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Forrest Griffin

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Forrest Griffin
Personal information
Born July 1, 1979 (1979-07-01) (age 46)
Birthplace Columbus, Ohio
Nationality American
Height 6 ft 3
Weight 205 lbs
Reach inches
Career information
Division Light Heavyweight
Style Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Fights out of Las Vegas, Nevada
Organization UFC
Team Xtreme Couture
Years active 2001-present
Mixed martial arts record
Wins 18
Losses 6

Forrest Griffin (born July 1, 1979 in Columbus, Ohio) is an American mixed martial artist and author currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and has a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Cameron Diffley.

Forrest was one of the coaches on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs Team Forrest, airing on Spike TV.[1] The other coach was then-UFC Light Heavyweight champion, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, whom he went on to defeat for the title at UFC 86. In June 2009, his book, Got Fight?: The 50 Zen Principles of Hand-to-Face Combat, was released to good reviews.[2]

Early life[]

Griffin graduated from Evans High School in Evans, Georgia, a suburb of Augusta. He then graduated with a B.A. in political science from the University of Georgia.[3] While attending school, Griffin served as a law enforcement officer for the Richmond County Sheriff's Office in Augusta, Georgia. He also served as a patrol officer with the University of Georgia Police.[4]

He trained at The HardCore Gym in Athens[5] for five years under Adam and Rory Singer.[6] He later left law enforcement to pursue a career in professional mixed martial arts.[7] Griffin is also an MMA instructor at Warrior Training Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada.[8]

Mixed martial arts career[]

Before the Ultimate Fighter[]

Before the Ultimate Fighter he fought guys like Jeremy Horn, Chael Sonnen and even Dan Severn in his first pro fight. Forrest Griffin is also known to have fought Edson Paradeo, in which Forrest's arm was broken due to a head kick which he blocked. Forrest, however, knocked Paradeo out with his good arm.

The Ultimate Fighter[]

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 Georgia Police Department, but he was persuaded by Dana White and friend Frank Bishop to take part in the show.Template:Citation needed

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"[9] 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.[6][10] The Stephan Bonnar fight was declared the #1 UFC fight of all time in the UFC Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights program.

Forrest is known for his comedic antics, highlighted in interviews.

After The Ultimate Fighter[]

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 fought Stephan Bonnar in a rematch from their earlier epic fight.[11] Griffin won by unanimous decision, sweeping all three rounds.[12] The fight wasn't as explosive as their previous encounter but was still an exciting bout.[12]

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."[13] 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.[14]

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 30ā€“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.[15]

At UFC 76, Griffin fought against PRIDE's 2005 Middleweight (205 lb) Grand Prix champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.[16] 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.[17]

The Ultimate Fighter 7[]

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.[18] 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. So at the finale he would be replaced by Team Rampage participant C.B. Dollaway going 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.[19]

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion[]

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,[20] Griffin faced Jackson in a hard fought battle that was named "Fight of the Night" by UFC president Dana White.[21] 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 grueling back and forth rounds, Griffin would go on to win the fight by unanimous decision to capture the light heavyweight title.[22]

The decision was described as controversial by some commentators.[23][24][25] 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.[26]

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.[27]

Losing the title[]

Griffin's first title defense came at UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008, against undefeated challenger Rashad Evans.[28] 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.[29] The loss was Griffin's third loss since entering the UFC.[30] During the fight Griffin broke his hand, sidelining him for several months.

UFC 101 and beyond[]

After recovery, Griffin signed on to fight pound-for-pound stalwart Anderson Silva at UFC 101.[31] 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 pawing right jab to his jaw that sent Griffin to the canvas. Griffin raised his hands signalling to the referee that he wanted to quit, prompting the referee to call the fight as TKO.

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.[32] This was immediately dispelled by his representatives at Zinkin Entertainment,[33] the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission,[34] and Griffin himself in a statement to his sponsor, BSN.[35] Hereafter Griffin received unprecented criticism for his lackluster performance and questionable actions after the fight, which many observers considered shameful to a professional athlete.

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.[36] Instead of using "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" by the Dropkick Murphys as his theme song Griffin had instead come out to the song "Tubthumping" by Chumbawumba which consists of the chorus of "I get knocked down, But I get up again, You're never going to keep me down," which announcers Mike Goldberg & Joe Rogan praised him for, stating that there was no one more appropriate to come out to that song than him. Griffin also wore white & 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.

