Forrest Griffin
Template:MMAstatsbox Forrest Griffin (born November 26, 1978 in Columbus, Ohio) is the first-season winner of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter, a reality show which showcases mixed martial arts. He defeated Stephan Bonnar in a popular final bout, widely acclaimed as one of the best MMA fights of all time, winning by unanimous decision and landing him a professional contract to fight in the UFC (See Griffin vs Bonnar, April 9, 2005).
He currently holds a professional mixed martial arts record of fifteen wins (3 by KO/TKO, 7 by submission, and 5 by decision) and four losses (2 by KO/TKO and 2 by decision).
Griffin is currently ranked by MMAWeekly.com as the #8 light heavyweight fighter in the world, and by MMANews.com as the #5 light heavyweight fighter in the world.
Education
Griffin graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Georgia. While attending school, he served as a law enforcement officer. He trained at the HardCore Gym in Athens for five years under Adam and Rory Singer. He later retired from police service to pursue a career in professional mixed martial arts.[citation needed]
Mixed Martial Arts Career
On April 15, 2006, Griffin took on his toughest opponent yet when he fought former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz at UFC 59, which he lost via split decision.
At UFC 62, Griffin fought Stephan Bonnar in an anticipated rematch. Griffin won by unanimous decision, sweeping all three rounds.
Griffin was then defeated by Ultimate Fighter 2 semifinalist Keith Jardine at UFC 66 by way of TKO at 4:41 of the first round.
After the fight, a visibly distraught Griffin collapsed in his corner, crying loudly. Moments later, he walked away from Joe Rogan's attempt to interview him, saying "Keith came in and he did exactly what I wanted to do, he knocked me the fuck out. Let's go home." Griffin then ran off camera, leaving Joe Rogan to speak to the camera by himself. Moments later, Griffin reappeared heading the opposite direction saying, "I'll be back," as he headed out of the Octagon.
Griffin's next fight was supposed to be at UFC 70 against Lyoto Machida on April 21, 2007 but he was unable to fight due to a staph infection.[1]
On June 16, 2007 Griffin defeated Hector Ramirez at UFC 72 in Belfast, Northern Ireland via unanimous decision.
His latest fight was at UFC 76 against PRIDE's 2005 Middleweight (205 lb) Grand Prix champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua[2]. Griffin won by rear naked choke at 4:45 of round three. It has since been reported that Griffin required surgery after the fight due to a serious shoulder injury that was sustained in the bout. It has also been reported that this has been a reoccuring problem for a long time.[3]
On The Ultimate Fighter 6 finale, Dana White announced that Forrest is not only the number one contender for the Light Heavyweight title but is also one of the coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 7 and will fight the other coach at the end of the series. The other coach, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was announced by Dana White on December 9th at Spike TV's Video Game Awards show.
TV/Movie Career
On November 28, 2007 he starred in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Fight" as an MMA champion, his character is shot and killed relatively early in the episode.
Awards and Honors
- Inaugural winner of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter
- MMAWeekly, Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Fight of the Year 2005: vs Stephan Bonnar (TUF 1 Finals)
- Fight of The Year 2006: vs Tito Ortiz (UFC 59)
Mixed Martial Arts Record
| 19 matches | 15 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 2 |
| By submission | 7 | 0 |
| By decision | 5 | 2 |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Rd. | Time | Date | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win |  Mauricio Rua |
Submission (rear naked choke) | 3 | 4:45 | September 22 2007 | UFC 76: Knockout | |
| Win |  Hector Ramirez |
Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 | June 16 2007 | UFC 72: Victory | All 3 judges scored the fight 30-27. |
| Loss | Keith Jardine |
TKO (strikes) | 1 | 4:41 | December 30 2006 | UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz | |
| Win | Stephan Bonnar |
Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 | August 26 2006 | UFC 62: Liddell vs. Sobral | Bonnar tested positive for boldenone after the fight. |
| Loss | Tito Ortiz |
Decision (split) | 3 | 5:00 | April 15 2006 | UFC 59: Reality Check | Scoring was 30-27, 28-29, 29-27. |
| Win |  Elvis Sinosic |
TKO (strikes) | 1 | 3:30 | October 7 2005 | UFC 55: Fury | |
| Win |  Bill Mahood |
Submission (rear naked choke) | 1 | 2:18 | June 4 2005 | UFC 53: Heavy Hitters | |
| Win | Stephan Bonnar |
Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 | April 9 2005 | The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale | Won TUF1 light heavyweight tournament. |
| Win | Edson Paredao |
KO (punch) | 1 | 1:04 | December 18 2003 | Heat FC 2: Evolution | |
| Loss | Jeremy Horn |
KO (kick) | 2 | 3:40 | September 6 2003 | IFC: Global Domination | |
| Win | Chael Sonnen |
Submission (triangle choke) | 1 | 2:25 | September 6 2003 | IFC: Global Domination | |
| Win | Ebenezer Fontes Braga |
Submission (rear naked choke) | 1 | July 31 2003 | Heat FC 1: Genesis | ||
| Win | Steve Sayegh |
Submission (strikes) | 1 | 1:45 | December 15 2002 | KOTC 20: Crossroads | |
| Win | Travis Fulton |
TKO (cut) | 1 | 5:00 | October 26 2002 | CC 1: Halloween Heat | |
| Win | Jeff Monson |
Decision | 4 | 4:00 | June 29 2002 | WEFC 1: Bring It On | |
| Win | Kent Hensley |
Submission (triangle choke) | 1 | 2:26 | April 12 2002 | ISCF: Battle at the Brewery | |
| Win | Jason Braswell |
Decision (split) | 3 | 4:00 | January 26 2002 | RSF 7: Animal Instinct | |
| Win |  Wiehan Lesh |
Submission (rear naked choke) | 1 | November 24 2001 | Pride and Honor | ||
| Loss | Dan Severn |
Decision | 3 | 4:00 | October 27 2001 | RSF 5: New Blood Conflict | |
References
- ^ Bolduc, Justin (February 23, 2007). "Arlovski vs Werdum at UFC 70". Nokaut.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); External link in|publisher= - ^ "Shogun to Face Griffin, Not Machida". Nokaut. July 19, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); External link in|publisher= - ^ "Forrest Griffin to have shoulder surgery". UFCMania. February 23, 2007.
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