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Forrest Griffin Likely to Remain Retired

A lot of fighters and athletes feign retirement only to return to their chosen sport months or years later. Forrest Griffin seems to think that is not an option when it comes to his UFC career.
The former UFC Light-Heavyweight champion appears to have …

A lot of fighters and athletes feign retirement only to return to their chosen sport months or years later. Forrest Griffin seems to think that is not an option when it comes to his UFC career.

The former UFC Light-Heavyweight champion appears to have no illusions regarding where he stands in the landscape of MMA today or his ability to return to the Octagon. When I asked if he saw himself being involved in any competitive combat at any level, Griffin said:

“Not from where I’m at now [laughs]. I mean, I thought I might but I haven’t—You know, it’s a nine-month recovery for the knee, so I haven’t really worked out yet. But I’ve pretty much ruled it out—ruled it out this week.”

On Wednesday, Griffin partook in an hour-and-a-half wrestling workout with Team Syndicate, and looked in good health and spirit for a man who had endured a rehabilitation period over the last year. While his shoulder and knee may still be ailing him, Griffin carried himself well in the session.

When asked how his knees were holding up, Griffin responded, “Better than my shoulder. I’ve only worked out a couple of times. But that’s okay. I’m not very good at working out anyway.”

With his active fighting career seemingly over, the role of coach doesn’t appear to appeal to Griffin either. “No. I got AJ and a couple guys who are my friends that I help. I work with guys like Mike [Pyle] who have helped me out in the past.”

Commentating is not a target for the long-time veteran either. “That’s a coveted position. There’s a long line of guys who want that spot,” he said, adding “I’m not sure they’d want to have a guy who curses on there. Chael [Sonnen] is already in trouble for that.”

Despite his hesitation on various avenues of involvement in MMA, Griffin is staying active under the Zuffa brand.

“Im still working for Zuffa. I’ll be at the Walk for Water, which is an event [Zuffa and] Cirque du Soleil is doing.” The Walk for Water event is a fundraiser put on by One Drop on October 5. Participants walk over five miles while carrying water, recreating the estimated average distance some third world citizens travel each day to retrieve drinkable water. For those interested in helping the cause, information on the series of events can be found OneDrop.org.

As a long-time fan of the sport, it is difficult to hear Griffin sound as if he’s resigned to no longer participating in MMA. He is a pillar of the history in the UFC and a fighter who has given so much. If he is truly done, we ought to all tip our caps to a man who has given up time and body to the sport we enjoy.

Griffin’s career not only includes the UFC Light-Heavyweight belt, but contains wins over Mauricio Rua, Quinton Jackson, Rich Franklin, Tito Ortiz, Chael Sonnen and Stephan Bonnar. His Ultimate Fighter Finale battle with Bonnar remains a legendary example of the fighting spirit and grit that MMA must retain to be relevant. The former champion deserves nothing but respect for what he has accomplished, and the sport is worse off without him involved in some capacity.

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MMA Veterans Cyborg and Cosmo Victorious at Lion Fight 11

MMA fighters earned Muay Thai wins on the night as Cristiane Cyborg and Cosmo Alexandre won their respective bouts.
It took Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino three rounds to dispatch of the late replacement Jennifer Colomb via technical knockout stemming from…

MMA fighters earned Muay Thai wins on the night as Cristiane Cyborg and Cosmo Alexandre won their respective bouts.

It took Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino three rounds to dispatch of the late replacement Jennifer Colomb via technical knockout stemming from a flurry of body shots.

Cosmo Alexandre won his bout via anticlimactic decision over Thai fighter Nampon in five rounds. A veteran of the sport himself, it did not take long for Alexandre to find his rhythm in the ring. In the end, Cosmo was able to land the better strikes and avoid damage. The victory is No. 42 in his Thai boxing career.

The Lion Fight 11 event was held under the dazzling lights of Fremont and Third Street in front of The D Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas Friday night. Three amateur fights and eight pro bouts entertained approximately 1,000 fans. However, there was no secret who fans were waiting for as Cyborg’s name and image brought out continuous ovations on queue.

Cyborg’s opponent seemed to be attempting to implement much the same strategy as Marloes Coenen did in Cyborg’s last MMA bout. She looked to tire Cyborg and to keep her distance in order to pick her openings for attack. But just like Marloes, Colomb learned that Cyborg leaves little in the way of opportunity, and the French fighter wilted in the third after being battered against the ropes.

