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The Secret is Out: One-on-One with The Ultimate Fighter Winner Forrest Griffin! - 10/04/2005
By Brady Crytzer
photo: Rick Guzman

The Mixed Martial Arts universe is headlined by a unique cast of characters ranging from the very respectful and very humble to the wild showman and brash trash-talkers. Somewhere in between those extremes lies Georgia native Forrest Griffin. Best known for his never say die attitude and refreshing sense of humor, Griffin seemed like the perfect candidate for a new reality television series that was meant to launch the sport into the spotlight and finally bring the attention that it not only deserved, but desperately needed. The mainstream sports world was introduced to Forrest Griffin the warrior, showman and even spokesman during the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV. Forrest was on network television…and the secret was out.

“Being on The Ultimate Fighter was a great experience,” Griffin said. “It obviously changed things for me a bit. And hey, it was the best training you could get for free for a couple of months.”

The career of Forrest Griffin is one that expands far beyond that seen on The Ultimate Fighter. Though facing a tumultuous journey plagued by injuries Griffin has made a name for himself by amassing an impressive record of 10 wins and only 2 losses. His adventure began on October 27, 2001 when, in his very first fight, he stepped into the ring against one of the most dominant fighters in MMA history…Dan “The Beast” Severn.

“I was prepared for the Dan Severn that I had seen on film,” Griffin said. “The Dan Severn that I fought that night wasn’t too overly aggressive, he wasn’t really what I expected at all. I made the mistake of being afraid to take chances and I ended up just laying down for him.”

Though he came up short in his first outing losing via unanimous decision, Griffin continued to train despite holding down a career as a police officer in Augusta, Georgia. After winning his next three fights in smaller promotions, Forrest’s progress and heart would be tested once more when he battles UFC veteran and grappling superstar Jeff “The Snowman” Monson. The ensuing battle was a grueling three round war, which, at the final bell, was declared a draw. With no clear winner in site and a crowd that was screaming for more, the judges decided that an overtime round was necessary to give a proper ending to an exciting war. In round 4 Griffin outworked, out hustled and outsmarted Monson for five of the best minutes in his young but hopeful career. As the bell sounded there was no doubt in the judge’s nor the fan’s minds. Forrest Griffin had proven himself and was awarded a unanimous decision granting him the biggest win of his life.

“The fight with Monson was a resume builder,” Griffin said. “Anytime that you beat a great fighter with a big name it puts you up a notch. Now it’s cool because I’m the guy that people want to beat to get their name up (laughing).

The road to the top seemed like a likely route for Forrest Griffin to follow. After winning big in the King of the Cage promotion, Griffin made the journey to the Jiu Jitsu Mecca of Brazil to face one of the country’s favorite fighting heroes, Ebenezer Fontes Braga, at the first ever Heat Fighting Championship. Many gave Forrest little chance in a contest against a veteran of several MMA events including the pinnacle Pride Fighting Championships. In typical Forrest Griffin fashion, the budding MMA fighter took the fight to his heavily favored opponent submitting him by rear naked choke at 4:02 of the opening round. The crowd, unsure whether or not to cheer or riot, relished in the underdog victory in a show of respect for both Griffin and the fallen Ebenezer Fontes Braga. Forrest Griffin had just arrived and once again…the secret was out.

“Honestly, it was weird fighting there (in Brazil),” Griffin said. “One of the things is that I didn’t have a corner for that fight. There is an immense sense of fuel from knowing that you’re an underdog, there is no pressure in that situation. But overall it was a good experience.”

The summer of 2003 saw eight men battle over two events for the Pride FC Middleweight title in tournament that most MMA experts agreed upon as the most illustrious and exclusive of all time. As the world watched Vanderlei Silva successfully defend his title, eight more men clashed in the Octagon of the International Fighting Championship to vie for much more than a trivial world title…they were battling for respect.

The IFC Global Domination Light Heavyweight tournament was not seen worldwide on Pay-Per-View, it did not draw 60,000 fans to sell out any super arenas and it certainly was not the pyrotechnic spectacle of its Japanese counterpart. What it did have were eight of the gutsiest fighters in the sport including Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Jeremy Horn, Trevor Prangley, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Forrest Griffin.

In his opening bout, Griffin faced one of the most underrated men in the sport in Team Quest’s Chael Sonnen. Sonnen, who is a technically skilled world-class wrestler, was heavily favored in the tournament was expected to excel and open many eyes with his performance in the IFC tournament. As Forrest Griffin entered the cage, whispers of his recent upset in Brazil swept through the arena like the quiet before an oncoming storm. In typical fashion Griffin flashed his trademark grin as his opponent entered the cage with the support of fellow Team Quest members Matt “The Law” Lindland and Randy “The Natural” Couture.

“Randy Couture wasn’t getting into the ring with me,” Griffin said. “Matt Lindland wasn’t getting into the ring with me, I didn’t have to fight those guys. I was just fighting Chael and that wasn’t that big of a deal.”

As the fight went to the mat as expected, few were surprised to see the powerful wrestler Sonnen in the top position with Griffin on his back. The first round match was shaping up much in the same fashion that most of Chael Sonnen’s fights did, but with one exception…he had never fought Forrest Griffin. Griffin, knowing that he had little to lose, took one of the risks that have made him famous and successfully secured a tight triangle choke forcing his much stronger opponent to tap the mat.

“I love being the underdog and I want it to stay that way,” Griffin said. “The fight with Chael was just one of those times instances where he got comfortable and started throwing some nice strikes and his confidence started to go up then he just got a little careless and he just got caught.”

With Jeremy Horn winning his first match as well, a battle with Forrest Griffin was surely in the cards. Unfortunately for Forrest, his trademark flare for the dramatic would work against him as he was knocked out in devastating fashion by a kick to the head delivered by the much more experienced Horn. Though he left the arena defeated that night, he left with no regrets.

“Hell yeah, that’s just how I fight,” Griffin joked. “I’m not really very good and I don’t plan on being very good, but I’m still gonna come at you for 15 or 20 minutes. That’s the only plan that I have.”

The 205 lb. landscape of Mixed Martial Arts is one of the deepest and most competitive in the sport. So, where exactly does Forrest Griffin fit into the picture?

“A fight with Chuck Liddell is definitely a fight that I would take,” Forrest said. “I think that’s a good match up for me. Now, is that a fight I would win? Eh, probably not but it would be a good fight until it went down (laughing). Any match up with me and a striker like that would make an exciting fight, and that would make it a good fight. Now, if they said ‘Hey, come fight this wrestler,’ that’s a tough fight, but it’s also a boring and frustrating fight.”

Now, after winning a fight that many pundits dubbed “the greatest of all time” against fellow TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) cast mate Stephan Bonnar, Forrest Griffin will take the next step in his climb to the top when he meets veteran Canadian fighter Bill Mahood at UFC 53: Heavy Hitters on Saturday, June 4th.