MMA Spotlight 6.19.08: Forrest Griffin - The Next UFC Light-heavyweight Champion?

Posted by Reuel Mante on 06.19.2008

The first season Ultimate Fighter winner gets his title shot. Talk about bad timing.




Everyone seems to be high on Forrest Griffin ever since he won the Ultimate Fighter season one. With victories over Elvis Sinosic, Stephan Bonnar, and Mauricio Rua along with losses to Keith Jardine and Tito Ortiz, who can truly say he never turns down a tough fight? Even in victory or defeat, Griffin always has a way to make a fight exciting. But now that he has a title shot in a week and a half, is fighting Quinton Jackson a bit more than he can handle? I guarantee you it is.

Let's be honest, Forrest is an incredible fighter. He's extremely well rounded with effective standup, impressive takedown defense, and dangerous jiu-jitsu. He's proven time and time again he can take a hit. Just watch his first fight with Stephan Bonnar or his career defining fight with Tito Ortiz. The man dished out a beating that was equal to the beating he took. Look at the nasty cut he suffered against Mauricio Rua.



It's pretty bad. The man has also shown that he's more than just a good fighter. His natural charisma in and out of the Octagon is hard to hide from. I associate Griffin and his increasing popularity to Stone Cold Steve Austin. Why? He's a man of the people. Audiences identify with him. He's just a common guy who won a tournament to earn a contract in the number one MMA organization in the world. While many doubted his ability to overcome the stigma of a reality T.V. star that doesn't belong there, Forrest improved his game ten-fold. No longer is he a "stand and throw, get hit as long as the other guy gets hit harder" guy. But before the improvements, what did we get? Some of the most exciting light-heavyweight battles in history! Even after Griffin admitted that the fights may not be pretty, the fans loved him and still do to this day.

Coming off of the greatest win of his career, Forrest is looking to dethrone Quinton Jackson as the UFC Light-heavyweight champion. I can't tell you how excited I am to watch this battle. However, I'm seeing this fight as a mismatch. "How can you say that?" Let's look at the facts:

Forrest Griffin has shown that he doesn't mind standing toe to toe with people. Sure, he defeated Shogun but remember how banged up his face was after the fight? Pinpoint, accurate strikes mean nothing if officials feel the fight should be stopped on account of a cut that's too big. Do you recall his fight with Keith Jardine? Griffin stood toe to toe with a man much stronger than he and ended staying in the pocket too long. A minute and a half later, Big John stopped Keith from pounding out Forrest into oblivion. How about his fight with Tito? Yeah, I agree with the lot of you who say that he actually should have won the decision. But history is history; Tito paid off the judges or something and walked away with a razor thin victory. Argue all you want, Griffin came out the loser.

What fact does this point out? Forrest does not do well with important fights or top competition. When he lost to Tito, it was during a time when Tito actually meant something. Had he defeated Jardine at UFC 66, he would have been the number one contender over a year ago. Who knows what would have happened if he fought Lyoto Machida at UFC 70, which was originally scheduled. In the end, defeating Shogun is impressive, but even less stellar when it was revealed how injured Rua was when it came to fight time.

Let's me say this so that it's straight. I don't hate Forrest. I just don't think he has a chance against Jackson. A good number of Rampage's losses came to real top competition that he even looked impressive going down. Wanderlei, Shogun, and Sakuraba were pretty tough losses for the champion. But things are different now that he's fighting in the U.S. As it stands now, Quinton hasn't lost a fight since 2005. Beating the likes of Matt Lindland, Chuck Liddell, and Dan Henderson is no small feat. He even went as far as avenging his first ever loss against Marvin Eastman. To say that Jackson is on a roll is like saying that Liddell has a Mohawk. It's obvious and it's prominent. If you want to talk about a man who's improved his game, our light-heavyweight champion is a fine example. Just watch his fight with Henderson. Improved wrestling, actual jiu-jitsu, and even better striking.

Jackson has the one thing that I believe will cause Forrest more problems than anything: power. Jackson's punching power may be the most underrated weapon in his arsenal. "What are you talking about, Reuel?!" Shut up and listen…or read. Many people have attributed his knockout victory over Chuck Liddell to the Iceman's mistake of going to the body without setting up the punch or Jackson's improved boxing skills. I've read too many articles or seen enough interviews talking about those two things when referencing the fight at UFC 71. Hello?! Am I the only one who saw that Quinton knocked down the former champ with ONE RIGHT HOOK?! He's got power that must be feared and respected. I honestly don't believe Griffin will do either. This will be the deciding factor once the two meet in the Octagon.

Another problem I see that could haunt Griffin at UFC 86 is the slam. That's right. The slam. Quinton has yet to show UFC audiences why he was named King of the Slam in PrideFC. Do I think he'll do it Forrest? Why count the man out? I was pretty sure Jackson wasn't going to slam Ricardo Arona and look what happened. Powerbomb! What better way for Rampage to start his 2008 than slamming his way to victory over Forrest?

The last thing I believe gives Jackson an edge over Griffin is Quinton's experience. He's been in the ring and cage with the best of them. Along with the previously mentioned names, there's Murilo Bustmante, Ikuhisa Minowa, Kevin Randleman, Igor Vovchanchyn, and Murilo Rua. He knows what big fight is. He knows what he has to bring in order to come out on top. Forrest is like Keith Jardine when it comes being consistent against top competition. If he has any hope next Saturday, it has to come from training with Randy Couture, the master of the game plan.

Forrest Griffin has an incredible opportunity ahead of him. Forrest could be the first Ultimate Fighter winner to become champion and that would validate the show in many people's eyes. Dana White's investment in the Ultimate Fighter series truly hangs in the balance on July 5th. Would you say that's added pressure? More motivation? Unfortunately, I just don't see him walking away the champion.





Well, that's all folks. Furthermore, that's all until July 10th as I will be taking a little break in order to get married next week. That's right. "That guy" is getting married. I hope you all have enjoyed my articles as much as I have enjoyed writing them and reading your comments. There is something I'd like to share with you all. I've never claimed to be some kind of MMA expert. Just an uber-fan who likes to write his bizarre thoughts down. Thank you for your time and I will see you when I get back.