To be fair to Colomb, it was a strong effort given there was a 10-day notice and a trip from France involved in her preparation to take on one of the most intimidating women in combat sports. Colomb kept her poise prior to her almost inevitable demise and did not show fear as she took on the Brazilian juggernaut.

Still, her gutsy showing was enough to show Lion Fight she deserves a follow-up bout.

Kevin Ross and Tetsuya Yamato gave Fight of the Night performances in the co-main event. The two gave as good as they took for five full rounds. In the end, Yamato took the appropriate win via split decision.

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‘Motivated’ Penn and the 6 Most Overused Qualifiers in MMA

Some fighters make excuses. Other fighters give reasons. But some fighters have fans who refuse to believe they are losing for any reason that is within their control.
There is a magical place for these fans wherein every time their athlete loses, it i…

Some fighters make excuses. Other fighters give reasons. But some fighters have fans who refuse to believe they are losing for any reason that is within their control.

There is a magical place for these fans wherein every time their athlete loses, it is due to matters that are beyond the grasp of the fighter himself.

There have been many one-off excuses given and some are legitimate.

Even some people on this list had good reason for a loss here or there.

But this group of six elite fighters seem to be given a pass on losses from fanboys after every failure. It is as if the idea of them simply not being good enough is too much for the fans to handle.

We shouldn’t blame the fighters for these titles they were given. But let’s all hope they are generally unaware of the excuses crafted for them.

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‘The Voice’ Talks Strategy for Cyborg and Cosmo in Lion Fight 11

Under the still-dormant lights of Fremont Street, illuminated with only the waning rays of dusk that peaked through towering hotel and casino buildings, competitors for the Lion Fight 11 event weighed in on the main stage in front of The D Hotel and Casino. Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino and Cosmo Alexandre each made their weight and are now officially ready for the nationally televised muay thai bouts set for Friday, Sept. 20.

It is just the second muay thai fight in the career of Cyborg, while Alexandre will be returning to his roots and looking to add a 41st win to his already illustrious thai boxing career.

Long-time MMA and kickboxing commentator “The Voice” Michael Schiavello was on hand at the weigh-ins and took time to discuss the keys to victory for each of the MMA veterans and their respective opponents.

“Cosmo is a former world champion and former intercontinental champion so for him it is about coming back to muay thai after a bit of an absence form the sport. It’s going to take some readjustment. He’ll come in a little bit cold against a former champion in Nampon.

“It is going to be getting his footwork right again and getting the distance and the timing right. But it’s his natural fighting style so its like riding a bike [and] something you never forget. I’m just hoping he can open up quick and fast in the first round and jump on Nampon.”

Schiavello felt Cosmo’s opponent, Nampon, who holds a 94-35 record, will have the upper hand if he is allowed to establish a rhythm.

“Nampon is the type of guy that if you let him establish his rhythm, particularly with his back-leg front kick, and he puts you in the clinch—you don’t want to be in the third, fourth or fifth round with him.”

The Voice saw Cyborg as having more of an uphill battle when it came to readjusting to the muay thai style. She faces 30-year-old Jennifer Columb.

“For Cyborg, she does have some muay thai experience, but she hasn’t fought muay thai in a long time. So for her the transition might be more difficult.

“It might be beneficial for her that her opponent switched up on her at the last minute. It’s an opponent that comes in on late notice. The opponent hasn’t trained as long for Cyborg. But the risks are there.

“Colomb tends to drop her hands, particularly with her hand combinations, and against Cyborg, that’s a big mistake. She clocks you over the top with a right hand and her strength gives her the equivalent of a much larger woman hitting you with the same technique.”

When asked if Colomb has a chance against Cyborg, Schiavello responded with an emphatic, “definitely.”

“It depends if you have a smart game plan.

“Cyborg’s key to success is to get in close and bully her early. Get in close, grab the clinch, wrestle her standing, dump [Colomb] to the canvas and try to get a big punch off.

“But you can negate that if you’re smart by moving around the ring, smashing leg kicks, taking out Cyborg’s thighs—that will slow down [Cyborg’s] punches a lot.

“I’d say don’t swing for the jaw line or swing to the head too early on Cyborg. I’d move around her for a round, take her legs out, slow her down and in the second round start to pick her off a little more.”

