Tag: UFC 101

On This Day in MMA History: Anderson Silva Clowns Forrest Griffin, BJ Chokes Out Ken-Flo, And Johny Hendricks Makes a Smashing Debut at UFC 101


(Photo via Getty. Click to enlarge.)

“I tried to punch him and he literally moved his head out of the way and looked at me like I was stupid for doing it. He looked at me like, ‘Why would you do such a stupid thing?’ He looked at me like, ‘Oh, did you really think you were going to hit me? What a stupid thing to think you slow, slow white boy,’ and then he punched me. I felt embarrassed for even trying to punch him. I felt like some kid trying to wrestle with his dad.”

That’s how UFC light-heavyweight Forrest Griffin described his painful run-in with Anderson Silva, which happened exactly four years ago today, on August 8th, 2009. The infamous one-rounder took place during UFC 101: Declaration at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, an event that was headlined by BJ Penn‘s second lightweight title defense against Kenny Florian. (The Silva vs. Griffin non-title fight was slotted in the co-main event; to date, it was the only fight in Silva’s UFC career that wasn’t a main event.)

If you’ll recall, Silva scored the knockout with a short, backpedaling right hand (you might even call it Petruzelli-esque), after putting on a brief clinic on head-movement and showboating. Afterwards, Joe Rogan called Griffin’s loss “one of the most embarrassing knockouts I think we’ve ever seen,” which is a little unfair when you consider Anderson’s other-worldly talent and the fact that Griffin was half-zonked on Xanax at the time.

Besides the incredible/humiliating knockout in the co-main event, UFC 101 was notable for a few other reasons. For instance…


(Photo via Getty. Click to enlarge.)

“I tried to punch him and he literally moved his head out of the way and looked at me like I was stupid for doing it. He looked at me like, ‘Why would you do such a stupid thing?’ He looked at me like, ‘Oh, did you really think you were going to hit me? What a stupid thing to think you slow, slow white boy,’ and then he punched me. I felt embarrassed for even trying to punch him. I felt like some kid trying to wrestle with his dad.”

That’s how UFC light-heavyweight Forrest Griffin described his painful run-in with Anderson Silva, which happened exactly four years ago today, on August 8th, 2009. The infamous one-rounder took place during UFC 101: Declaration at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, an event that was headlined by BJ Penn‘s second lightweight title defense against Kenny Florian. (The Silva vs. Griffin non-title fight was slotted in the co-main event; to date, it was the only fight in Silva’s UFC career that wasn’t a main event.)

If you’ll recall, Silva scored the knockout with a short, backpedaling right hand (you might even call it Petruzelli-esque), after putting on a brief clinic on head-movement and showboating. Afterwards, Joe Rogan called Griffin’s loss “one of the most embarrassing knockouts I think we’ve ever seen,” which is a little unfair when you consider Anderson’s other-worldly talent and the fact that Griffin was half-zonked on Xanax at the time.

Besides the incredible/humiliating knockout in the co-main event, UFC 101 was notable for a few other reasons. For instance…

– As we recently pointed out, Penn’s rear-naked choke win over Florian was the ninth latest finish in UFC history. Apparently, Florian might have been winning on the scorecards heading into the championship rounds.

– UFC 101 marked the promotional debut of then-undefeated welterweight Johny Hendricks, who had just completed a two-fight stint in the WEC. Hendricks’s first Octagon appearance was a successful one, as he TKO’d Amir Sadollah in just 29 seconds. Ten fights later, Hendricks has earned a shot at the welterweight world title against Georges St. Pierre, the same guy who was holding the belt back in August 2009.

– Rousimar Palhares was supposed to fight on the card against Alessio Sakara, but had to withdraw due to a broken leg, and was replaced by Thales Leites. Sakara won by split-decision, and Leites was fired by the UFC — just four months after he had fought Anderson Silva for the middleweight title. Luckily, he made his way back.

– The show pulled an estimated 850,000 pay-per-view buys, making it (at that time) the sixth most successful UFC PPV ever. Only five UFC events have drawn more buys since then.

Random Factoid of the Day: Forrest Griffin Took Xanax The Night Before Being Decimated by Anderson Silva at UFC 101


(In retrospect, this news should not come as a huge surprise.)

While appearing on a recent edition of MMAFighting’s The MMA Hour, former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin informed Ariel Helwani that following his UFC 101 loss to Anderson Silva back in 2009, he failed his post-fight drug test. No, not for elevated levels of testosterone, but for Xanax of all things:

I failed my drug test I think for Xanax. I had a doctor’s prescription, I was just, I didn’t do it before the fight, I did it the night before, I was nervous and I couldn’t sleep.

