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I physically can’t [come back]. I didn’t want to be done, in the beginning. When I announced my retirement, that was actually when I was trying to come back and I realized, it just wasn’t viable. It passed me by. My shoulder is done. I brush my teeth with my left hand now. That’s just the way it goes. I can’t shoot a basketball; I can’t throw any kind of ball. I was right handed. The last three years, I was kinda fighting with one arm, on and off. My training camp was, I don’t want to call it Frank Mir style, but it was Frank Mir style.

– former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin

Here’s a list of the top 10 bloodiest fights in UFC history:

No.10 Jon Koppenhaver vs. Jared Rollins (TUF Finale 6)

Good old War Machine. Before Koppenhaver went legit batshit crazy, he gave the UFC fans one of the most entertaining fights with Jared Rollins. This back-and-forth scrap saw War Machine get cut on the top of his scalp, courtesy of Rollins’ 12-6 elbows. The corner did a good job of cleaning up Koppenhaver so it did not look that serious. He was pretty messy by the end of the first round, with the redness out in full force pouring down his face.

No.9 Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (UFC 146)

This fight lasted all but one round in which Cain Velasquez laid into “Bigfoot” Silva with some brutal ground and pound. After landing a takedown on Silva a few seconds into the fight, Velasquez proceeded to lay big punches on his opponent. Still on top of Silva, Velasquez landed a nasty elbow that split open a huge cut on “Bigfoot,” which was eventually the demise of the Brazilian.

No.8 Renato Sobral vs. David Heath (UFC 74)

This was one of the most disturbing fights ever in the UFC, but not because of the grotesqueness of it (because we’ve lived through Corey Hill and Minotauro Nogueira). Bleeding from the nose as a result of a left hook combined with an elbow slicer from “Babalu,” Heath was literally a bloody mess. As Sobral held onto a choke he applied on Heath, he forced Heath to go out after Heath tapped out, making this one of the most unfortunate moments in the UFC. Blood was raining down on the victor’s forearms, making it that much more excruciating to watch.

No.7 Stefan Struve vs. Denis Stojnic (UFC 99)

This was arguably the fight that put Stefan Struve on the map. Coming back from behind and more or less losing the entire fight, Struve was split open by Stojnic’s elbow and hammer fists. Being on his back for most of the fight, he gained momentum on an exhausted Stojnic and submitted him with a rear-naked choke. As Struve applied the submission, his face was drenched in blood and the Octagon looked as if there was a Ketchup explosion that surrounded the grounded fighters.

No.6 Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar (TUF Finale 1)

The most important fight in the history of the UFC was simply fun and pleasant to watch (if you’re as sadistic as this writer). This was one of the few times when blood didn’t matter; in a sense where both fighters did not stop the pace for a second and the blood looked like the icing on the cake to a perfect moment for the sport of MMA. Both fighters bleeding from having perhaps the greatest fight in our sport would have made grown men cry that day worse than a teenage girl through Beatlemania.

The 2013 UFC Fan Expo took place over the weekend at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center before UFC 162: Silva vs. Weidman, which gathered thousands of MMA fans from around the globe to check out the latest in UFC apparels, meet a dozen of the best fighters in the sport, take pics with the lovely ring girls, and so much more.

Aside from all the Q&A sessions with UFC President Dana White, Joe Rogan, Mike Goldberg, Bruce Buffer, Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell, Chael Sonnen, and UFC’s first Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar were inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. The duo who put on the “most important fight in UFC history” on the first season of the Ultimate Fighter were inducted in a ceremony presented by White.

Check out the clip above that captures the special moment at the UFC Fan Expo prior to UFC 162.

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin Officially Retires

American mixed martial artist Forrest Griffin is retired from the sport as of yesterday, May 25th. Griffin made the official announcement after UFC President Dana White opened with a touching speech last night at the UFC 160 post-fight presser.

“His charisma, his personality, his fighting style, has helped elevate the world of mixed martial arts and the UFC to where we are today. He is one of the building blocks in this sport and in this company, and tonight, we are going to announce his retirement.”

The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion will forever be remember for his success during his climb to prominence in the UFC after winning the first season of TUF. In the tourney finals, Griffin put on a spectacular show with Stephan Bonnar, placing the fight in UFC history as one of the greatest ever. Griffin vs. Bonnar is also widely credited as sparking the current success of the UFC, Dana White noted above.

Griffin addressed his retirement to the media with the following statement.

“I’ve had a good eight years I guess, the biggest thing I’ve learned is that if Dana White says you should retire, you should retire, otherwise you will blow your knee out before your next fight.” Dana White went on to say, “Everything we have ever asked of Forrest Griffin, he has done. Every time Forrest Griffin has stepped inside the octagon, he has given everything he has. He will stay with the UFC, he will have some role and some title. Hopefully he will work more than Chuck Liddell does. But yes, he will stay here and be with this company at least for the rest of my life.”

Griffin leaves the sport with a professional record of 19-7. He won his last fight over Tito Ortiz at UFC 148 via unanimous decision, which also earned him the Fight of the Night bonus.

Top 10: Defining Moments Of My Ten Favorite Fighters In MMA

I don’t think I’m alone in saying that as an MMA fan, I can be a little moody sometimes. The MMA news cycle tends to be just that: cyclical. Bad news tends to come in heaps, and when it does, it’s hard to not get cynical and jaded. But here’s my latest attempt to inject some positivity into both my writings and the scene at large: today I’ll be focusing on the 10 career-defining moments of my 10 favorite fighters.

