Forrest Griffin
* 6/2/09 7:00 PM at Bookends – East Ridgewood Ave. Ridgewood, NJ.
Forrest Griffin (born July 1, 1979 in Columbus, Ohio) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship promotion and was a past UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Griffin is currently ranked as the #2 light heavyweight fighter in the world by Sherdog, and #3 by MMAWeekly.
Forrest was one of the coaches on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs Team Forrest, airing on Spike TV. The other coach was then-UFC Light Heavyweight champion, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, whom he went on to defeat for the title at UFC 86.
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Early Years
Born in Columbus, Ohio, on November 26, 1978, Forrest Griffin had no idea he would one day become an Ultimate Fighting Champion star. Growing up in Georgia, Forrest Griffin graduated with a political science degree from the University of Georgia, where Forrest Griffin also worked as a law enforcement officer. In 2000, Forrest Griffin started training for fighting while in the police academy. While training under Adam and Rory Singer at the HardCore Gym in Athens, Georgia, Forrest Griffin soon retired from law enforcement, allowing him to explore mixed martial arts (MMA). In 2001, Forrest Griffin boasted an impressive MMA amateur record of 6-0.
Reality Show Star
In 2005, Forrest Griffin starred on the first season of Spike TV’s reality show The Ultimate Fighter, a mixed martial arts competition in which the winner receives a professional contract to fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Forrest Griffin outlasted his counterparts for a slot in The Ultimate Fighter finale – the first live, non-pay-per-view UFC broadcast. In the Light Heavyweight Final, Forrest Griffin – representing Team Lidell – defeated Team Couture’s Stephan Bonnar by a close but unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). The Forrest Griffin v. Stephan Bonnar fight is considered one of the best, most exciting bouts in UFC history and voted as “Fight of the Year” by over 19,000 MMAWeekly.com readers.
UFC & MMA Career
With The Ultimate Fighter win, the UFC awarded Forrest Griffin a six-figure, multi-fight contract with the UFC good for three years. In June 2005, Forrest Griffin battled in The Octagon for the first time with a UFC 53 victory over Bill Mahood followed by a UFC 55 TKO victory over Elvis Sinosic in December 2005. Forrest Griffin’s toughest opponents – Tito Ortiz, a rematch with Stephan Bonnar, and The Ultimate Fighter – Season 2 winner, Keith Jardine – awaited him.
During UFC 59: Reality Check, Forrest Griffin lost in a split decision to The Huntington Beach Bad Boy Tito Ortiz, but rebounded with a win during UFC 62 by a unanimous decision. Next up was UFC 66, where Forrest Griffin dropped a TKO loss to The Dean of Mean Keith Jardine in 2006. In 2007, Forrest Griffin tallied two more victories – one against Hector Ramirez in UFC 72 and another against Mauricio Ruo in UFC 76. Since his back-to-back wins, Forrest Griffin continues to train at HardCore Gym with Adam and Rory Singer.
Forrest Griffin: Current News
As of April 2008, Forrest Griffin has amassed a record of 15 wins, 4 losses, and no draws. Currently, MMAWeekly ranks Forrest Griffin as the No. 8 Light Heavyweight in the world, while MMANews ranks Forrest Griffin as the No. 5 Light Heavyweight in the world. While Forrest Griffin takes a break in between fights while continuing to promote Ultimate Fighting Championship, it is rumored that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Forrest Griffin will headline UFC 86 on July 5, 2008, in Las Vegas. Both Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin served as coached during The Ultimate Fighter 7 Season Finale.
References: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/8944/
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