However, it has turned out to be the best decision of
his life after landing the world light-heavyweight title with a unanimous points
win over crowd favourite Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson in Las Vegas over the
weekend.
Showcasing the toughness, courage and fortitude that
has made him popular, the 29-year-old rose to an entirely new
level.
He fought a brilliant tactical fight, survived several
harrowing exchanges with the heavy-handed defending champion and cemented his
place among the world’s best at 205 lbs.
He said: “This is the best moment of my life. I think
we’re going to have to meet again. I don’t want to because he hits too f*****g
hard!”
Griffin is now winning over the crowds, even though he
is the first to admit that his style is not in the mould of the submission and
power-punching manner that the fans love so much.
He added: “If you look at UFC champions, you realise
just how powerful they are.
“BJ Penn – terrifying. Georges St-Pierre – terrifying.
Anderson Silva – terrifying.
“I’m not terrifying. I am not the super-submission guy
and I am not the one-punch KO guy, so I am not the most feared guy in the
world.
“However, one thing I will never do is quit in a
fight. I will not break and I will fight you like a dog for every second of
every round.
“I am not a super-talented guy. I’m just a dude who
will fight you tooth and nail. I trained in a lot of wrestling. I had Wanderlei
Silva sparring with me trying to KO me.
“If you don’t get better when Wanderlei is trying to
KO you, you get murdered or something.”
Griffin was stunned by Jackson early in the bout as he
floored the challenger with a violent first-round
uppercut.
However, Griffin remained composed in the face of real
danger, recovering on the ground and surviving to see round
two.
He then seized control of the fight as he hobbled
Jackson with a pair of low kicks – one to the knee and the other to the thigh –
bringing the action to the ground.
On the mat, Griffin was the far superior fighter. He
mounted Jackson with 2:15 left in the second period and, although he was unable
to finish off the 30-year-old, he gained a foothold in the
match.
Rounds three, four and five were intensely
competitive, even though Griffin nearly locked in a triangle choke in the
fourth.
Spawned by season one of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’
reality series, Griffin landed in greater volume in the final
round.
Griffin added: “Every f*****g punch he threw hurt, but
I kept on in there and it all worked out in my favour in the
end.”
Defeated for the first time in more than three years,
Jackson tipped his cap to a man people continue to
underestimate.
Jackson entered the bout on a six-fight winning
streak, which included recent victories over Chuck Liddell and Dan
Henderson. None of it mattered.
Jackson said: “He just whooped my ass. Sometimes you
win and sometimes you lose.
“When you step in the octagon, there’s a 50-50 chance
you’re going to get your ass whooped.
“He’s going to be an excellent champion. He deserves
it, but I’ll be back. I didn’t think Forrest could hang with me, but he has my
respect forever. I thought I won the first round good enough, but he hurt my leg
in the second round.
“I was trying to knock his head off. I knocked him
down, I hurt him and I even powerbombed his ass, but he kept
coming.”
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