Forrest Griffin vs. Anderson Silva for UFC 101, What!?

by Zak Woods on Apr 28, 2009 1:50 PM EDT in News Comment 2 comments

Silva-vs-griffin_medium

Dana White wanted an opponent that would push Anderson Silva and he now has it in Ultimate Fighter season one winner and former light heavyweight champion, Forrest Griffin.

Forrest Griffin and Anderson Silva will face off on August 8th for UFC 101, in Philadelphia.

I feel your collective, "Whaaa?" and am right there with you.

The fight is not yet official but both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout.

Griffin was originally penciled in to face Thiago Silva at UFC 102. This will be Forrest's first fight since losing the light heavyweight title to Rashad Evans at UFC 92. Griffin continues his streak of asking for tough opponents.

Anderson Silva will be moving up to 205lbs. for the second time in his UFC career. The middleweight champion is coming off of two controversial wins against Thales Leites at UFC 97 and Patrick Cote at UFC 90.

[UPDATE: Note by Zak Woods, 04/28/09 3:28 PM EDT ]

Kevin Iole has some quotes about how this happened.

Dana White:

"Forrest loved the idea and said he’d do it right away, and Anderson told me he would fight anyone I wanted him to fight, no matter who it is," White said. "So we got the deal."

Ed Soraes (Silva's manager):

"It's a great fight for him and he's anxious and excited about it," Soares said. "Forrest is a bigger, stronger guy with a lot of cardio and he's the full package. The other thing Anderson likes about it is that Forrest is a big name with a huge heart and is a fan favorite kind of a guy. That's the kind of match that makes a legendary kind of a fight and that's what Anderson wants."

[UPDATE 2: Note by Zak Woods, 04/29/09 9:27 AM EDT ]

This article initially reported that the fight would occur at UFC 102, when in fact it is taking place at 101.

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Comments

This is huge! But it is a fight that will bring out the best in both guys and I applaud the UFC for coming up with it. There’s an interesting dynamic here. That being that will be by far the biggest guy Silva has ever faced. To add to that, this is the first time Silva has ever fought anyone taller than him, which could decrease the effectiveness of the Muay Thai clinch.

I do kind of feel bad for the Thiago Silva. He loses the shot at the biggest fight of his career and one that he had a very real possibility of winning.

I kind of feel bad for Griffin, though, too. But for a whole different reason. Despite his size advantage, he’s an aggressive opponent with an average chin. That’s tailor made for Silva to create another highlight reel knock out. I expect this to look very similar to Silva’s two fights with Rich Franklin.

by Steve W on Apr 28, 2009 2:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree with all your points, BUT

I think we will see Forrest go the Travis Luetter route as oppose to the Dan Henderson Rich Franklin route. The size difference is interesting though.

Griffin has become a great tactician and gameplanner since his KO loss to Jardine. With Silva’s accurate and powerful striking how will that bode for Griffin, a fighter that stays in the pocket too long and take takes damage.

No I can really seem him trying to employ a defensive striking strategy with the intention of getting Silva to close so he can go for the takedown.

Wow so excited for this fight!

No I really think

watchkalibrun.com

by Zak Woods on Apr 28, 2009 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs