It has been well-publicized that Chuck Liddell reluctantly went into retirement because Dana White dropped the hammer on him. Liddell’s chin had given up on him and he simply was slipping fast from the climax of his career.
It has also been discussed that Dana White was close to doing that with Wanderlei Silva, who is in a similar situation to that of Liddell’s.
Although Silva is one of the guys who is getting close in my eyes, there are two other men who Dana White should show the door and help them call it a career. Those two men are former champions Forrest Griffin and Matt Hughes.
Honestly, since winning the title, Griffin has not looked the same. In some of his fights, he hasn’t shown the warrior spirit he was known for, he’s shown a lack of motivation.
His loss to Rashad Evans was simply him losing to the better man. But since that loss, he has not looked like a fan-favorite champion.
He got knocked out against Anderson Silva, which is understandable. My problem was when he took the final backstepping jab, he wasn’t out cold. He gave up.
Again, Silva can do that to a man, but the Griffin I thought I knew would have tried to recover in that situation.
He would go on to win a close fight against Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin, but again, it wasn’t the same Griffin we have grown to know.
He then came into his fight against Mauricio Rua underprepared and unmotivated. The result was him unconscious in under two minutes.
His latest fight was a win against Ortiz again, but his cardio was lacking. It is just another sign that he is going through the motions and that he doesn’t have his heart in the fight game anymore.
Griffin will be a Hall of Famer. He has done so much for the sport and the UFC in general. However, White needs to usher him into retirement. Lack of motivation and preparation are hurting Griffin’s legacy.
That leads me to Matt Hughes. Hughes is already a Hall of Famer and has nothing to prove in the sport anymore.
He was on a three-fight win streak before his latest two losses. However, two of the fights weren’t against top opponents. His win over Renzo Gracie was a legend versus legend fight, but Gracie was extremely rusty and outdated.
The other win was a submission over Ricardo Almeida. Again, Almeida is mid-tier and past his prime.
Then the two big losses came. The first saw him get knocked out at the hands of BJ Penn. The bout’s duration lasted 21 seconds.
He then ran into another knockout loss to Josh Kosheck. This loss should be the one that leads him out of the UFC.
Both Griffin and Hughes have made their money, proved their significance in the sport and helped build the UFC’s audience. However, Dana White needs to help them out the door to preserve their image and keep their health.
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