Tag: Forrest Griffin

Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar Inducted Into the UFC Hall of Fame

Just over eight years ago, the course of the UFC took a dramatic turn for the better when the finale of the first-ever The Ultimate Fighter took place in Las Vegas. The reality show that aired on Spike TV in 2005 was almost a last shot for the promotio…

Just over eight years ago, the course of the UFC took a dramatic turn for the better when the finale of the first-ever The Ultimate Fighter took place in Las Vegas.

The reality show that aired on Spike TV in 2005 was almost a last shot for the promotion.  The UFC had hemorrhaged money for months following its purchase by the Fertitta brothers along with family friend and business partner Dana White.

Then, in one of the last fights of the night, something magical happened.

The two finalists from The Ultimate Fighter’s inaugural light heavyweight tournament battled it out for 15 minutes in one of the most historic bouts in fight history. 

Forrest Griffin and Stephen Bonnar didn’t have the most technical fight the MMA world had ever seen—far from it, actually.

They did, however, manage to slug it out in a back-and-forth war for three rounds that was so enthralling that the viewership for the fight grew as each minute passed.

On Saturday, UFC president Dana White officially inducted both Griffin and Bonnar into the UFC Hall of Fame for their fight that helped keep the company alive.

“As far as this company goes for sure, but as far as this sport goes—this was the most important fight in the history of this company,” White said on Saturday.  “At the time when this fight happened, you know where we were back then, and what was happening with the sport.  We were $44 million dollars in the hole in this business. 

“During six minutes of that fight, 12 million people tuned in.  You know how crazy that is?  You know what insane numbers those are? There has never been a more important fight in the history of the UFC.  There has never been a more important fight than maybe UFC 1 in the history of mixed martial arts.”

Griffin and Bonnar‘s fight is still regarded as one of the greatest in MMA history, and in terms of importance to the sport’s survival, it may sit alone as the biggest ever.

Following that fight, their careers took different trajectories.

Griffin went on to win the UFC light heavyweight title in 2008 from Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and while he never successfully defended the belt, it was still a crowning achievement for the former TUF 1 winner.

Bonnar never achieved that level of success in the UFC.  While he was by no means a bad fighter, he never got close to a title shot or even contention.  It’s also impossible to overlook that he was busted twice for steroid use during his UFC career.

Still, White believes that the two gladiators who stepped into the Octagon that night in 2005 deserve a special place in the UFC Hall of Fame.

Both Griffin and Bonnar are now retired from active competition.

“It’s not like a hero profession even though sometimes it’s treated as one.  It’s not being a soldier on foreign soil or being a paramedic or a firefighter, but sometimes on special moments it feels like that,” Griffin said during the induction when looking back as his career as a fighter.  “It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever been a part of.”

Bonnar hasn’t been in White’s good graces since testing positive for banned substances following his fight against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 153 last year.  White didn’t even speak to Bonnar much, if at all, leading up to the induction ceremony on Saturday.

Still, Bonnar was an integral part of UFC history, and so his place is now cemented as a Hall of Famer.

“As painful as it was to lose that fight, I was so happy for him.  He’s a great guy,” Bonnar said about Griffin.  “I just want to end with a quote, this one from Calvin Coolidge—nothing in the world could take the place of persistence.  Talent will not, nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.  Genius will not, unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.  Education will not, the world is full with educated derelicts.  Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan press on has solved and will always solve the problems of the human race.”

Griffin and Bonnar are the 10th and 11th fighters inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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The 5 Most Unlikely Title Winners in UFC History

When Anderson Silva steps in the cage this weekend against Chris Weidman, he will look to keep his seven-year title reign intact. Though a Weidman win would hardly be the most shocking in the history of UFC championship fights, it would be an improbabl…

When Anderson Silva steps in the cage this weekend against Chris Weidman, he will look to keep his seven-year title reign intact. Though a Weidman win would hardly be the most shocking in the history of UFC championship fights, it would be an improbable one, considering Silva is (probably) the greatest fighter in the history of the sport. 

But Weidman wouldn’t be the first to pick up an unlikely win against a dominant fighter and champion. 

Other champions have set foot in the cage with the odds in their favor, only to witness the belt change hands at the end of the night. So here are the top five most improbable title wins in UFC history.

