UFC
UFC 155's Forrest Griffin: I know I'm not the best, but I'm still pretty good
Oct 1, 2012 - 11:50:26 PM UFC 155's Forrest Griffin: I know I'm not the best, but I'm still pretty good

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Earlier this summer, UFC President Dana White said that he felt Forrest Griffin should retire from MMA. It wasn't that he was done as a fighter, White just felt there wasn't any more for him to gain, and didn't feel his performances were up to the level he had been at on his run to the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

That aspect was certainly fair, as he had posted a record of 3-3 since that win over Rampage Jackson in 2008, and had suffered convincing stoppage losses against Rashad Evans, Anderson Silva, and Shogun Rua. Still, Griffin hasn't taken White's comments personally, and believes he still has a realistic reason to continue fighting: because he can, and there are fights he can win.

"I took it as my own personal 'Do you want to be a f---- fighter?' speech," Griffin said on Monday in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. "That's the problem with being a realist. People don't want that s***. They want you to say 'I'm the best ever.' My wife summed it up best for me. She said, 'You ever hear one of those movie stars on the late night say 'It's a pretty good movie. It's not the best movie out there right now, but it's a pretty good movie.' You know? Nobody goes, 'I'm a top 10 fighter. Well, maybe Top 15. I can beat a lot of guys.' ... Nobody ever says that. That's the thing with having a grasp on reality. I know I'm not the best."

It's an interesting realization to have, let alone vocalize, but despite at times not looking like it, Griffin says he's going to continue on in the sport because it's what he enjoys doing.

"I just love fighting," Griffin said. "I know I'm not the best, but I'm still pretty good, there's a lot of people I can still beat. What do you do. What else am I supposed to do? I have no other skills. I enjoy doing this. There's nothing I'd really rather do, you know?"

He's going to continue his tenure in the Octagon this December, as he's got a matchup against Chael Sonnen at UFC 155 in Las Vegas. Griffin defeated Sonnen prior to his UFC run back in 2003, and nine years later the two will square off again. It's a fight Griffin didn't hesitate in accepting, and he thinks it's a good stylistic matchup for him come December.

"Chael asked for it, from my understanding," Griffin said. "He asked for it. I think I was the first one to pop and and say ‘sure.' I didn't even say 'sure,' I said ‘When. When and where?'"

"I think its stylistically a good matchup for me. I honestly, the thing that's been getting me in trouble are guys that are quicker than me and beating me to the punch with something I don't see coming. That's the problem I've had recently."

Penick's Analysis: It's interesting to hear Griffin speak about loving fighting considering the seeming disinterest we've seen from him in at least a couple of his more recent fights. He's definitely realistic regarding his place in the organization, though. There are a lot of fights he can win and a lot of matchups that he lines up well against, but he's more than likely not going to be challenging Jon Jones or the elite of the light heavyweight division. And that's fine, he doesn't need to be a title challenger to still have a career. He can continue taking fights, and he may even win more than he loses for the rest of his career. So long as a fighter isn't getting knocked out every time they step in the cage, it's fine for the to continue on if they're still capable of competing. When it comes to the Chael Sonnen matchup, it very well may be a good style for him to face off against. Sonnen's not a speedy, heavy handed fighter, and Griffin's got some submission skills off his back. It should be a good fight come Dec. 29, and we'll see what type of performance Griffin pulls off.

[Forrest Griffin art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]