Issue 080
October 2011
Every issue we’ll take a look back at some of the greatest moments in the history of MMA
The TUF one finale was so much more than a breath-taking brawl, it was MMA’s first step towards global domination
Forrest Griffin vs Stephan Bonnar
If you’ve been to a live UFC event in the last few years, no doubt the video displayed 10 minutes before the main card starts will be embedded in your memory. The Who’s Baba O’Reilly blares out of the speakers as the big screens play the ultimate UFC highlight reel. In time to the rock anthem, the great moments of the promotion’s recent history are replayed.
As well as pumping up the crowd, the video creates a sense of unity. A celebratory atmosphere takes over as fans get to relive their favorite highs in the company of other believers. The track builds to a climax with extended action sequences from The Ultimate Fighter season one finale, Forrest Griffin versus Stephan Bonnar. Each crushing knee to the face draws a groan of delighted sympathy. It is perfect. The only fight which could possibly round off the extravaganza. It was so much more than a slugfest. Griffin vs Bonnar was the fight that saved the sport of MMA.
The UFC started out as a TV special that spawned a series of sequels and eventually transformed into a sport. The promotion staged its events in halls out of the reach of regulators and put them out on pay-per-view. No-holds-barred fighting was an outlaw activity that most considered a sordid spectacle rather than a bona fide sport. In 2000, New Jersey became the first state athletic commission to regulate MMA. Other states followed their lead, but the wilderness years had left the UFC finances in a sorry state. The following year, the promotion was bought by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta and under new ownership, the UFC moved toward respectability. Yet it was still far from profitable. $34 million is the number usually bandied about as what it cost Zuffa to keep the UFC afloat. Make no mistake, they were in a hole.
As a final throw of the dice, Zuffa decided to jump on the reality TV bandwagon with The Ultimate Fighter. The catch, the Fertittas had to throw another $10 million into the money pit to cover production costs. The Ultimate Fighter debuted in 2005 and caught on. Ratings were good; the live finale was exceptional. The nominal main event at the Cox Pavillion, Las Vegas, on April 9th 2005 was Ken Shamrock’s clash with Rich Franklin. ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man’ slipped when attempting a head kick and suffered a first round ground ‘n’ pound defeat. In the 185lb
TUF final, Diego Sanchez took Kenny Florian down and beat him up until the referee intervened. But both fights are barely remembered because of what went down.
Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar went at it like two dogs fighting over a bone. For 15 minutes the pair exchanged huge blows, yet neither took a backward step. The blood gushing from a cut on Forrest’s nose and splattering the combatants underlined the point; this was what a fight should look like. This was what real sport should look like. Folk history has it that phones and computers buzzed with people urging their friends to switch on Spike as the battle raged.
The scorecards were 29-28 across the board in favor of Forrest. He was awarded the full range of prizes that were then available to a TUF champion: a car, a watch, a dirt bike and, most importantly, a UFC deal. And there was one last crowd-pleasing moment to come. Realizing the magnitude of what had just taken place, Dana White announced that Bonnar would also be rewarded with a contract. The fans in the hall, exhausted after an emotional roller coaster ride, mustered the energy to raise the roof once more. The real winner was the promotion itself. Business boomed, Zuffa blossomed into a billion dollar empire and MMA began to mean something to the man on the street. The Ultimate Fighter had introduced a new wave of fans to MMA and the momentum carried the UFC to the level of popularity it enjoys today.
Griffin and Bonnar fought a rematch at UFC 62. Forrest once again took a unanimous decision. After the fight, Bonnar tested positive for an anabolic steroid and was handed a nine-month suspension. Since then, he has enjoyed an up-and-down career in the Octagon. Outside the cage, he has been in demand as a media pundit.
Forrest, meanwhile, has gone onto become one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster. When he defeated Quinton Jackson to become the light heavyweight champion, it seemed like a vindication of The Ultimate Fighter, at a time when the show was receiving criticism for the standard of fighters it was producing. Griffin lost the belt to fellow TUF winner Rashad Evans. That setback was followed by his first-round annihilation at the hands of Anderson Silva. Showing the resilience that makes him such and endearing character, Forrest has returned with back-to-back wins to make him a contender once more.
Whatever Griffin and Bonnar go on to achieve, they will inevitably be remembered for their moment together. They took part in the most important fight in MMA history to date. Three rounds of guts and glory that catapulted the sport towards the mainstream.
