Following his performance at UFC 148 against Tito Ortiz, Dana White was extremely critical of former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin. He thought that Griffin looked old, which in fight talk is usually when someone is on their last legs.
White wasn’t wrong either. Griffin looked tired entering the third round and won a close decision over Ortiz in the Huntington Beach Bad Boy’s retirement fight. It probably didn’t help matters that Griffin stole the spotlight and caused controversy when he stormed out of cage only to return and interview Ortiz in his send off.
Following the UFC on Fox 4 pre-fight press conference, White spoke with Bleacher Report and attending MMA media. The subject of retirements came up and Griffin is one fighter in particular that the White believes should hang it up.
“I would like Forrest to retire. There’s nothing left for Forrest to prove either. He won the Ultimate Fighter, he’s had an amazing career, won the title when people thought he couldn’t,” White told Bleacher Report. “He became a huge star and made sh*t loads of money, he’s got a beautiful wife and a baby.”
“If you don’t want to be a world champion and you’re still not ‘in the mix’ like I call it, why? What’s the point? I get it. It get it,” White added. “It’s hard to walk away from walking into an arena with the big crowds and all the sh*t, but there’s a point in time when I’m just like ‘you’ve done your thing man. You’ve had an amazing career, you’ve done great things.’
“There’s nothing left to prove.”
It’s up to Griffin if he wants to keep fighting, but the president is right. He has nothing left to prove. Unless he wants to make a final and real last run at the top, it may be a good idea to go out on a win.
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