These ground skills are nothing new, Forrest has been a Jiu Jistsu practitioner since he first became interested in MMA in the 90's but rarely used them, preferring to standing and brawl. These ground skills are a possible path back to contendership for Forrest. He talked a great game about using them against Silva, but was never able to find an opportunity to attempt a takedown. Forrest's self professed greatest weakness is wrestling, but at Xtreme Couture there is wrestling coaching in spades for him to work under.
If he can become more effective at taking fighters to the ground and strike from safer positions it will likely benefit Forrest's health. The opponent Forrest next faces can't be a title contender quality guy either. He has fought four elite level fighters in a row Shogun, Rampage, Evans, and Silva and coming off a serious jaw injury and back-to-back losses and deserves a back in the saddle type fight against a tough, but beatable fighter.
A rematch with Kieth Jardine jumps to mind, revenge an earlier loss and Jardine's skill set has not really advanced since their last meeting. Also if Krzysztof Soszynski keeps winning fights pair him with Griffin.
Another possibility is Brandon Vera, who has the talent but has struggled mightily since moving down to Light Heavyweight. Despite this loss, its embarrassing nature and the visual that will be burned in fan's minds for some time, Forrest is still a very good fighter, but it is very clear that he is not an elite fighter. He likely doesn't have the skill set to be an elite fighter, but if he adjusts his game he could maximize his strengths for a return to the title picture.
Enjoy our content? Griffin continued fighting in the UFC, and he kept getting big fights. What are we doing today? This was because of his long history of injuries, and some of them happened before he even joined the UFC. Before knocking Paredao out, Griffin broke his arm, and after the fight, he realized how broken it was. However, as luck would have it, the UFC needed fighters for its new show, and Griffin applied.
That said, Griffin still works with the UFC, just not as a fighter anymore. Griffin never had to make that decision though, as he knocked out Paredao with his good arm the right to earn his ninth victory. At that point, it was going to be his last. On the shelf with a broken arm, Griffin had decided he had had enough of the fight game. The injuries — major and minor, the low pay, the physical and mental strain, why bother?
He would spend two months in a fishbowl with the entire nation watching, all for the remote possibility that he would be the last man standing in a house full of fighters. Fellow light heavyweight hopeful Stephan Bonnar stood across the Octagon from him, and neither fighter was willing to blink. The ensuing 15 minutes encapsulated the best of what this sport has to offer, and the best of two fighters who fought as if their lives were at stake. About the only person disappointed with the three round war was the winner.
It was a hard, a lot of missed opportunities, and a lot of things where you know better. But the bottom line is I felt like I fought a great first round. I felt like I came out and just started going at it. Griffin took the first round and Bonnar rebounded in the second, leaving his foe bloodied from a cut on the bridge of his nose.
Did you expect anything less from Griffin? It helps if you get backed into a corner. Does Griffin see the irony in such a statement? After the war with Bonnar, Forrest Griffin earned a break, but now that he has played doctor and removed his own stitches, it will be back to work in the gym. He expects to make his proper UFC debut soon. Griffin can devote all his time to training and fighting, as well as studying guys like the ones he watched last Saturday night — Liddell and Couture.
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