin is also known for a fight with Edson Paradeo, in which Edson broke Griffin's left arm with what appeared to be a badly blocked roundhouse kick aimed at the body. Forrest continued on to win the fight by knockout with his right hand.
Griffin first became well-known by taking part in the first-season of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter, a mixed martial arts reality show. At the time, he had given up mixed martial arts and taken a job with the Augusta/Richmond County Sheriffs Department in Georgia, but he was persuaded by Dana White to take part in the show.
Main article: Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar
On the show, he reached the finals where he defeated Stephan Bonnar by unanimous decision. The fight was credited by Dana White as the "most important fight in UFC history"[11] and the fight that brought the UFC into the mainstream. For winning the competition he was given a six-figure professional contract to fight with the UFC.[7][12] The Stephan Bonnar fight was declared the #1 UFC fight of all time in the UFC Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights program.
On April 15, 2006, Griffin took on his toughest opponent yet when he fought former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz at UFC 59, in which he lost a controversial split decision. Despite his loss on the judges scorecards he won over the fans with his ability to withstand everything that Tito could throw at him.
At UFC 62, Griffin then fought Stephan Bonnar in a rematch from their earlier fight.[13] Griffin won by unanimous decision, sweeping all three rounds.[14] The fight was not as explosive as their previous encounter but was still an exciting bout.[14]
Griffin was then defeated by Ultimate Fighter 2 semifinalist Keith Jardine at UFC 66 by way of TKO at 4:41 of the first round. After the fight, a visibly distraught Griffin sat in his corner crying. Moments later, he walked away from Joe Rogan's attempt to interview him, saying "I don't ev...Keith came in and he did exactly what I wanted to do and he knocked me the fuck out. Let's go home."[15] Griffin then walked off camera, leaving Joe Rogan to speak to the camera by himself. Moments later, Griffin reappeared heading the opposite direction saying, "I'll be back," as he headed out of the Octagon.
Griffin's next fight was supposed to be at UFC 70 against Lyoto Machida on April 21, 2007 but he was unable to fight due to a staph infection.[16]
On June 16, 2007 Griffin defeated Hector Ramirez at UFC 72 in Belfast, Northern Ireland via unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the fight 30–27 to Griffin, during the fight Forrest was able to land 38 leg kicks breaking the UFC record for most leg kicks landed in three five minute rounds.[17] This record has since been broken by Amir Sadollah, who landed 46 against Peter Sobotta at UFC 122.[18]
At UFC 76, Griffin fought against PRIDE's 2005 Middleweight (205 lb) Grand Prix champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.[19] At the time, Shogun was ranked the #1 light heavyweight fighter in the world by several MMA publications. Griffin won by rear naked choke at 4:45 of round three after dominating Shogun for the majority of the fight. It has since been reported that Griffin required surgery after the fight due to a shoulder injury that was sustained before the bout. It was also been reported that this shoulder has been a recurring problem for Griffin.[20]
On The Ultimate Fighter 6 finale, Dana White announced that Griffin was not only the number one contender for the Light Heavyweight title, but also one of the coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 7 and would fight the other coach at the end of the series.[21] The other coach, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was announced by Dana White on December 9 at Spike TV's Video Game Awards show.
During the season all fighters of Team Forrest would make it to the finals consisting of Jesse Taylor and Amir Sadollah, although Taylor was removed from the finals after a security recording was presented to Dana White. He was shown kicking out one of the side windows of a rented limousine. The staff of the hotel where the incident occurred reported that a drunken Taylor had frightened female patrons and confronted hotel security by acting aggressively and screaming that he was a UFC fighter. Dana White told Taylor that this type of behavior was unacceptable and that he believed Taylor did not possess the mental discipline to deal with the pressures of fame and popularity that being in the UFC would put on him. White told Taylor that because of his actions he had forfeited his place in the final match, a decision that an emotional Taylor did not try to protest. His replacement, Team Rampage member C.B. Dollaway, went up against Team Forrest participant Amir Sadollah, with Amir going on to win by armbar in the first round.
