There was no crying going on in the life of Griffin to that point, and as the wins piled up, he knew that another couple of victories would put him in the UFC — the dream of any stateside mixed martial artist. Early on in his fight against Paredao, the Brazilian gave Griffin something to remember him by — a broken arm. To this day, The Georgian walks around with a huge lump on his left forearm courtesy of Paredao, but once again, Griffin refused to quit.
Griffin never had to make that decision though, as he knocked out Paredao with his good arm the right to earn his ninth victory.
At that point, it was going to be his last. On the shelf with a broken arm, Griffin had decided he had had enough of the fight game. The injuries — major and minor, the low pay, the physical and mental strain, why bother? He would spend two months in a fishbowl with the entire nation watching, all for the remote possibility that he would be the last man standing in a house full of fighters.
Fellow light heavyweight hopeful Stephan Bonnar stood across the Octagon from him, and neither fighter was willing to blink. The ensuing 15 minutes encapsulated the best of what this sport has to offer, and the best of two fighters who fought as if their lives were at stake. About the only person disappointed with the three round war was the winner.
It was a hard, a lot of missed opportunities, and a lot of things where you know better. But the bottom line is I felt like I fought a great first round. I felt like I came out and just started going at it. Griffin took the first round and Bonnar rebounded in the second, leaving his foe bloodied from a cut on the bridge of his nose. Did you expect anything less from Griffin?
It helps if you get backed into a corner. Does Griffin see the irony in such a statement? After the war with Bonnar, Forrest Griffin earned a break, but now that he has played doctor and removed his own stitches, it will be back to work in the gym. He expects to make his proper UFC debut soon.
Of course, Pride fans had their excuses. Rua wasn't himself, he wasn't feeling well, etc. You know, those same excuses that were hurled when Jon Jones destroyed him earlier this year. It's sad that, due to the overwhelmingly positive reviews this fight has always gotten, some fans have recently begun to balk at the idea that this was a great fight.
Not enough ground work, no submission attempts, no wrestling. Whatever the case, it looks like certain people are tired of hearing about how great Griffin vs. Bonnar at the Ultimate Finale was. Well, I'm sorry, but for this list, there is absolutely no other choice for number one.
Yeah, I'm going with that. I can still recall sitting at the local watering hole with about 20 of my friends, watching this event on the big screen. Despite being mildly impaired by the time Griffin and Bonnar stepped into the cage, I also remember being absolutely blown away by how fantastic this fight was from start to finish. I've watched it a hundred times since that night, and while it wasn't the greatest technical display of mixed martial arts, the excitement of the fight has never once wavered for me.
This way fighting at its most basic. Two men going toe to toe, blow for blow, for three solid rounds. No breaks, no ground work, no fancy twister submissions, just a 15 minute fist fight. Say what you will about what wasn't happening in this fight, but what was happening was nothing short of a phenomenal display of heart by both men.
Griffin walked away with the victory both times, but both men secured a long term job with the UFC as a result. That fact by itself speaks volumes for the fight. In the years since this bout took place, MMA has come a very long way. However, there is no doubt in this writers mind that this is where it all started.
In a week that has been filled with negativity surrounding Forrest Griffin, maybe some of you who took a gander at this slide show will walk away thinking about the contributions he has made to the sport of mixed martial arts, rather than what he plans to do from here on out. Hopefully, tonight, we'll see the Forrest from these slides, rather than the Forrest who showed up to face Anderson Silva or Rashad Evans.
I'm not sure his heart is in the right place any longer, but I'm holding out hope until I see what happens tonight with his rematch against "Shogun" Rua. If this is the last time we see Forrest in a major fight, I would like to say thanks for the memories, sir. It's been fun. What are some of your favorite Forrest Griffin moments, fans? Career statistics: SLpM: 4. Click on row to see detailed stats. Forrest Griffin Tito Ortiz. Forrest Griffin Mauricio Rua. Forrest Griffin Rich Franklin.
Forrest Griffin Anderson Silva. UFC Declaration Aug. Forrest Griffin Rashad Evans. Forrest Griffin Quinton Jackson. UFC Knockout Sep. Forrest Griffin Hector Ramirez. UFC Victory Jun. Forrest Griffin Keith Jardine. Forrest Griffin Stephan Bonnar. Forrest Griffin Elvis Sinosic. UFC Fury Oct. Forrest Griffin Bill Mahood. Team Liddell Finale Apr.
Forrest Griffin Edson Silva. Heat FC 2 Dec.
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