MMA: Forrest Griffin Retiring? Unfortunately, It’s Not Unlikely

I have always been a fan of Forrest Griffin. Like so many others, one of my first real experiences with MMA was seeing Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar fight in a three-round instant classic to crown the first champion of “The Ultimate Fighter”. Since then Griffin has tasted both the highest of highs (winning the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship) and the lowest of lows (a loss to Anderson Silva in what was one of the most humbling losses in the history of the sport). And now, after all this time… Forrest Griffin may be calling it a career. Here are all the details.

The following quotes from Forrest Griffin are courtesy of MixedMartialArts.com:

“…I’m realizing I don’t have much left. This is the end of the road for me. I want a couple more you know fight fights, like good ones, you know. That’s all I really want. … Fights where I don’t get knocked out in the first round. Fights where like I get hurt, bleed a little, but I kind of like rally, you know, something of that nature.”

At thirty-two years of age, Forrest Griffin has been fighting as a professional Mixed Martial Artist for over a decade. Griffin’s record stands at 18-7, and in his last five fights, Griffin is 2-3. The peak of Griffin’s career occurred when he followed up an amazing third-round victory over Mauricio Rua in 2007 with a five-round hard-fought war of a win over Quinton Jackson in 2008, which gave Griffin his first and only UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

I’m very conflicted when it comes to whether or not Forrest Griffin should retire. When you look at it purely on paper, there’s no way you could make a case for retirement after going 2-3 against some of the best fighters on the planet. Forrest Griffin hasn’t had an easy fight in at least four years. Just look at the five people he fought: Rich Franklin, Tito Ortiz, Rashad Evans, Mauricio Rua, and Anderson Silva. All have been champions, and Ortiz, Rua, and Silva all easily qualify for “one of the best of all time” status.

So if this was just purely based on what was on paper and you told me that Forrest Griffin should retire… I’d probably laugh in your face. Yet when I think of Forrest Griffin, the freshest memory is a feeling of sadness after I realized that in his most-recent fight, Forrest Griffin was beaten before he ever stepped foot into the cage.

Ever since he lost to Rashad Evans, it’s just seemed that Griffin’s heart isn’t in it much anymore. The loss to Anderson Silva made it a lot worse, because it was truly one of the most embarrassing losses in MMA history. Even in his wins against Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin, Griffin wasn’t the same man that captured the eyes, minds, and hearts of so many MMA fans.

In the end, Forrest Griffin is left with a tough decision that comes down to one simple thing: where is his head at? Physically, Griffin can still compete with the best in the division for years to come. At his absolute best, Forrest Griffin is a champion. But mentally? I just don’t know.

I certainly hope Forrest Griffin doesn’t retire, and I think the notion of Griffin retiring would’ve been ludicrous only a few short years ago… but in the here and now, it just seems that Griffin is beginning to lose the will to fight. And that’s one of the main reasons that a fighter, or any athlete for that matter, ends up retiring.

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About the author

Oliver Saenz, also known as PdW2kX, is a freelance journalist, opinion columnist, hardcore MMA fan, and lifelong video game nerd. For more news, views, previews, and reviews on all things Mixed Martial Arts as well as video games, be sure to visit FightGamesBlog.net.