After arriving in Brazil earlier this week to compete at UFC 134, Forrest Griffin is prepared to face Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, whether he likes it or not.
Recently, Griffin has quite open about his feelings towards his fighting career and has shown a lack of interest as of late. After all, he has accomplished things that most people could only dream of, plus he has always been seen as the underdog throughout his career, so could you really blame him?
Seemingly coming at a crossroads in his career, Griffin gets an opportunity to face Rua in a rematch and prove his first win wasn’t lucky. Instead of staying motivated while being optimistic with positive thoughts, Griffin doesn’t see it that way.
Griffn’s motivation going into his bout: its a job.
“My wife’s parents gotta retire. My little brother wants to go to college. I’ve got a daughter coming; she’s probably going to want to go to college, and she’s probably not going to be a genius, either,” Griffin told MMAJunkie.com.
“So, gotta make some money.”
Griffin’s dry wit and self-deprecating humor is what makes him beloved by many fans, and he has done nothing short of that while promoting his bout with Rua. In fact, he tends to skim past the serious questions and appear rather half-hearted or disinterested at the thought of answering.
But even though he only looks like he isn’t interested, it doesn’t mean he isn’t aware of what Rua can bring to their rematch in Rio de Janeiro. He understands the implications surrounding the bout and he knows his opponent will come prepared and seek revenge.
“I’ve had that fear in my head for the last nine weeks,” he said.
“I knew he was going to come out hungry and ready. I’m kind of expecting him to close the distance and come at it and get going.”
While the anticipation for UFC 134 grows, don’t expect Griffin to promote the fight with the glamour with all that it should be.
An honest, blue-collar attitude has taken Griffin to the top of the division before and on Saturday night, he’ll put on a fight. And regardless of the outcome, Griffin will accept his fate and bring along the pain or pleasure that follows him. After all, he has achieved every goal in his career, so what more could you ask of him?
UFC 134 is live this weekend from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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