Colomb herself had strong words of confidence when asked about her opponent. Through an interpreter, Colomb stated, “If Cyborg throws a punch, I will throw a kick. If she throws a kick, I will throw a punch. I will fight muay thai.”

When asked what her game plan was coming into the fight, Colomb simply replied, “domination.”

Lion Fight 11 airs on AXS TV at 10 p.m. EDT.

ZG Harris is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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MMA Stars Cyborg and Cosmo Alexandre Talk Training Muay Thai for Lion Fight 11

Lion Fight Promotions held its pre-fight press conference outside The D Hotel and Casino on Fremont Street in Las Vegas to promote the Lion Fight 11 card taking place on Friday, Sept. 20. MMA fans will be familiar with two of the headlining names: Invi…

Both “Cyborg” and Alexandre were asked about the difference in training Muay Thai, as compared to MMA.

“You know when you’re [training] for MMA you train a lot of things,” Justino said. “You train boxing, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai. When you train for Muay Thai [fight], you train only one thing. It is not easy, but you can make your focus only one sport.”

Alexandre admitted that the grind of daily training in Muay Thai can be tough, but made it clear he prefers the stand-up sport overall.

“I think when you fight for a long time, and you have been doing this for a while, the hardest thing to do is train. When I train MMA it’s fun for me now. When I train Muay Thai I know what I [will be doing] every day. You run, bags, clinch. Every day [is] the same thing. For me [training] is the hardest thing to do now. It is hard to keep focused. But for the fight, of course I prefer to fight Muay Thai. On Friday night I want to show a good fight. I do not want to come to the fight out of shape.”

When asked about taking a Muay Thai bout while still under contract for MMA, Cyborg responded that her preference was simply to stay active.

“I think I can have more motivation to keep training every day. I like to fight. I like more fights per year. I don’t want one fight per year, so I’ll fight Muay Thai and MMA. I think it is a good for me—a good experience for me. I can stay busy and have work every day.”

“Cyborg” had originally been set to take on Martina Jindrova before a neck injury forced the Czech fighter to bow out. Lion Fight was able to sign Jennifer Colomb of France to take the fight on short notice.

Colomb comes into the event with a 10-0 record with 10 knockouts in her Muay Thai career. The French Muay Thai champion was in stark contrast to “Cyborg” at the press conference. Colomb was lean, almost slender, and was wearing an elegant blue off-shoulder asymmetrical shift dress and designer shades. The look contrasted heavily from Justino’s large muscular frame that was covered with a black single-shoulder tank top, cartoon jiu-jitsu leggings and puffy velcro high-top shoes.

“I understand that ‘Cyborg’ has knockout power, but I also have knockout power,” said Colomb through an interpreter when asked about taking on “Cyborg” on short notice. She then added, “Yes, there is a lot of pressure, but I love pressure.”

Alexandre was respectful to his own opponent, “Nampon,” when asked directly about the fighter from Thailand. However, he did give a noticeable scoff when “Nampon’s” 94 wins were mentioned. It was a brash move, but the Bellator veteran’s own Muay Thai record of 40-13 gives him some room to critique.

There are six additional professional bouts and three amateur fights kicking off the night of full-rules Muay Thai. Fights include American Kevin Ross (26-9) vs. Japan’s Tetsuya Yamato (29-11), Malaipet Sasiprapa (143-27) vs. Caio Uruguai (13-2) and Scotty Leffler (5-5) vs. Jose Palacios (7-5).

Lion Fight 11 will air on the AXS TV nationwide on Friday at 10 p.m. ET.

ZG Harris is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The 10 Worst UFC PPV Buy Rates Since UFC 100

The UFC has experienced astounding success over the past decade. It and the Zuffa company have seen their sport, once diminished by critics as “human cockfighting,” become embraced by most into the fold of the general sporting landscape.
Today, UFC’s r…

Today, UFC’s recent failings are few and far between, with consistently strong showings both in ratings and event buys. It’s accepted peak was at UFC 100, and since then there have been massive pay-per-view successes.

But, no matter how much success one attains, there are going to be low points. Some pay-per-view events simply do not pull in the numbers that a production like the UFC should.

Here is a list of the 10 lowest-grossing pay-per-view events since UFC 100.

*All total taken from MMAPayout.com/blue-book/pay-per-view/

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