Griffin is crazy from way back, even in high school.
Forrest Griffin's got a shot - a decent shot - at beating Anderson Silva at their fight at UFC 101 on Aug. 8 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. ... Aw heck, I'm gonna get crazy here - dammit, he's gonna do it! Who's with me? Here's why I think so:
- Forrest is used to fighting at 205; Silva is not. Yeah, Silva made the jump once before, but it appeared as though he put on mostly water weight or fat rather than muscle to get up to 205 from his usual 185. Of course, that didn't matter 'cause he knocked out James Irvin in a matter of seconds. We might see Silva's cardio start to fail from the extra weight if Forrest can take him into the third round.
- In connection with the first point, Forrest is bigger than Silva, although not by much. Forrest is listed at 6'3", whereas Anderson Silva is 6'2". That's only an inch, but it could be a big difference because Silva is used to looking down on opponents, not eye-to-eye or maybe up a little. Forrest reportedly walks into the cage around 220 or so, so he'll defnitely have a weight advantage over Silva, who is bulking up to 205, so I don't expect him to walk into the cage much heavier than that.
- The biggest factor in this fight is Forrest's heart. The guy's got tons of it. He's like the Chuck Wepner (the boxer on whom Stallone based Rocky) or even Chuck Cecil (NFL safety who used to smash his nose in nearly every game because of how hard he hit) of the UFC - a guy who doesn't care that he bleeds in every fight, who may not be technically the most proficient fighter out there, but more than makes up for it by giving it his all every damn time. Silva, on the other hand, was reportedly matched up with Forrest because of his last two fights, which were, putting it mildly, crappy. Dana White knew Forrest would push Silva, basically force him to fight. Fans have wondered if Silva's heart is still in the game, or if he's just coasting until the end of his UFC contract, so he can have a boxing match with his idol, Roy Jones Jr.
None of this is to take away from Silva. The factors I listed might not amount to anything in this fight. Silva's a great fighter and could end the fight with one punch, kick, elbow or knee. But you just can't count Forrest out. Most people said he wouldn't beat Shogun Rua, but he did, with an RNC. Most people didn't think he could take the title from Rampage, but he did, with devastating leg kicks and tight ground control.
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