Forrest is now scheduled to fight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 114.[37]

Personal life[]

Griffin is married. [38]

Championships and awards[]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
The Ultimate Fighter: Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner
Fight of the Night Honors (3 times)
Submission of the Night Honors (1 time)
Holds record for most leg kicks landed in a 3 Round UFC fight, 38 total, against Hector Ramirez (UFC 72)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Fight of the Year 2005: vs Stephan Bonnar (TUF 1 Finale)
Fight of the Year 2008: vs Quinton Jackson (UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin)

FIGHTING SPIRIT magazine

Fight of The Year 2006: vs Tito Ortiz (UFC 59: Reality Check)[39]

Mixed martial arts record[]

Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans May 29, 2010 Las Vegas, Nevada
Win 17ā€“6 Tito Ortiz Decision (Split) UFC 106: Ortiz vs Griffin 2 November 21, 2009 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada
Loss 16ā€“6 Anderson Silva KO (Punch) UFC 101: Declaration August 8, 2009 1 3:23 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Awarded Fight of the Night
Loss 16ā€“5 Rashad Evans TKO (Punches) UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 December 27, 2008 3 2:46 Las Vegas, Nevada Lost the UFC LH Championship; Awarded Fight of the Night
Win 16ā€“4 Quinton Jackson Decision (Unanimous) UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin July 5, 2008 5 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada Won the UFC LH Championship; Awarded Fight of the Night
Win 15ā€“4 Mauricio Rua Submission (Rear Naked Choke) UFC 76: Knockout September 22, 2007 3 4:45 Anaheim, California Won Submission of the Night
Win 14ā€“4 Hector Ramirez Decision (Unanimous) UFC 72: Victory June 16, 2007 3 5:00 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Loss 13ā€“4 Keith Jardine TKO (Punches) UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz 2 December 30, 2006 1 4:41 Las Vegas, Nevada
Win 13ā€“3 Stephan Bonnar Decision (Unanimous) UFC 62: Liddell vs. Sobral August 26, 2006 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada
Loss 12ā€“3 Tito Ortiz Decision (Split) UFC 59: Reality Check April 15, 2006 3 5:00 Anaheim, California
Win 12ā€“2 Elvis Sinosic TKO (Strikes) UFC 55: Fury October 7, 2005 1 3:30 Uncasville, Connecticut
Win 11ā€“2 Bill Mahood Submission (Rear Naked Choke) UFC 53: Heavy Hitters June 4, 2005 1 2:18 Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win 10ā€“2 Stephan Bonnar Decision (Unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale April 9, 2005 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada Won The Ultimate Fighter 1: Light Heavyweight
Win 9ā€“2 Edson Paredao KO Heat FC 2: Evolution December 18, 2003 1 1:04 Natal, Rio Grande do Norte
Loss 8ā€“2 Jeremy Horn KO (Head Kick) IFC: Global Domination September 6, 2003 2 3:40 Denver, Colorado
Win 8ā€“1 Chael Sonnen Submission (Triangle Choke) IFC: Global Domination September 6, 2003 1 2:25 Denver, Colorado
Win 7ā€“1 Ebenezer Fontes Braga Submission Heat FC 1: Genesis July 31, 2003 1 N/A Natal, Rio Grande do Norte
Win 6ā€“1 Steve Sayegh Submission KOTC 20: Crossroads December 15, 2002 1 1:45 Bernalillo, New Mexico
Win 5ā€“1 Travis Fulton TKO CC 1: Halloween Heat, ISCF Sanctioned October 26, 2002 1 5:00 Atlanta, Georgia
Win 4ā€“1 Jeff Monson Decision (Unanimous) WEFC 1: Bring It On, ISCF Sanctioned June 29, 2002 4 4:00 Marietta, Georgia
Win 3ā€“1 Kent Hensley Submission Battle at the Brewery, ISCF Sanctioned April 12, 2002 1 2:26 Atlanta, Georgia
Win 2ā€“1 Jason Braswell Decision (Split) RSF 7: Animal Instinct January 26, 2002 3 4:00 Lakeland, Florida
Win 1ā€“1 Wiehan Lesh Submission Pride and Honor November 24, 2001 1 N/A South Africa
Loss 0ā€“1 Dan Severn Decision (Unanimous) RSF 5: New Blood Conflict, ISCF Sanctioned October 27, 2001 3 4:00 Augusta, Georgia

MMA pro-exhibition record[]

Result Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win Sam Hoger TKO The Ultimate Fighter 1 2005 2 1:05 Las Vegas, Nevada The Ultimate Fighter 1 Light heavyweight semi-finals
Win Alex Schoenauer Submission (Strikes) The Ultimate Fighter 1 2005 1 1:20 Las Vegas, Nevada The Ultimate Fighter 1 Light heavyweight eliminations

TV, movie and video game career[]

  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. On November 20, 2007 he had a brief cameo in the episode "Fight" as a MMA champion and murder suspect.[40]
  • Human Weapon. On September 28, 2007 he had a cameo in the episode of MMA: America's Extreme Fighting.[41]
  • UFC 2009 Undisputed. Griffin is the cover Athlete for U.S. and European Copies of UFC 2009 Undisputed, he is also a playable character.
  • I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell (film). Griffin had a brief cameo in the film I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell. He played the role of a police officer inside a local police station.

