Forrest Griffin was born on November 26,1977 and is an American retired mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
37 Facts About Forrest Griffin
2.
Forrest Griffin was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2013 and currently serves as the Vice President of Athlete Development at the UFC Performance Institute.
3.
Forrest Griffin then graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Georgia.
4.
Forrest Griffin served as a patrol officer with the University of Georgia police.
5.
Forrest Griffin trained at The HardCore Gym in Athens for seven years under Adam and Rory Singer.
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Forrest Griffin later left law enforcement to pursue a career in professional mixed martial arts.
7.
Forrest Griffin is an MMA instructor at Throwdown Training Center and Robert Drysdale Brazilian jiu-jitsu in Las Vegas, Nevada.
8.
Forrest Griffin is known for a fight with Edson Paradeo, in which Edson broke Griffin's left arm with what appeared to be a badly blocked roundhouse kick aimed at the body.
9.
Forrest Griffin first became well known by taking part in the first-season of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter, a mixed martial arts reality show.
10.
At UFC 62, Forrest Griffin then fought Stephan Bonnar in a rematch from their earlier fight.
11.
Forrest Griffin was defeated by Ultimate Fighter 2 semifinalist Keith Jardine at UFC 66 by TKO at 4:41 of the first round.
12.
Forrest Griffin was scheduled to fight at UFC 70 against Lyoto Machida on April 21,2007 but he was unable to fight due to a staph infection.
13.
At UFC 76, Forrest Griffin fought against PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Champion Mauricio Rua.
14.
Forrest Griffin won by rear naked choke at 4:45 of round three.
15.
Forrest Griffin required surgery after the fight due to a shoulder injury that was sustained before the bout.
16.
On June 20,2008, Forrest Griffin co-hosted the 25 Tuffest Moments in The Ultimate Fighter with Stephan Bonnar and Dana White.
17.
On July 5,2008, Forrest Griffin fought the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
18.
Forrest Griffin won a unanimous decision victory and became the new undisputed UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
19.
Forrest Griffin appeared to be in trouble in the first round after being dropped by an uppercut, but he rallied in the second round and landed a damaging leg kick early that severely wobbled Jackson.
20.
Forrest Griffin followed up with ground strikes and cemented his control, preventing Jackson from mounting any significant offense for the entire round.
21.
Forrest Griffin was slated to take on Brazilian Thiago Silva, but on April 28,2009, UFC President Dana White confirmed that he would instead accommodate Anderson's return to the light heavyweight division following his middleweight title defense against Thales Leites at UFC 97.
22.
When Mark Coleman got injured and had to drop out of his matchup against Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin accepted a rematch against Ortiz at UFC 106.
23.
Forrest Griffin wore white and black fight shorts instead of his trademark tan shorts for the fight.
24.
Forrest Griffin went on to win the gory battle by split decision, showing superior striking skills and a stronger ground game than in their previous fight.
25.
Forrest Griffin was expected to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira on May 29,2010 at UFC 114, but Forrest Griffin pulled out of the fight due to a shoulder injury.
26.
Forrest Griffin faced former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin on February 5,2011 at UFC 126.
27.
Forrest Griffin controlled the majority of the fight: in the first round he took Franklin down and controlled him on the ground and in the second he used superior kicks and combinations to knock Franklin down.
28.
Forrest Griffin lost the bout via KO in the first round and would be out up to 6 months with possible right-foot and jaw injuries.
29.
Dana White voiced his support for Forrest Griffin, stating that he was very proud of him regardless of the loss.
30.
Forrest Griffin faced Tito Ortiz for a third time on July 7,2012 at UFC 148.
31.
Forrest Griffin later went back to the ring and gave Tito Ortiz an unexpected interview.
32.
Forrest Griffin was expected to fight Chael Sonnen in a rematch on December 29,2012 at UFC 155.
33.
Forrest Griffin was then expected to face Phil Davis at the event.
34.
Forrest Griffin hoped to return from injury by the end of 2013.
35.
On May 26,2013, it was announced at the post-event news conference for UFC 160 that Forrest Griffin had retired from MMA fighting, citing chronic injuries as the reason for his decision.
36.
Forrest Griffin has remained in the sport, and is currently working as the vice president of athlete development at the UFC Performance Institute.
37.
Forrest Griffin's wife was going into labor as he competed against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 134 on August 27,2011.