Note: This list will include only upsets which occurred during the Zuffa era, meaning Maurice Smith defeating Mark Coleman is out of the picture.

Begin Slideshow

The 5 Most Unlikely Title Winners in UFC History

When Anderson Silva steps in the cage this weekend against Chris Weidman, he will look to keep his seven-year title reign intact. Though a Weidman win would hardly be the most shocking in the history of UFC championship fights, it would be an improbabl…

When Anderson Silva steps in the cage this weekend against Chris Weidman, he will look to keep his seven-year title reign intact. Though a Weidman win would hardly be the most shocking in the history of UFC championship fights, it would be an improbable one, considering Silva is (probably) the greatest fighter in the history of the sport. 

But Weidman wouldn’t be the first to pick up an unlikely win against a dominant fighter and champion. 

Other champions have set foot in the cage with the odds in their favor, only to witness the belt change hands at the end of the night. So here are the top five most improbable title wins in UFC history.

Note: This list will include only upsets which occurred during the Zuffa era, meaning Maurice Smith defeating Mark Coleman is out of the picture.

Begin Slideshow

Stitch Duran Looks Back at the Historic Battle Between Griffin and Bonnar

Jacob “Stitch” Duran is one of the most familiar faces any time a major MMA or boxing event takes place. He’s the guy responsible for making sure his fighters are taken care of between rounds and no cut gets too severe. Duran routinely works with famed…

Jacob “Stitch” Duran is one of the most familiar faces any time a major MMA or boxing event takes place. He’s the guy responsible for making sure his fighters are taken care of between rounds and no cut gets too severe.

Duran routinely works with famed boxers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, and is also the cutman of choice for several UFC fighters including former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.

Duran is famously known for his in-between round work when Griffin battled former Pride champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua back in 2007 when a large cut opened on his fighter’s head that could have very well ended the fight.

Luckily, Duran was able to stop the bleeding long enough to allow Griffin to continue and he eventually submitted Rua in the third round.

A year and a half earlier, Duran was in Griffin’s corner for one of the most monumental occasions in UFC history when he battled Stephan Bonnar for the first ever Ultimate Fighter crown.

Griffin and Bonnar went to war for a full 15 minutes, and Duran was there in between every round to make sure his fighter was cleaned up and ready to go for the start of the next five-minute session.

Even Duran, who was busy focusing on his fighter’s safety during the bout, knew something special was happening with Griffin and Bonnar and remembers a post-fight moment when even he couldn’t contain his happiness for his corner.

“Being a cutman, supposed to be pretty neutral, but as we’re waiting there for the decision one of Forrest’s trainers looks at me and says, ‘Stitch, I’m not gay, but I’ve got to give you a kiss for taking care of Forrest,'” Duran said of the historic fight.

Check out this interview with Stitch as he takes a look back at Griffin vs. Bonnar 1 from The Ultimate Fighter finale in 2006.

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Tito Ortiz: Stephan Bonnar Doesn’t Belong in the UFC Hall of Fame

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz doesn’t think Stephan Bonnar deserves a spot alongside him in the UFC Hall of Fame. Ortiz recently spoke with MMA Junkie about the two latest fighters to be named to the Hall of Fame— Bon…

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz doesn’t think Stephan Bonnar deserves a spot alongside him in the UFC Hall of Fame. 

Ortiz recently spoke with MMA Junkie about the two latest fighters to be named to the Hall of Fame— Bonnar and another former 205-pound champ in Forrest Griffin. 

“Forrest deserves it,” Ortiz said. “He beat me, and he beat some other really good guys. He was a world champion. He had some great fights. I think he deserves it. As far as Stephan, I have nothing against the guy, but you’ve got to be a world champion, I think, to be in the Hall of Fame.”

Ortiz fought Griffin three times in his career, winning their first bout at UFC 59, but losing their subsequent encounters at UFC 106 and UFC 148. 

UFC president Dana White announced at the UFC 160 post-fight conference last month that Griffin and Bonnar would be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the UFC Fan Expo prior to UFC 162 (via MMA Fighting). 

Griffin ended his UFC tenure with a respectable 10-5 record with victories over the likes of Ortiz (twice), Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rich Franklin. 

