After being dispatched by Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 134, Forrest Griffin looked like a broken man.There was a lot going through the mind of Griffin weeks prior to his bout, including his desire to remain fighting in the UFC. But just momen…
After being dispatched by Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 134, Forrest Griffin looked like a broken man.
There was a lot going through the mind of Griffin weeks prior to his bout, including his desire to remain fighting in the UFC. But just moments before the post-fight press conference, it was learned that Griffn’s wife was about to give birth to their baby daughter.
UFC President Dana White sympathised with Griffin and understood the situation he was in, and despite the loss, White praised Griffin for his courage to fight.
“Forrest is a warrior. He wears his heart on his sleeve. I have so much respect for him for coming and taking this fight in this situation,” White told MMAJunkie.com.
Griffin stepped in to face Rua in a rematch from UFC 76, where Griffin had submitted the Brazilian in the third round. However, the rematch didn’t go his way, and Griffin was laid out in two minutes by the former Pride FC star. He didn’t look like the same fighter.
“I had a lot of opportunities to go, and I didn’t go. The gameplan was to get off after he missed. He missed a couple of times big, and I just stood there and let him off the hook,” Griffin said.
Griffin’s record falls to 2-3 in his last five bouts, but White stands behind him with full support. He said Griffin still remains relevant in the light heavyweight division, even though he’s had a poor showing as of late.
“There’s no doubt Forrest is top-10,” White said.
“He can go out and beat anybody on any given night. you never know with him. He’s tough.”
Forrest Griffin won’t blame anyone but himself for losing to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 134.Considering that his wife was due to give birth to their first child around the same time as his fight with Shogun, there were definitely excuses Griffin coul…
Forrest Griffin won’t blame anyone but himself for losing to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 134.
Considering that his wife was due to give birth to their first child around the same time as his fight with Shogun, there were definitely excuses Griffin could have made for his embarrassing first-round defeat this past weekend. However, according to ESPN, Griffin made no mention of any of his current life issues when speaking of the loss.
“I had a decent camp going into this,” Griffin said. “It’s been nine weeks since the last time we were [in Brazil]. It’s just setting in. I think that’s a fight that I definitely could have done a lot better. It sucks when you do poorly at your job.
“I’m not really 100 percent sure [what happened]. I had a lot of opportunities to go, and I didn’t go. The gameplan was to get off after he missed. He missed a couple of times big, and I just stood there and let him off the hook. It was partly that, and I didn’t really stay in a rhythm.”
Griffen lives his life with a lot of emphasis on “being a man,” so it comes as no surprise that he’s no looking to deflect any blame. That said, UFC President Dana White appears to be cutting Griffin some slack, expressing that a lot of other competitors might have dropped out of the fight under the same circumstances.
“Forrest is a warrior. He wears his heart on his sleeve,” White said. “I have so much respect for him for coming and taking this fight in this situation. He knew he was going to be in this situation. He was just hoping, she was supposed to be nine days later.
“I want to thank him. I appreciate the fact he took this fight. His wife is literally getting ready to deliver their baby in Las Vegas right now. So we’re going to try and get him home as fast as we can.”
Filed under: UFCAnderson Silva returned home to Brazil in what was essentially a coronation, riding a wave of euphoric fans to another rout, this time smashing the durable Japanese fighter Yushin Okami. We are still no closer to answering the question …
Anderson Silva returned home to Brazil in what was essentially a coronation, riding a wave of euphoric fans to another rout, this time smashing the durable Japanese fighter Yushin Okami. We are still no closer to answering the question that Joe Rogan asked so many fights ago: Who can stop that man?
Silva’s next move is anyone’s guess. UFC president Dana White says that fighting on the UFC’s FOX debut is not happening, so apparently headlining a second mega-show is not in the cards for the long-reigning champion.
So who might be next for Silva? We take a look at the possibilities for him and several other of the UFC 134 participants in this edition of The Forward Roll.
Anderson Silva
Silva should be the main eventer of the FOX show. It’s a spot he’s earned, if he wants it. It would allow the UFC to showcase their best talent, and give fans the value of seeing him for free. Unless UFC executives changes their mind, that’s not going to happen, so it’s virtually a lock that he will face the winner of October’s Brian Stann vs. Chael Sonnen bout. Either fight is easily sellable, but a Sonnen rematch would draw massive interest.
