In a somewhat stunning announcement, Forrest Griffin announced that he is retiring from the UFC at the UFC 160 post-fight press conference.
Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports tweeted out the news:
At 33 years old, Griffin walks away from the sport with a 19-7 record, but will always be remembered for his brief light heavyweight championship run and classic fight with Stephan Bonnar at the first-ever The Ultimate Fighter Finale.
Griffin captured the light heavyweight championship by defeating Rampage Jackson via unanimous decision in 2008.
The three-round war with Bonnar is widely considered a hallmark event in the UFC’s history and a reason for the organization’s success on cable television.
It was Griffin’s inability to put on the kind of fights that get fans out of their seats that he felt forced him to retire. After watching Wanderlei Silva and Brian Stann’s epic fight in March, he felt that it might be time to hang it up.Among Griffin’s career accolades and achievements are five fight-of-the-night awards, the UFC light heavyweight championship, the first-ever The Ultimate Fighter championship and one submission-of-the-night award.
Dana White also mentioned that Griffin will have a position with the UFC as long as he wants to hang around:
Griffin last fought in July 2012 against Tito Ortiz in what was ironically promoted as The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’s retirement fight. As it turns out, it was also the last time that fans will be treated to a Forrest Griffin appearance in the Octagon.
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