References[]

  1. ā†‘ FORREST GRIFFIN RETURNS AS SEASON 7 COACH. MMAWEEKLY.com (2007-12-09). Archived from the original on 2007-12-12. Retrieved on 2009-08-07.
  2. ā†‘ http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Got-Fight/Forrest-Griffin/e/9780061721717
  3. ā†‘ http://www.fight3r.com/topics/Forrest%20Griffin?
  4. ā†‘ http://www.ultimate-fighter.ca/blog/2007/forrest-griffin-interview-exclusive-to-ultimate-fighter-discussion/
  5. ā†‘ http://www.forrestgriffin.net/news/news_8.html
  6. ā†‘ 6.0 6.1 Forrest Griffin - The Ultimate Fighter
  7. ā†‘ Forrest Griffin - The Ultimate Fighter
  8. ā†‘ http://www.warriortc.tv/instructors.asp
  9. ā†‘ http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-ufcmiddle112408&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
  10. ā†‘ Forrest Griffin - The Ultimate Fighter
  11. ā†‘ http://www.sherdog.com/events/UFC-62-Liddell-vs-Sobral-4027
  12. ā†‘ 12.0 12.1 http://martialarts.about.com/od/news/a/ufc62.htm
  13. ā†‘ http://www.themmaboards.com/showthread.php?t=2632
  14. ā†‘ Bolduc, Justin (February 23, 2007). Arlovski vs Werdum at UFC 70. Nokaut.
  15. ā†‘ http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-72-Victory-Live-Play-by-Play-7931
  16. ā†‘ Shogun to Face Griffin, Not Machida. Nokaut (July 19, 2007). Retrieved on July 19, 2007.
  17. ā†‘ Forrest Griffin to have shoulder surgery. UFCMania (February 23, 2007).
  18. ā†‘ http://mmafrenzy.com/2007/12/09/one-coach-officially-announced-for-the-ultimate-fighter-7/
  19. ā†‘ Forrest Griffin - MMA Fighter Profile - ProElite
  20. ā†‘ No Joke. Griffin on Serious Rampage for Jackson. Sherdog (July 4, 2008). Retrieved on July 4, 2008.
  21. ā†‘ Main Event Wows, Forrest Wins. MMAWeekly (July 6, 2008). Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved on July 6, 2008.
  22. ā†‘ http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/ufc-86-jackson-vs-griffin-play-by-play-13559
  23. ā†‘ UFC 86 decision spotlights scoring system - MMA - Yahoo! Sports
  24. ā†‘ Griffin Snatches UFC Title with Controversial Win
  25. ā†‘ UFC 86 REVIEW: MAIN EVENT WOWS, FORREST WINS! - MMA WEEKLY - Mixed Martial Arts & UFC News, Photos, Rankings & more
  26. ā†‘ Juanito Ibarra Holding Off On Protest | MMAFrenzy.com
  27. ā†‘ http://archive.is/20120713090005/mmajunkie.com/news/4741/griffin-jackson-guillard-and-miller-earn-60k-ufc-86-bonuses.mma
  28. ā†‘ http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/evans-mir-crowned-rampage-gets-revenge-15607
  29. ā†‘ http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/ufc-92-play-by-play-15600
  30. ā†‘ http://web.archive.org/20080909212333/www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=7051&zoneid=13
  31. ā†‘ http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=ki-silvagriffin042909&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
  32. ā†‘ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxingandmma/5998996/Forrest-Griffin-camp-reveal-dislocated-jaw-as-Anderson-Silva-contemplates-Lyoto-Machida.html
  33. ā†‘ http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=ys-mmaweekly081009&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
  34. ā†‘ Staff (August 11, 2009). Handful of medical suspensions follow UFC 101, Tamdan McCrory needs doctor's clearance. MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. Retrieved on 2009-08-16.
  35. ā†‘ Forrest Puts the Injury Rumors to Bed. BSN (August 13, 2009). Retrieved on 2009-08-16.
  36. ā†‘ Ortiz-Griffin Rematch Slated for UFC 106
  37. ā†‘ http://web.archive.org/20100130180239/www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=10585&zoneid=13
  38. ā†‘ Forrest Cuts Honeymoon Short, Drives Home to Train for Tito. SHERDOG.com (2009-11-13). Retrieved on 2009-11-13.
  39. ā†‘ http://ronin5.com/fighters/bio/Tito_Ortiz
  40. ā†‘ Digg - Forrest Griffin on Law and Order
  41. ā†‘ http://mixedmartialartvideos.com/2008/02/22/human-weapon-ninjutsu-full-video-episode-15/

External links[]

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