Prediction: Silva faces the Sonnen-Stann winner in February 2012.
Yushin Okami
Okami joins a long list of fighters who fell to Silva in title bouts, yet only one — Rich Franklin — was able to earn a rematch. It’s a long, hard road back to the top for Okami, who took the long path to a title shot in the first place.
After waiting since last November to fight, Okami needs to get back to action quickly. So ideally, he needs to be matched up with a relatively well respected fighter, preferably coming off a loss.
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
Rebounding from his March title loss, Rua looked spectacular in pounding his way through Forrest Griffin. The result continued Rua’s bumpy ride in the UFC; he’s 4-3 overall since joining the promotion.
That said, Rua’s fights are always exciting, and given his highlight reel, he’s easily promotable. Needing less than two minutes to earn victory, Rua can turn around quickly and get back into the rotation. I’d slot him into a bigtime fight in short order.
Prediction: Rua faces Dan Henderson in November’s UFC on FOX debut.
Forrest Griffin
Griffin’s two-fight win streak was halted with a quickness by Rua. Prior to the event, he sounded disillusioned about the fight game, and the result isn’t likely to help matters. We also know that Forrest had other matters on his mind: his wife was nearing the end of her pregnancy as he flew to Rio to face Shogun.
Griffin deserves a nice break from the grind as he settles into fatherhood, and hopefully that gives him the time to reignite his fire to train and compete.
Prediction: Griffin returns in the spring against a fighter on the verge of top 10 status, someone like Alexander Gustafsson.
Edson Barboza
Barboza’s striking is beautiful to watch, yet he often seems content to hang back and counter rather than attack on his own terms. He is good enough to make that work against most mid-tier competition, but as he moves up the rankings and faces more wily foes, that could lead to trouble.
If I’m the UFC, I put him back in the cage against someone who’s going to force him to fight in many different areas.
Ross Pearson
The British fighter still shows promise. He’s a fierce competitor, has crisp boxing and comes to scrap. It wasn’t enough against Barboza in a close call, but he shouldn’t face much of a downward move after putting up a game performance on enemy territory.
Prediction:Thiago Tavares has won two of three; Pearson has won three out of four. That matchup sounds about right.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Nogueira’s win over Brendan Schaub might have been the night’s emotional high in Rio. Nog came in as a sizable underdog, after a long layoff, and after admitting he had rushed his return to fight in Brazil for the first time.
The relative lack depth near the top of the heavyweight division should allow Nog to take a bit more time off now and let some other fights shake out. But for those who still have questions about Nog’s continuing ability to take a big shot, there is probably a big puncher on the other side of his break.
Prediction: Next spring, Nogueira faces the winner of October’s Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione fight.
Brendan Schaub
What a crazy game MMA is. Schaub was riding high, on top of the world as he made his way to Rio for UFC 134. No one would have ever predicted what was to happen next. The fact that Nogueira beat him was no huge shocker, but that he would knock Schaub out came as a stunner. Nogueira had only two knockouts in his entire, storied career prior to that, and has last one had come over six years ago.
While Schaub had dreams of a title shot, instead, it’s back to the end of the line for the 28-year-old.
Prediction: Schaub eventually fights the loser of September’s Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton match.
Rousimar Palhares
In victory or defeat, Palhares remains one of MMA’s most head-scratching talents. He backed off a sure TKO at UFC 134 to begin a premature celebration, then nearly got knocked out when the fight restarted.
Given his predisposition for unpredictability, who knows what to expect from Palhares in the future? But the man can still fight, so he deserves a big matchup.
Prediction: Palhares fights the winner of November’s Mark Munoz vs. Chris Leben fight.
Last Saturday at UFC 134 in Brazil, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was able to do what many expected he would do and defeated Forrest Griffin in devastating Shogun-fashion—via first round knockout—thus redeeming his upset loss to Griffin back in 200…
Last Saturday at UFC 134 in Brazil, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was able to do what many expected he would do and defeated Forrest Griffin in devastating Shogun-fashion—via first round knockout—thus redeeming his upset loss to Griffin back in 2007 at UFC 76.
This marks the third time Shogun has been able to avenge a loss and do so by KO. With only five losses on his record, three of which while in the UFC, this former UFC light-heavyweight champion is that much more impressive and dangerous.
