Issue 034

February 2008

One of the most popular UFC fighters of all time, Forrest Griffin has been fighting MMA since 2001, but believe it or not he almost quit the sport in desperation because he felt his career wasn’t going anywhere. “We had to literally talk him on to the plane,” said Dana White. “He was going to quit fighting and become a cop, but we talked him into coming to Vegas to do the show and now look at him.” 

His first fight was against the legendary Dan Severn (which he lost via decision) and over the course of the next few years he would beat fighters such as Jeff Monson, Ebenezer Fontes Braga and Chael Sonnen before winning the first series of TUF by.out-pointing Stephan Bonnar. 

Since then, his popularity has risen to an amazing high. His fights with Tito Ortiz and Mauricio Shogun Rua proved he has what it takes to be one of the best fighters in the world in his weight class, something he will try to prove further when he meets Rampage Jackson at the end of Season 7 of TUF (they will face off as rival coaches) which will begin shooting in January. 

Total Record: 

15 wins, 4 losses, no draws. 

Attributes

Chin

In all the fights Griffin has been in, he has only been stopped by strikes twice. The first was when Jeremy Horn wrapped his shin right around Griffin’s head in 2003, the second when Keith Jardine unexpectedly caught him in the middle of a heated exchange in a shocking upset. He was wary in his next fight with Ramirez, but facing off with a dangerous striker like Shogun meant he wasn’t left as gun shy as some people feared. 

Left Forearm

Broken in a fight in Brazil, the arm now has a permanent bend in it that Forrest proudly showed off during his stint on the Ultimate Fighter. Even with the huge lump and slight kink in his forearm, it hasn’t stopped him from using it in his many brawls. 

Body Fat

Forrest is one of the biggest light heavyweights in the UFC, standing at 6’3”, he cuts up to thirty pounds from his walk-around weight. His large frame means he towers over most other fighters in his division, and his impressive ten-pack hints at his hardcore conditioning regime. Even in his toughest fights, he has never showed signs of being gassed. 

Left leg

Griffin’s fight with Hector Ramirez showed a different approach to his usual in-your-face style. Coming in with a mature and considered approach, he used a technical Muay Thai game that saw him land the left ‘switch kick’ over and over again. His increased flexibility means his is using his kicks more, which shows his continued development as a fighter. 

Notable fights: 

Win over Mauricio Rua via Submission (Rear naked choke) UFC 76: Knockout, September 22, 2007. 

Win over Hector Ramirez via Decision (Unanimous) UFC 72: Victory, June 16, 2007. 

Loss to Keith Jardine via TKO (strikes) UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz, December 30, 2006. 

Win over Stephan Bonnar via Decision (Unanimous) UFC 62: Liddell vs. Sobral, August 26, 2006. 

Loss to Tito Ortiz via Decision (Split) UFC 59: Reality Check, April 15, 2006. 

Win over Elvis Sinosic via TKO (Strikes) UFC 55: Fury, October 7, 2005. 

Win over Bill Mahood via Submission (Rear naked choke) UFC 53: Heavy Hitters, June 4, 2005. 

Win over Stephan Bonnar via Decision (Unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale, April 9, 2005.