Additionally, his historic 2005 battle with Bonnar in the finals of the original season of The Ultimate Fighter helped to give the sport of MMA serious mainstream appeal. 

However, fans and analysts alike have panned the decision to give “The American Psycho” a spot in the hall, given a mediocre UFC record with no wins over big-name opponents.

Bonnar retired with an 8-7 record under the UFC banner and his biggest accomplishments in the cage were victories against Keith Jardine, Krzysztof Soszynski and Kyle Kingsbury. 

Ortiz goes on to rhetorically ask if one major fight is enough to warrant a Hall of Fame induction: 

“That’s a big honor to be in the Hall of Fame,” Ortiz said. “It means you had a significance in the sport at one time or another. You look at that, and the Forrest and Stephan fight was a big step for the UFC, so do they deserve it? Possibly. But can one fight get you in the Hall of Fame? I don’t know. I guess that’s Dana’s decision.”

The UFC Hall of Fame has just nine members, eight of which being respected champions during their time: Ortiz, Mark Coleman, Randy Couture, Royce Gracie, Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell, Dan Severn and Ken Shamrock.

The only non-fighter currently enshrined is TapouT co-founder Charles “Mask” Lewis, a well-known proponent of MMA prior to his death in March 2009. 

Also worth noting is that Ortiz suggested future Hall of Fame inductees should be decided by a fan vote. 

Was Bonnar‘s landmark brawl with Griffin enough to earn him an official spot in UFC history, or should the UFC Hall of Fame be limited, as Ortiz believes, to former champions only? 

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show. 

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[VIDEO] That Was Quick – Forrest Griffin Opens Door to Comeback

(Video via MMA Fight Corner)

Athe UFC 160 post event press conference Dana White announced that former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin was retiring from MMA. Now, less than a month later, Griffin has revealed that he’s at least open to the possibility of coming back should his body heal up well from recent injuries.

“I’ll start training again, September, August. Maybe if I’m just magically healed and like everything works great, then I’ll have to try [fighting] again. But, I’m not healthy now,” the TUF 1 winner told MMA Fight Corner.

Griffin last fought in July of 2012, when he beat long-time champion Tito Ortiz by unanimous decision. Griffin won three out of his last four fights but was forced to pull out of a scheduled bout with Phil Davis this year due to a torn MCL in his knee.

Griffin will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame July 6th at UFC 162 along with his TUF 1 co-finalist Stephan Bonnar. And, although the fighter sounds eager to get back into training and acknowledges the possibility of his return to competition, he warns not to read too much into his desire to be back in the gym.

“But, to say I’m unusual for that, most professional athletes have that,” Griffin explained.

“Most guys are like ‘Ok when can I start training again?’. I got into this because I like fighting, I like training. It’s fun, you know.”


(Video via MMA Fight Corner)

Athe UFC 160 post event press conference Dana White announced that former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin was retiring from MMA. Now, less than a month later, Griffin has revealed that he’s at least open to the possibility of coming back should his body heal up well from recent injuries.

“I’ll start training again, September, August. Maybe if I’m just magically healed and like everything works great, then I’ll have to try [fighting] again. But, I’m not healthy now,” the TUF 1 winner told MMA Fight Corner.

Griffin last fought in July of 2012, when he beat long-time champion Tito Ortiz by unanimous decision. Griffin won three out of his last four fights but was forced to pull out of a scheduled bout with Phil Davis this year due to a torn MCL in his knee.

Griffin will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame July 6th at UFC 162 along with his TUF 1 co-finalist Stephan Bonnar. And, although the fighter sounds eager to get back into training and acknowledges the possibility of his return to competition, he warns not to read too much into his desire to be back in the gym.

“But, to say I’m unusual for that, most professional athletes have that,” Griffin explained.

“Most guys are like ‘Ok when can I start training again?’. I got into this because I like fighting, I like training. It’s fun, you know.”

The as of yet still retired champion also says that his next fight is more likely to come outside of the cage than inside it. “If we’re at the movies and some guy pours a drink on my wife, it’s going down,” he joked.

So, what do you say, taters? Do you think Forrest can really stay away from fighting or will he be back in the Octagon before his Hall of Fame plaque can even begin to collect dust on his mantle?

– Elias Cepeda