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Looking at Forrest Griffin - 8/06/2003
Interview by Sharell Toon

This 24-year-old Ohio native is currently making a HUGE name for himself. Now residing in Athens, Georgia; Forrest Griffin is part of The HardCore Gym run by Adam and Rory Singer. Forrest has been training for the last four years and fighting for the last 3. He has come up against the likes of Dan “The Beast” Severn, Travis Fulton and Jeff Monson. I had a chance to talk to him a little before he headed off to Brazil for his fight with Ebenezer Franco Braga in HEAT FC. Here’s what he had to say.

Sharell- Tell me a little about your background.

Forrest- I am 24, originally from Cleveland Ohio, but I currently live in Athens Georgia. I have been training for four years and fighting for three. My coaches are Adam and Rory Singer at The Hard Core Gym, and we are all affiliated with Matt Thornton and the Straight Blast Gym.

Sharell- How did you get started in MMA?

Forrest- I just finished my degree in Criminal Justice at the University of Georgia, that’s how I ended up here in Athens. I was working as a Police Officer for the University, the first time I saw grappling displayed as a defensive tactic and I fell in love with it. The North East Georgia Police Academy uses the Gracie Grapple System to teach self-defense and defensive tactics to their officers. That’s how I met Adam and Rory, they were teaching at the University. Rory was fighting NHB, so I just had to too.

Sharell- What is your fight record?

Forrest- I have an amateur record of 6-0, and a pro record of 7-1. My very first pro fight was against Dan Severn and I lost due to a decision.

Sharell- How did you feel standing across the ring from Dan?

Forrest- It was kind of surreal; I was a fan and never expected to get to fight him. I didn’t go in expecting to win, I just wanted to survive. You can't win a fight if your just happy to be there.

Sharell - Who else have you fought as a pro?

Forrest- I have beaten both Jeff Monson and Travis Fulton.

Sharell- Tell me about your fight with Travis Fulton; it was stopped due to a cut after the first round, right? Is that how you wanted it to end or did you want to submit him.

Forrest- I was extremely pleased with the way that fight went. I won without ever being in a bad position. Travis was extremely tough and took an incredible amount of punishment.

Sharell- So you have a girlfriend right? How does she feel about your fighting? What about your family, how do they feel about it?

Forrest- Yeah I have a girlfriend; we’ve been together for about 8 or 9 months. She doesn’t mind. I was fighting when we got together, so she knew before we got involved what she was getting into. My mom on the other hand, doesn’t like the logistics of it and the fact that I don’t have any health insurance.

Sharell – You just got back from fighting in Brazil, how was your trip over and back? Did you get to do any site seeing before the fight?

Forrest – It was horrible, it took 24 hours and we had to go through customs a couple of times. It was a long flight; I walked around the plane a lot. We did some promo stuff, local interviews before the show. The show was really fun and I thought it went well. I found out just before the show started, that they had lost the footage of the interviews.

Sharell – Is this the first time you’ve been to Brazil for a fight? How is it different from the fights we have here in the states?

Forrest- Yeah this is the first time in Brazil; I fought last year in South America. Their venues are set up differently than our shows. It was large, with open sides so you had some air. The locker room was beneath the bleachers and we didn’t have any hot water. They have vendors set up outside of the show; it’s almost like a tailgate atmosphere. The show started an hour late because the people did not come into the venue until they were ready. Definitely different from the way we do our shows here in the US.

Sharell – You fought in a new show called HEAT FC, your opponent was Ebenezer Braga. How much did you know about him and what was your game plan going in?

Forrest – I had seen three of his fights and had the basic idea of what he would do. I knew he was good at Muay Thai, likes to throw kicks and knees to the head on the way out of the clinch. I didn’t really have a game plan. And then before I knew it the bell rang, so I charged across the ring and he took me down.

Sharell –You won by Rear Naked Choke in the 3rd or 4th minute of the first round. Can you walk me through the fight?

Forrest –After I was taken down; we punched each other a little bit and I wanted to stand up. I knew he was a stand-up fighter and I thought it would be more fun.

Sharell – Did the fight go the way you planned? What if anything would you have liked to have done different?

Forrest – I can’t complain, I am happy with the outcome. I felt great, loved the show. I just tried not to let the fact that he had a home court advantage get to me. When I came out, all the fans were booing me. I didn’t let it bother me too much but I'm a people pleaser and I wanted the fans to like me.

Sharell – There is a rumor going around about the UFC possibly looking at you in the near future. Is there any truth to that, have you talked to the UFC?

Forrest – I haven’t talked to the UFC, it’s just a rumor, although a very nice one. I would love to fight for the UFC.

Sharell – Is there anyone you want to fight now that you have a big WIN under your belt?

Forrest –Babalu was on the same card with me there in Brazil. If things work out, I would possibly want to fight him. I'd need a good game plan and a lot of work on my wrestling. There are a lot of holes I still have to work out. I want to stay healthy for a few months and get to work on my game. There is never a finished product in this sport.

Sharell – What are your plans for the future?

Forrest –I may possibly be fighting October 25 In Dalton, Ga. I'd be fighting Brad Lynn whom I was forced to back out on at the last minute due to the opportunity to fight in Brazil. I owe both him and the promoter.

Sharell –Is there anything else you would like to add?

Forrest –When fighting and training cease to be fun for me, I will stop fighting.