Forrest Griffin

On the show, he reached the finals where he defeated Stephan Bonnar by unanimous decision. The fight was credited by Dana White as the "most important fight in UFC history"[8] and the fight that brought the UFC into the mainstream. For winning the competition he was given a six-figure professional contract to fight with the UFC.[5][9] The Stephan Bonnar fight was declared the #1 UFC fight of all time in the UFC Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights program.[10]

On April 15, 2006, Griffin fought former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz at UFC 59, in which he lost a controversial split decision.

At UFC 62, Griffin then fought Stephan Bonnar in a rematch from their earlier fight.[11] Griffin won by unanimous decision, sweeping all three rounds.[12]

Griffin was defeated by Ultimate Fighter 2 semifinalist Keith Jardine at UFC 66 by TKO at 4:41 of the first round. After the fight, Griffin sat in his corner crying. Moments later, he walked away from Joe Rogan's attempt to interview him, saying "I don't ev...Keith came in and he did exactly what I wanted to do and he knocked me the fuck out. Let's go home."[13]

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.[14]

On June 16, 2007, Griffin defeated Hector Ramirez at UFC 72 in Belfast, Northern Ireland via unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the fight 30–27 to Griffin. During the fight, Forrest was able to land 38 leg kicks breaking the UFC record for most leg kicks landed in three five-minute rounds.[15] This record has since been broken by Amir Sadollah, who landed 46 against Peter Sobotta at UFC 122.[16]

At UFC 76, Griffin fought against PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Champion Maurício Rua.[17] At the time, Shogun was ranked the number one light heavyweight fighter in the world by several MMA publications. Griffin won by rear naked choke at 4:45 of round three. Griffin required surgery after the fight due to a shoulder injury that was sustained before the bout. Griffin's shoulder has been a recurring problem since.[18]

On July 5, 2008, Griffin fought the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Viewed as a heavy underdog by many going into the fight,[21] Griffin faced Jackson in a hard-fought battle that was named "Fight of the Night" by UFC president Dana White.[22] Griffin won a unanimous decision victory and became the new undisputed UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.

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. Griffin followed up with ground strikes and cemented his control, preventing Jackson from mounting any significant offense for the entire round. After three more back and forth rounds, Griffin would go on to win the fight by unanimous decision to capture the light heavyweight title.[23]

The decision was described as controversial by some commentators.[24][25][26] After the fight, Jackson's trainer Juanito Ibarra, unhappy with the judges scoring, expressed plans to protest the unanimous decision with the Nevada State Athletic Commission but never filed as it would not have changed the decision.[27]

Griffin's documented pay for the fight was $310,000. $100,000 to fight, win bonus of $150,000 and $60,000 for the Fight of the Night award.[28]

Griffin's first title defense came at UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008, against undefeated challenger Rashad Evans.[29] After Griffin controlled most of the first two rounds with effective striking, Evans caught one of Griffin's kicks and took him down, defeating Griffin by TKO in the third round with ground and pound from inside the champion's guard.[30] The loss was Griffin's third loss since entering the UFC. During the fight Griffin broke his hand,[31] sidelining him for several months.

After recovery, Griffin signed on to fight pound-for-pound stalwart Anderson Silva at UFC 101.[32] 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. During the bout, Griffin was knocked down three times in the first round by Silva. Before the third knockdown, Griffin charged Silva with a flurry of punches, all of which were avoided by sways from Silva, who then countered with a compact right hand whilst retreating, knocking Griffin out.

After the fight, Griffin got up from the canvas, left the cage, and jogged out of the arena. It was initially suggested that Griffin was rushed to a hospital due to a dislocated jaw and trouble hearing in one ear.[33] However, it turned out there was no injury to Griffin's jaw.[34][35][36][37][38] Both fighters were awarded $60,000 as Fight of the Night bonuses and Silva received an additional $60,000 in bonus money for Knockout of the Night.

When Mark Coleman got injured and had to drop out of his matchup against Tito Ortiz, Griffin accepted a rematch against Ortiz at UFC 106.[39] Griffin also wore white and black fight shorts instead of his trademark tan shorts for the fight. 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. After the fight Griffin said, “Tito was a great fight for me to come back, we’ll have to do a third that’s 1–1 man.” With a split decision in both of their fights, Griffin seemed more than willing to get a rubber match put together with Ortiz to settle the score once and for all. “You could tell he was a guy getting ready for Mark Coleman, no offense, and he’s a guy coming off back surgery. We’ll do it again, I won’t break my foot, he’ll be in better shape,” commented Griffin.[40]

Griffin was expected to face Antônio Rogério Nogueira on May 29, 2010, at UFC 114, but Griffin pulled out of the fight due to a shoulder injury.[41] He was replaced by Jason Brilz.[42]

Griffin faced former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin on February 5, 2011, at UFC 126.[43] 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. Griffin went on to win by unanimous decision.[44]

A rematch with Maurício Rua took place on August 27, 2011, at UFC 134.[45] Griffin lost the bout via KO (punches) in the first round and would be out up to 6 months with possible right-foot and jaw injuries.[46] Before the fight, Griffin was updated that his wife had gone into labor. Dana White also voiced his support for Griffin, stating that he was very proud of him regardless of the loss.[47]

Griffin faced Tito Ortiz for a third time on July 7, 2012, at UFC 148. He won the fight via a 29–28 unanimous decision out-striking Ortiz 2:1 despite being knocked down by Ortiz as well as being taken down twice.[48] The fight also won Fight of the Night earning both Griffin and Ortiz a fight bonus.

This fight marked the third time in his career that he left the Octagon on unusual terms, simply walking out before the fight results were read. He later went back to the ring and gave Tito Ortiz an unexpected interview.[49]

Griffin was expected to fight Chael Sonnen in a rematch on December 29, 2012, at UFC 155. Instead Sonnen was pulled out of the fight to coach TUF season 17.[50] Griffin was then expected to face Phil Davis at the event.[51] However, on December 5 it was announced that Forrest was forced out of the bout due to an MCL tear and ACL strain.[52]

Griffin hoped to return from injury by the end of 2013.[53]

On May 26, 2013, it was announced at the post-event news conference for UFC 160 that Griffin had retired from MMA fighting, citing chronic injuries as the reason for his decision.[54] After the announcement of Griffin's retirement, Dana White announced that Griffin and Stephan Bonnar would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on July 6.[55] Griffin has remained in the sport, and is currently working as the vice president of athlete development at the UFC Performance Institute.

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Hall of Fame (Modern-Era Wing) and (Fight Wing) vs. Stephan Bonnar at The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale
  • UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)
  • The Ultimate Fighter: Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner
  • Fight of the Night (Five times) vs. Tito Ortiz (x2), Quinton Jackson, Rashad Evans, and Anderson Silva
  • Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Maurício Rua
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • 2005 Fight of the Year vs. Stephan Bonnar on April 9
  • 2008 Fight of the Year vs. Quinton Jackson on July 5
• Fighting Spirit Magazine
  • 2006 Fight of the Year vs. Tito Ortiz on April 15 [59]
• Triumph United
  • 2007 Upset of the Year vs. Maurício Rua on September 22