His first rematch came against Mark Coleman in 2009 at UFC 93. Coleman had handed Shogun his second career loss back in 2006 at Pride 31 by breaking his arm during a takedown. As astonishing as the arm break was, the post-fight brawl was the most surprising part of the night involving not only Coleman, but Wanderlei Silva, Shogun’s brother Murilo and Coleman cornerman Phil Baroni.
Next up was Lyoto Machida last year at UFC 113. This was one of the most anticipated rematches in MMA history, as Shogun lost a very close and controversial decision to Machida in each fighter’s previous outing at UFC 104. Shogun delivered on his promise and ended the fight by KO in the first round, thus dethroning The Dragon.
After he captured the title, Shogun was on the sidelines for a year. Upon his return, he met the young star that is Jon “Bones Jones.” While some believed Jones was not yet ready to fight for the title, he proved the critics wrong and gave Shogun his fifth career loss.
No one was calling for an immediate rematch this time around, but that should not be reason enough for their not to be one in the future. As Shogun has demonstrated on numerous occasions, he not only has what it takes to come back and get revenge, but he does so in knockout fashion.
The truest mark of any champion isn’t the ability to become an unstoppable force, but the ability to pick yourself up when you’re knocked down and recover to achieve victory. It is clear which kind of fighter Shogun is, and for that reason alone he will one day defeat Jon Jones and win UFC gold again.
It was a devastating loss to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in UFC 134, all right, but Forrest Griffin is still 1-1 against Rua. Same versus Tito Ortiz.He was also on a two-fight winning streak prior to losing his rematch to Shogun.Some fans may ask…
It was a devastating loss to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in UFC 134, all right, but Forrest Griffin is still 1-1 against Rua. Same versus Tito Ortiz.
He was also on a two-fight winning streak prior to losing his rematch to Shogun.
Some fans may ask for a third and deciding fight against either (or both) before Griffin calls it quits.
Still, his pained and portentous pre-UFC 134 confession that he “wasn’t getting better” must now be taken more seriously.
Let’s read it again:
It quit being fun when I realized I wasn’t getting better. I’m plateauing or almost getting worse sometimes. One of the essential elements to have in this is your perceived expectation of the future, and I’m a painful realist, so I realized that I’m not going to get better; this is it. It’s only gonna get worse from here on and you fight as much as you can, you fight until you don’t have it anymore, and then you fight a couple more times after that.
Sounds like the beginning of the end of an illustrious MMA career.
In any sport, when a veteran athlete claims that his game no longer improves, more often than not it’s a sign of an imminent surrender.
Here’s a recap of the proud moments of Griffin’s fighting career:
He was a former UFC light-heavyweight champion, taking the belt from Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
Just before that, he won his first match against Shogun, who was at the time ranked the No.1 light heavyweight fighter in the world by many MMA publications.
He recorded victories over Stephen Bonnar (2x), Chael Sonnen, Rich Franklin, Jeff Monson and as mentioned, versus Rua and Ortiz (before losing to the former and after losing to the latter).
He made history by becoming the first winner of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF).
Most significantly, the MMA world owes him for bringing UFC into the mainstream, with his exciting TUF finals fight versus Bonnar.
Consequently, their fight is declared as the No.1 UFC fight of all time in the UFC Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights program.
Forrest Griffin circa 2005 had the heart of a lion (and the face of a gremlin).
Forrest Griffin became a household MMA name after his run through the original Ultimate Fighter show. Goofily charming, Griffin had already amassed a record fitting a UFC fighter before appearing the show, with names like Dan Severn, Travis Fulton, Jeff Monson, Jermey Horn, and Chael Sonnen on his record. But it was Griffin’s gritty determination to fight and win that so impressed audiences back in 2005 that made him a fan favorite. His three round finale win over Stephan Bonnar, hailed as one of the most important fights in MMA history, was an instant classic not because Griffin thoroughly outclassed Bonnar, but because both fighters showed so much tenacity and desire in the fight. If you don’t mind me throwing the term around, Forrest Griffin won over fans because he showed a great deal of heart. It was clear just by watching him that Griffin wanted to fight, more than anything.
Six years later, Griffin is still with us and still somewhere in the top tier of light heavyweights, with a rematch against Shogun Rua to prove that Griffin belongs in that tier. Griffin said in interviews prior to the fight that a second win over Shogun would “validate” him as an elite light heavyweight.