Why this failed test was not made public by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission is anyone’s guess, but we’re going to assume that Griffin was simply given a pass because he was essentially fed to the wolves over an open flame. That, and it seems that the idea of fighting Silva is enough to make any of his opponents at LHW become suddenly dependent on an outside prescription for one thing or another. Just ask James Irvin.


(In retrospect, this news should not come as a huge surprise.)

While appearing on a recent edition of MMAFighting’s The MMA Hour, former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin informed Ariel Helwani that following his UFC 101 loss to Anderson Silva back in 2009, he failed his post-fight drug test. No, not for elevated levels of testosterone, but for Xanax of all things:

I failed my drug test I think for Xanax. I had a doctor’s prescription, I was just, I didn’t do it before the fight, I did it the night before, I was nervous and I couldn’t sleep.

Why this failed test was not made public by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission is anyone’s guess, but we’re going to assume that Griffin was simply given a pass because he was essentially fed to the wolves over an open flame. That, and it seems that the idea of fighting Silva is enough to make any of his opponents at LHW become suddenly dependent on an outside prescription for one thing or another. Just ask James Irvin. Unfortunately, judging by Griffin’s performance that night, we’re guessing he was accidentally prescribed the extended release form of Xanax, hence his inability to throw a punch that Silva couldn’t see coming from a mile away. As Paulo Filho will tell you, Xanax and MMA does not a winning performance make.

But according to the always self-deprecating Griffin, the Silva fight was simply a harsh, harsh learning experience that he could only improve from. Now THAT’s optimism, Nation.

Look what happened when I fought Anderson Silva. It can’t possibly get worse than that. I’ve already seen the bottom and it wasn’t that bad. I made it through. I survived. It’s fighting. It’s not the end of the world.

Let the countdown to Stephan Bonnar’s inevitable positive test for a low grade beaver tranquilizer begin…

–J. Jones

Forrest Griffin Admits to Taking Xanax Before UFC 101

Over the past few months, the UFC has been struggling with constant injuries that have nearly destroyed a number of events. And before the injury crisis, the UFC was in a battle with drugs, with top heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem and welterweig…

Over the past few months, the UFC has been struggling with constant injuries that have nearly destroyed a number of events. And before the injury crisis, the UFC was in a battle with drugs, with top heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem and welterweight Nick Diaz being suspended due to failed drug tests.

Now, we discover that a new fighter failed a post-fight drug test, and the name might surprise you: Forrest Griffin.

As reported by MMAFighting.com. Forrest Griffin admitted to failing his post-fight drug test after taking the drug Xanax before his UFC 101 matchup with Anderson Silva.

Griffin said (via MMAFighting.com), “I had a doctor’s prescription, I was just, I didn’t do it before the fight, I did it the night before, I was nervous and I couldn’t sleep.” 

Griffin’s UFC 101 matchup against middleweight champion Silva was one of the most one-sided fights in the history of the UFC. Silva looked untouchable. He simply just dodged and swayed away from every one of Griffin’s strike attempts and finished the original Ultimate Fighter winner with a straight jab to the face.

On why the failed drug test wasn’t released to the public by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, as well as why we are just now hearing this news, Griffin said, “What’s the point? Why add humiliation to a bad situation?”

A similar situation came about following news that Nick Diaz failed his drug test. It was released that Tyson Griffin had also failed a drug test, but it wasn’t released to the media right after like it was with Diaz.

This brings up the questions of when, who and how does these athletic commissions decide to release information about failed drug test? Hopefully, we will soon learn more about Griffin’s case and why we didn’t hear about it the day Griffin found out he failed a drug test.

 

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Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz III- Why You Shouldn’t Get Excited

Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin. Two men who helped build the UFC into what it is today. Both former light heavyweight champions. Locked in a sure-to-be intense battle that will end with Ortiz walking off into the sunset after an illustrious career. At …

Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin. Two men who helped build the UFC into what it is today. Both former light heavyweight champions. Locked in a sure-to-be intense battle that will end with Ortiz walking off into the sunset after an illustrious career. At least, that is what the fight is being billed as. As with any high-profile fight, this one has UFC President Dana White “rounding up” when it comes to the actual impact of this bout.

For a variety of reasons, this fight is simply not a big deal. Both Griffin and Ortiz are in a position in their careers where this was not a fight that they should have made, and the inevitable efforts to portray this fight as something other than a gimmick fight should not be taken seriously.

Whether or not the fight proves to be a successful main or co-main event financially (the UFC 148 card is not completely arranged yet), it remains a sideshow.

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