But first, a quick word: This is pure fan service, and I’m the fan. If you don’t agree with my choices, feel free to submit your own. But I’m not taking some grand stand with this list: this is just the 10 moments I’ll never forget in the careers of my favorite fighters. These are the moments that when I think back on, not only do I think that this moment defines the fighter, I can’t help but recall the crazy emotions that ran through my head, some of which I physically acted out, and all of which I’ll share here openly and honestly. I should probably consider at least some of them embarrassing, but hey – it comes with the territory of being a true fan of a sport I love. So let’s begin.

Here are the top 10 defining moments of my 10 favorite fighter in MMA.

No.10 Wanderlei Silva: “I Don’t Have Fans, I Have Friends.”

The first entry on this list actually isn’t a fight moment at all. Rather, this occurred outside of the ring/cage at a fan expo. This video perfectly exemplifies the amazing duality of Wanderlei Silva: for over a decade “The Axe Murderer” has been regarded as one of the most intimidating, “crap your pants scary” fighters on the planet.

Outside of the ring or cage, however, he is one of the most gentle, honest, appreciative, humble fighters I have ever seen.

In this video, a member of the expo tells Wanderlei Silva that his line has gotten too long, and that he can no longer take pictures or sign autographs with fans. He is told that if fans want to take pictures, they have to take them while they’re in line.

Silva immediately and loudly objects, and demands that his fans be allowed to take pictures with him. The best moment of the video occurs at the end, when the exasperated expo organizer caves and tells Wanderlei, “you do whatever you want…” and Silva immediately syas, “OK,” and then takes a picture with a fan.

That, my friends, is Wanderlei Silva. That’s why he’s always been and will always be one of my favorite fighters, and that’s why I always remember this moment when asked to define “The Axe Murderer.”

No.9 Lyoto Machida: “Welcome To The Machida Era”

Lyoto "Dragon" Machida picture

When Machida KTFO’d Rashad Evans, it was one of the most vindicating moments I had ever experienced as an MMA fan. That moment made it all worth it, and although our time in the sun proved to be all-too-brief, warmly ringing in “The Machida Era” as a Lyoto Machida super-fan remains my defining memory of “The Dragon.”

No.8 Alistair Overeem: The All-Knowing Smirk

Alistair Overeem

For Alistair Overeem, all I did was smirk.

It happened after Overeem completely obliterated Brock Lesnar. It was the kind of smirk that said, “Well, what did you expect?” It was the kind of smirk that showed how I knew that “The Reem” had arrived in the UFC and was about to take the promotion by storm.

Despite the recent scandals surrounding Overeem that have many questioning the validity of this win, I still remember that day when Overeem lived up to and even surpassed his hype. And I definitely remember the nonchalant smirk that spread across my face as most of my other friends sat in stunned silence.

No.7 Nick Diaz: Shouting “209 MOTHERFUCKERS”

Nick Diaz

The back-and-forth was tremendous, Diaz rallying under pressure was tremendous, and after Diaz managed to rock Daley and give him the first true knockout loss of his career, I was jumping for joy and may have uttered the phrase “209 MOTHERFUCKERS!” to no one in particular and almost as loudly as I could.

No.6 Dan Henderson: The “OOH” and “AAH” Moment

Dan Henderson picture

When Dan Henderson landed his epic hook square on the jaw of Michael Bisping, my jaw hit the floor and all I could say was “OOH!”

When he followed that up with an incredible diving shot that further knocked Bisping into unconsciousness, my jaw dropped even more and I let out a shocked “AAH!”

In a career filled with unforgettable moments, Dan Henderson’s total destruction of Michael Bisping still stands the test of time and stands out as my favorite moment from one of my favorite fighters.

Could we be seeing the end of Griffin?

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.”

UFC: Former Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin

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.

UFC: Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans

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.

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.

UFC Weight Classes & UFC Champions

The UFC has had numerous champions. And unless you’re willing to watch every UFC event or scour the Internet for various sources offering different information, and then afterward try to sort through who won what when, and at what division and weight class, then you will probably become very confused.

What we at Yell! Magazine decided to do is accomplish this task for you. We will start at the beginning and inform you who was the champion at every tournament, at every event, and at every weight class with an explanation of its history. With any luck, after reading this article, you will be the most informed UFC fan on the planet.

We have broken up the list into eras with dates given for important changes to the UFC formats. Loosely speaking, there are three eras to the UFC: The Early Years (1993-1997), The Middle Years (1997-2001), and The Modern Years (2001-present).

The Early Years (1993-1997)

The early years of the UFC was a simple time. There were very few rules, no weight classes and a tournament-style fight card. Fighters would enter the octagon and fight until there was a winner. The only rules were no eye-gouging and no biting. There was also no time limit and, therefore, no rounds. The only way to win was by tap out, knock out, or a towel throw in.

Royce Gracie - UFC 1 Champion

Here is the first list of champions before any major format changes:

First UFC Champion – Royce Gracie (Nov. 12, 1993-Sept. 9, 1994)

Royce Gracie became champion at the inaugural UFC tournament and defended his title at UFC 2.

Second UFC Champion – Steve Jennum (Sept. 9, 1994-Dec. 6, 1994)

Royce Gracie failed to defend his title due to exhaustion in his semifinal fight. Jennum beat Harold Howard in the final.

Third UFC Champion – Royce Gracie (Dec. 6, 1994-Feb. 16, 1995)

Royce Gracie returned to win UFC 4. As for Steve Jennum, he withdrew due to injury after his quarterfinal bout with Melton Bowan.

Do you know what the first major format change was in the UFC?