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Griffin Takes to the Cage in “Official” UFC Debut - 5/31/2005
by Mike Sloan

Who can forget the silly chimpanzee squabble when Forrest Griffin tore apart a helpless banana and climbed up the artificial tree on The Ultimate Fighter? Who can forget those wonderful hairdos Mr. Griffin sported on numerous occasions throughout the filming of the smash hit Spike TV reality series? Who can forget the countless acts of Tom Foolery Griffin and his roommates entangled themselves within for weeks on end?

And who can forget that memorable war Griffin waged with Stephan Bonnar on the Ultimate Fighter grand finale, a fight so exhilarating that is has been celebrated as quite possibly the greatest display of caged fisticuffs in the history of mixed martial arts?

The unforgettable battle Griffin engrossed himself in against Bonnar was so riveting that while Griffin was deemed the victor via judges’ decision, not only did Griffin walk away with the coveted UFC contract, his nemesis on that fateful April night did so as well.

Griffin endured countless weeks of training, moaning, groaning, challenges and fights to get where is today, a dream he’s had since he was a youth. But beating Bonnar to reach this plateau is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg in terms of grueling work and arduous training.

Playtime is over.

Griffin knows that if he is to honor the contract bestowed upon him from the Zuffa brass, he has to perform admirably. Of course, it’d be foolhardy to suggest that Griffin will automatically replicate the mighty feat he treated us all when he last stepped into the Octagon. But in order to remain in the UFC stable he has to continue to win (or at least look sensational in defeat).

Many simply assume that the fight contract Zuffa signed Griffin to is set in stone, but Griffin is the first to point out that what the public thinks isn’t always accurate.

“It’s up to them entirely,” Griffin told Sherdog.com. “Win, lose or draw, it’s up to them. So if I lose a fight, I go home and win fights and try to get back in. That’s what I’m thinking; it’s up to them. Is the contract exclusively a three-fight deal no matter what? Not at all.”

Many suggested that once he scored the sheering victory over Bonnar that he was sutured into a tight knit fight deal where even if he lost, he’d be secure. But that is not the case and Griffin wants it to be known that he won’t rest on his laurels and soak up the Ultimate sun.

“It’s all their terms,” he continued. “You know how the world works.”

One would also assume that after torturing his body for three brutally destructive rounds that Griffin would have been bed-ridden for weeks, allowing his war-torn body to recuperate. But, as Griffin pointed out, being a UFC fighter means that extended rest is a luxury, something that seems vital but not always granted. For Griffin, it was literally back into the gym for more work within a few days’ time.

Who needs rest after competing in such an epic crusade? What is he, a baseball player?

“The next day wasn’t bad at all,” Griffin noted about the expected soreness following his tussle. “I never really went to sleep that night. Two days afterward really sucked and three days after that, I started rolling again and training a little bit. I was all right. The week I came back, my buddy Mark Selbee had his K-1 fight. I’m one of his best sparring partners so of course I had to spar with him. My legs still hurt from kicking and being kicked and then sure enough my nose opened up.”

Griffin noted that his sore legs and busted up nose would not hamper his performance this weekend in one of the featured attractions of UFC 53: Heavy Hitters in Atlantic City. He stated that he has been fully healed and ready to make his official debut in the Octagon, which will be against the low-key Bill Mahood.

Mahood, a tough veteran of roughly 15 fights, is not expected to be an insurmountable task for Griffin. When the fight was officially announced, many within the MMA community griped about Griffin’s debut coming against a guy who hadn’t professionally fought an MMA fight for over a year, a losing effort against rising contender Patrick Cote.

But Griffin is undaunted and expects Mahood to be tougher than expected. As a fighter should know, a man’s record or lack of recent battles doesn’t exactly make a man a tomato can. So while the general MMA public may know little of Mahood, a man most predict will be nothing more than a “showcase” opponent for Griffin, Forrest wants to make it clear that Mahood is no joke.

“He’s a tough guy,” Griffin explained. “He is a good fighter with lots of energy and cardio. [Mahood possesses] a good right hand and a very good right leg. He is a legitimate threat.”

But don’t dismiss Griffin’s honesty about his opponent, as Mahood could pose some problems for a man who has a habit of making most of his fights into entertaining seesaw affairs of inhuman fistic attrition.

One thing he points out, though, is that he doesn’t try to make his fights legendary — they just happen that way. He also noted that he won’t try to duplicate what he and Bonnar achieved a few months back. Such a move would be moronic as it could be jeopardous for his well being.

“Like anything, I don’t think you can really push anything like that,” he revealed about trying to clone his war with Bonnar. “I think if I went out there and tried to do that, I might get myself knocked out. I’ve had some good fights with a lot of people. You just go out there and fight and if it matches up right, it will happen. I don’t think you can set out to do it. If it’ll happen, it’ll happen. But I do expect a tough, exciting fight with Bill.”

So whatever will happen will essentially happen, whether it’s for better or for worse. Either way, Griffin is determined to make sure that his dream stays a reality, as he doesn’t plan on letting it slip away from his grubby mitts anytime soon.

“It’s been a dream of mine for many, many moons and my whole goal has always been to win a fight in the UFC,” Griffin replied. “I am one step away from that and I don’t plan on having it disappear, believe me.”