Forrest Griffin

About

Forrest Griffin (born July 1, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2013. He is now the Vice President of Athlete Development at the UFC Performance Institute. A former Georgia police officer, Griffin first rose to prominence after winning the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. In the tournament finals, he defeated Stephan Bonnar in a fight which is widely credited as sparking the success of the UFC.

Griffin, who is of Irish descent, graduated from Evans High School in Evans, Georgia, a suburb of Augusta, where he played football. He then attended the University of Georgia, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. Thereafter, Griffin served as a law enforcement officer for the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office in Augusta, Georgia. He also served as a patrol officer with the University of Georgia police.
He trained at The HardCore Gym (now SBG Athens) in Athens for seven years under Adam and Rory Singer. He later left law enforcement to pursue a career in professional mixed martial arts. Griffin is also an MMA instructor at Throwdown Training Center…