And then he lost.
Leading up to the fight, Griffin had been a bit less sanguine about his fight than usual. Oh, Griffin still had jokes — he’s always a guy that will crack off a one-liner at any given time — but reading between the lines, some wondered whether Griffin still had the competitive fire that once burned so brightly in him. And after a loss to Shogun in which he looked slow and disinterested, some have begun to seriously ask: has Griffin lost the heart to fight?
Forrest Griffin circa 2005 had the heart of a lion (and the face of a gremlin).
Forrest Griffin became a household MMA name after his run through the original Ultimate Fighter show. Goofily charming, Griffin had already amassed a record fitting a UFC fighter before appearing the show, with names like Dan Severn, Travis Fulton, Jeff Monson, Jermey Horn, and Chael Sonnen on his record. But it was Griffin’s gritty determination to fight and win that so impressed audiences back in 2005 that made him a fan favorite. His three round finale win over Stephan Bonnar, hailed as one of the most important fights in MMA history, was an instant classic not because Griffin thoroughly outclassed Bonnar, but because both fighters showed so much tenacity and desire in the fight. If you don’t mind me throwing the term around, Forrest Griffin won over fans because he showed a great deal of heart. It was clear just by watching him that Griffin wanted to fight, more than anything.
Six years later, Griffin is still with us and still somewhere in the top tier of light heavyweights, with a rematch against Shogun Rua to prove that Griffin belongs in that tier. Griffin said in interviews prior to the fight that a second win over Shogun would “validate” him as an elite light heavyweight.
And then he lost.
Leading up to the fight, Griffin had been a bit less sanguine about his fight than usual. Oh, Griffin still had jokes — he’s always a guy that will crack off a one-liner at any given time — but reading between the lines, some wondered whether Griffin still had the competitive fire that once burned so brightly in him. And after a loss to Shogun in which he looked slow and disinterested, some have begun to seriously ask: has Griffin lost the heart to fight?
Before appearing as a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter, Griffin competed at Heat FC 2 against Edson “Paredao” Silva. During the fight, he blocked a Paredao kick that broke his left arm. Griffin won the fight, via knockout. He would go on to have surgery on that arm after his TUF win two years later.
Griffin and Bonnar gained tons of fans (including Dana White) through a combined force of will — a double-team assault of heart so palpable that audiences could feel it watching at home. Even Forrest’s first win over Shogun was a show that win times got tough and the water got deep, Griffin dug down and pulled through.
Griffin seemed different after losing his fight with Anderson Silva, which is the closest thing anyone in contemporary times has ever seen to hand to hand combat with a Jedi. His confidence took a big hit, and his self-deprecating humor took on a tone that was uncomfortably close to a disclaimer. Griffin laughed as he talked about how ineffective he felt in that Silva fight, and we all laughed along, but really? Yeah, he really did look like a slow, slow white boy getting beat up by his dad.
Now, Griffin’s comparing his acceptance of the Shogun rematch with the stages of grieving. He doesn’t talk about wanting to be the number one fighter in the world, he talks about not wanting to be poor. He’s not talking about how he’s going to smash Shogun, he’s talking about wanting to smash some sweet potatoes, but he can’t find any in the far-off mythical land of Brazil.
Those aren’t the visualization habits and lofty motivations of a world beater. If all that matters is not being poor, one could argue that Griffin had made it. His five years with the UFC before the Shogun fight were probably lucrative enough to prevent worry about going back to a campus beat and Top Ramen, not to mention White’s oft-repeated loyalty to one of the fighters that helped save the UFC.
Couple all that with another shattering loss in the Octagon, this time against the guy who catapulted Forrest to the top of the division and a title shot in 2008, and you have to wonder where Griffin’s head is at. If he’s lost the desire to compete that made him such a fan favorite, can he regain it? Is Forrest Griffin, sans heart, a fighter that can stay at the top of the UFC’s dangerous 205 division?
As a fan of Griffin’s, I really hope so. I hope that this poor performance was just a result of traveling far from home, dealing with an unfamiliar culture, and having a really tough fight with a guy on his home turf. God knows, Griffin had plenty on his mind. But part of me does wonder if Griffin’s heart is still in it.
After being dispatched by Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 134, Forrest Griffin looked like a broken man.
Anderson Silva