Vs.

Forrest Griffin (Challenger)

The weirdest thing happened...I just could not get interested in this past season of The Ultimate Fighter. I have been a huge fan of the show since it’s beginning in January 2005. I remember Ryan Bennett calling me up and telling me how great the show was after seeing a screening of the first episode. From that very first show, with Chris Leben meting out his territorial spritzings, I was hooked. And when I first heard that the UFC had announced Jackson and Griffin as the head coaches I was excited. I agreed with the casting; it seemed logical.

In the coming months (and years) the show has introduced many upcoming athletes (Diego Sanchez, Michael Bisping, Rashad Evans), re-established venerable ones (Matt Serra, Din Thomas, Chris Lytle). However, the question always lingered “How will they do against a top dog?” Then Forrest Griffin dominated and choked out Pride tournament champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. The TUF franchised received a huge infusion of confidence. Everything seemed in place: a star making show (The Ultimate Fighter) with graduates who COULD hang with the best.

So...why, in the midst of a season that features two legitimate and charismatic fighters as coaches, UFC light-heavyweight champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Griffin, do I no longer care? I was baffled. And I have tried to get into it but alas; deep inside I have somehow lost my enthusiasm for the show, or at least this season. Hopefully it’s a fleeting thing...

On paper, this, the 7th TUF season, seemed like a “can’t miss” proposition. I thought so anyway. But...where the best previous seasons seemed to be sailing into uncharted, unpredictable, unrehearsed territory, this installment seems almost too nice and neat, too planned, with too many obvious expectations. Long story short (and probably much to the chagrin of management) Forrest and Quinton don’t “hate®” each other. And what’s privately worse is they seem to be canceling each other out because they’re sense of humor is basically of the same breed. Here is no straight man, no hero, no bad guy and therefore no drama. Jackson and Griffin are just too similar in temperament, two wise crackers who aren’t easily rattled. They know, and the producers know, that they are “supposed” to be rivals, they are “supposed” to have confrontations, and they are “supposed” to have bad blood. But as much as they try, they don’t.

Trust me, the pre-fight heat on this ain’t Wanderlei/Quinton, November 2003. The UFC can only hope the actual fight is a return to, or an eclipse of, the friendly splatterfest between Griffin and old pal Stephan Bonnar (in the live finals from season one). Hopefully a slight or an insult from one of the fighters to the other won’t be manufactured before fight time to combat the doldrums. As tempting as it might be for someone to encourage this, please, just let “reality” take its course.

Focusing now on the fight itself, in the UFC®’s popularity based system of deciding who gets a title shot, Forrest Griffin absolutely deserves to be in there. He won the first TUF season. He’s great with interviews. But most importantly, his unexpected dispatching of Shogun arrested the attention of the world. That combined with his ultra close decision loss to Ortiz (I though Griffin won) and he was a solid candidate to challenge for the belt, the TUFer who could.

But if Quinton fights up to his best...he will knock Forrest out. “If”...

The stress in Jackson’s life was at a peak before he faced Chuck Liddell the second time (UFC 71, May 26, 2007). He was trying to let the memories of being crushed by Wanderlei Silva twice and Shogun once fade into the distance. He was just starting to get the groove of a new trainer. His life was in flux. He wanted one more UFC® fight before he faced Chuck (he’d only fought one in the Octagon® - a revenge win over Marvin Eastman). He didn’t get it. His back was to the wall. SO...the animal took over and he deposited Liddell on the deck with a right hand to finally become a champion. The demons had been put to rest. But were they his best friends, in a motivational sense?
 
Against Forrest Griffin, Jackson is expected to win. He beat Liddell and Dan Henderson, two of the game’s best. He is a star now, guesting on talk shows, in demand by ‘new friends’ and celebrities. Yes, he is walking a different minefield, one of distraction and deception. Everyone wants his time, his endorsement, and his energy. The parasites have a new target and the champion has a new foe of which he has not been trained for. What was once easy is now tricky. Life is a mirage.

On the opposite end of this combative equation, Griffin is in the same position, to a slightly lesser degree, that he was before he fought Rua: it was a foregone conclusion that he would NOT win. So...all the pressure was/is off his shoulders.

One could argue that Jackson hits harder and once he finds Griffin’s chin it will cause venerable UFC® broadcaster Mike Goldberg to shout out his classic line, “It’s All Over!” But breaking down styles and techniques and strategies are not the core issues here; Jackson’s mental state is the area that will win or lose the championship. His mind will control his bullets, not the other way around. And if his mind is clouded, this will be a competitive fight indeed.

Still I see Jackson winning. But for the above-mentioned psychological reasons, Forrest has a very good shot to spoil the ending “if” QJ is not completely focused. And because both guys are so darn funny, the UFC® wins either way.