Forrest Griffin once was the king of the mountain in the UFC light heavyweight division. He was once the light heavyweight champion and was part of the most memorable and most important fight in UFC history.
Then Rashad Evans happened and Griffin lost his belt—and seemingly lost his mojo.
Since his title fight loss Griffin is 2-3, with all three losses coming against title holders or former title holders.
Griffin was getting so close this time. He was only a couple of more wins away from earning a shot to get back his belt. But Griffin couldn’t quite pull off a victory over a man he already beat, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
Now what is next for the first Ultimate Fighter winner?
Maybe a matchup with Alexander Gustafsson. Possibly a matchup with another young up-and-comer, Phil Davis. How about a fight with Ryan Bader after his loss to Tito Ortiz?
Griffin needs to get back on track and he needs to do it soon. Griffin is one of the funniest guys in MMA and at age 32, his entire career could be coming to a close soon.
It has been a rough fall from grace for Forrest. A decline that was happening even before his title victory over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Griffin is, after all, only 6-5 since beating Elvis Sinosic at UFC 55. But again, that is all against top competition.
Griffin is a great guy and his next best shot to get back into the top echelon of the UFC light heavyweight division should be a fight with Gustafsson or Bader, one of the young guys who is starting to fly up the ranks.
In both fights I think Griffin has the edge and should be able to pull out a win. Hopefully he does, because he is one of the most entertaining personas in the sport, and it needs someone with a persona like his.
For unfunny jokes, MMA news and reaction from events, you can follow me on Twitter: @SalDeRoseMMA.
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