Forrest Griffin Forrest Griffin (born July 1, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2013 and currently serves as the Vice President of Athlete Development at the ...

vs. Stephan Bonnar is a duo of fights starting in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter 1 contest which received national acclaim, and was highly regarded among fans as one of the most exciting, greatest and memorable fights in the history of not only the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC) but of

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

(MMA) in general. The bout was voted fight of the year by a poll of over 19,000 readers of the website MMAWeekly.com, and was recognized as the 2005 Shoot Match of the Year by the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter''. The fight was credited by Dana White as the "most important fight in UFC history". The fight was also voted the greatest fight in UFC history in 2009.

Background

The first season of The Ultimate Fighter

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

show featured sixteen mixed martial artists divided into two weight classes: middleweight and light heavyweight. Coaches

Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial artist and former collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he becam ...

and Chuck Liddell were selected to mentor the contestants. The contestants were distributed evenly between two teams, and a series of exhibition matches were held until only two fighters from each weight class remained. The finalists appeared on national television in the show finale and competed for a contract with the UFC. Forrest Griffin, coached by Chuck Liddell, and Stephan Bonnar, coached by Randy Couture, met in the light heavyweight final. Both fighters defeated two opponents to make it to the final. On episode seven, Stephan Bonnar defeated Bobby Southworth from Team Liddell in a split decision. On episode nine, Forrest Griffin defeated his first opponent, Alex Schoenauer, by TKO. In the

semi-finals A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

, the contestants fought the remaining teammate in their respective weight class to determine the finalists. Forrest Griffin defeated Sam Hoger by TKO; Stephan Bonnar defeated teammate

Mike Swick Michael Timothy Swick (born June 19, 1979) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist, who spent most of his career competing for the UFC's middleweight division. Swick, who trains at American Kickboxing Academy alongside fellow we ...

by triangle choke /

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that Anatomical terms of motion#General motion, hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow, elbow joint or glenohumeral joint, shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the ...

submission.

The Ultimate Fighter Finale

The finale was held at the

Cox Pavilion Cox Pavilion is a , multi-purpose indoor arena on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus, connected to the Thomas & Mack Center. The Pavilion serves as the home court for UNLV Lady Rebels women's basketball and volleyball programs as well as t ...

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

on April 9, 2005 and was broadcast nationally on Spike TV. It was refereed by Herb Dean and was slated for three 5-minute rounds, the standard UFC format for non-title fights. Neither fighter offered to "touch gloves" (a gesture of sportsmanship) as the fight began. Both fighters exchanged punches and the occasional low kicks, with Griffin gaining a slight advantage (according to color commentator

Joe Rogan Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American UFC color commentator, podcaster, comedian, actor, and former television presenter. He hosts ''The Joe Rogan Experience'', a podcast in which he discusses current events, comedy, polit ...

). The first round ended with no clear winner. Rogan called the first round the "Hagler-Hearns" of mixed martial arts history (alluding to a famous boxing bout between

Marvin Hagler Marvelous Marvin Hagler (born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler; May 23, 1954 – March 13, 2021) was an American professional boxer and film actor. He competed in boxing from 1973 to 1987 and reigned as the undisputed champion of the middleweight divisi ...

and

Thomas Hearns Thomas Hearns (born October 18, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 2006. Nicknamed the "Motor City Cobra", and more famously "The Hitman", Hearns's tall, slender build and oversized arms and shoulders allowe ...

, known as The War). Early in the second round, a jab by Bonnar created a cut on Griffin's nose, prompting the referee to stop the fight so a doctor could check the cut and clear Griffin to continue. He was cleared, and the fight continued as Bonnar controlled Griffin with a Muay Thai clinch and delivered several knees to Griffin's face. The round ended with Griffin failing a takedown attempt, and Bonnar defending Griffin's offensive Thai clinch. In the third and final round, Griffin started with low kicks and punches; Bonnar attempted to counterattack from a distance. Griffin delivered several knees from the Thai clinch. Mid-round, Bonnar landed several short punches while infighting. However, Bonnar counterattacked only when opportunities were present. The round ended with Griffin holding Bonnar in a Thai clinch and attacking with knees, followed by a short exchange of punches. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 in favor of the winner, Forrest Griffin, but because of Stephan Bonnar's outstanding performance,

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

also granted Stephan a UFC contract on the spot. The UFC awarded Griffin a contract, as well as a

Scion Scion may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities *Scion, a playable class in the game '' Path of Exile'' (2013) *Atlantean Scion, a device in the ''Tomb Raider'' video game series *Scions, an alien race in the video game ''B ...

car, a dirt bike, and an

Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet Holding SA () is a Swiss manufacturer of luxury watches and clocks, headquartered in Le Brassus, Switzerland. The company was founded by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet in the Vallée de Joux in 1875, acquiring ...

watch.

Rematch at UFC 62

Griffin and Bonnar met again as the co-main event of UFC 62, with Griffin winning another unanimous decision. Following the bout, Bonnar tested positive by the

Nevada State Athletic Commission The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers ...

for boldenone, a banned anabolic steroid, and received a nine-month suspension and a $5,000 fine.

References

External links

UFC's Official Website

Stephan Bonnar on Sherdog.comOfficial Website of The Ultimate FighterSpikeTV.comUFC commentator Mike Goldberg gives his take on fight of the year
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forrest Griffin Vs. Stephan Bonnar 2005 in mixed martial arts 2006 in mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts rivalries Ultimate Fighting Championship rivalries