Forrest Griffin and Chael Sonnen both currently fight for the UFC, but their paths crossed several years before they made their debut in the leading MMA organization.
In 2003, they participated in the International Fighting Championships light heavyweight tournament. They fought in the opening round.
Griffin, who went into the bout with a 7-1 record, didn’t take very long in utilizing his underrated ground game to submit Sonnen with a triangle-choke two minutes into the round.
He would advance to the semifinals with the victory, but lost to Jeremy Horn after the much more experienced fighter landed a brutal head-kick that knocked him out.
Griffin would go on to compete in the first season of the Ultimate Fighter less than two years later. He would become the TUF champion after the memorable and career-defining fight against Stephan Bonnar.
A successful career followed, which includes him winning the UFC light heavyweight championship in 2008. Back-to-back losses set him back, but two wins followed to bring him to a rematch with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 134.
Griffin defeated Rua the first time they met at UFC 76. It was one of the biggest upsets of the year.
Sonnen will be making his long-awaited comeback fight at UFC 136 when he takes on Brian Stann. He is looking to get a rematch with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who takes on Yushin Okami in the main event at UFC 134.
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