On June 20, 2008, Griffin co-hosted the 25 Tuffest Moments in The Ultimate Fighter with Stephan Bonnar and Dana White.[22]
On July 5, 2008, Griffin fought the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Viewed as a heavy underdog by many going into the fight,[23] Griffin faced Jackson in a hard fought battle that was named "Fight of the Night" by UFC president Dana White.[24] Griffin won a unanimous decision victory and became the new undisputed UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
Griffin appeared to be in trouble in the first round after being dropped by an uppercut, but he rallied in the second round and landed a damaging leg kick early that severely wobbled Jackson. Griffin followed up with ground strikes and cemented his control, preventing Jackson from mounting any significant offense for the entire round. After three more back and forth rounds, Griffin would go on to win the fight by unanimous decision to capture the light heavyweight title.[25]
The decision was described as controversial by some commentators.[26][27][28] After the fight, Jackson's trainer Juanito Ibarra, unhappy with the judges scoring, expressed plans to protest the unanimous decision with the Nevada State Athletic Commission but never filed as it would not have changed the decision.[29]
Griffin's documented pay for the fight was $310,000. $100,000 to fight, win bonus of $150,000 and $60,000 for the Fight of the Night award.[30]
Griffin's first title defense came at UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008, against undefeated challenger Rashad Evans.[31] After Griffin controlled most of the first two rounds with effective striking, Evans caught one of Griffin's kicks and took him down, defeating Griffin by TKO in the third round with ground and pound from inside the champion's guard.[32] The loss was Griffin's third loss since entering the UFC.[33] During the fight Griffin broke his hand, sidelining him for several months.
After recovery, Griffin signed on to fight pound-for-pound stalwart Anderson Silva at UFC 101.[34] Griffin was slated to take on Brazilian Thiago Silva, but on April 28, 2009, UFC President Dana White confirmed that he would instead accommodate Anderson's return to the light heavyweight division following his middleweight title defense against Thales Leites at UFC 97. During the bout, Griffin was knocked down three times in the first round by Silva. During the third knockdown, Griffin charged Silva with a flurry of punches, each of which were avoided by sways from Silva, who then countered with a compact right hand whilst retreating, knocking Griffin out.
After the fight, Griffin got up from the canvas and left the cage. It was initially suggested that Griffin was rushed to a hospital due to a dislocated jaw and trouble hearing in one ear.[35]
The mystery of Forrest Griffin's jog from the Octagon in Philadelphia immediately after being knocked out by Anderson Silva at UFC 101, was clarified Sunday when the American's camp revealed he had suffered a dislocated jaw after being struck by the Brazilian. This was immediately dispelled by his representatives at Zinkin Entertainment.[36] the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission,[37] and Griffin himself in a statement to his sponsor, BSN.[38] Both fighters were awarded $60,000 as Fight of the Night bonuses and Silva received an additional $60,000 in bonus money for Knockout of the Night.
When Mark Coleman got injured and had to drop out of his matchup against Tito Ortiz, Griffin accepted a rematch against Ortiz at UFC 106.[39] Griffin also wore white and black fight shorts instead of his trademark tan shorts for the fight. Griffin went on to win the gory battle by split decision, showing superior striking skills and stronger ground game than in their previous fight.
Griffin was expected to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira on May 29, 2010 at UFC 114, but he pulled out of the fight due to a shoulder injury.[40] He was replaced by Jason Brilz.[41]
Griffin faced former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin on February 5, 2011 at UFC 126.[42] Griffin controlled the majority of the fight showing superior kicks and combinations knocking Franklin down in the second round and also took Franklin down and controlled him on the ground in the 1st round, Griffin went on to win by unanimous decision. Griffin injured his right foot in the fight, and could possibly be out until August.[43]
A rematch with Maurício Rua has been confirmed to take place on August 27, 2011 at UFC 134.[44]
