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These days, Forrest Griffin is a hard man to reach. Unless you've been living under a rock the past few months, you're no doubt aware of the upcoming light heavyweight tilt between Forrest and Anderson "Spider" Silva at UFC® 101: DECLARATION in Philadelphia, PA on August 8. The dream matchup will pit the UFC®'s biggest star and most recognizable personality against arguably its deadliest fighter. Though there is no belt on the line, the sheer star power involved makes this bout an excellent contender for fight of the year – and maybe the fight of a lifetime. As such, Forrest has spent the past few months mostly holed up in full-on training camp mode, honing his skills and sharpening his focus in anticipation of perhaps his greatest challenge yet.
This made it all the more exciting when Forrest agreed to take some time out of his busy schedule and speak with us – and what a busy schedule indeed. Not content with being one of the best and most celebrated fighters in the UFC® today, Forrest has recently added another title to his resume: bestselling author. That's right – the MMA expert's recent release Got Fight? currently sits at number six on the New York Times hardcover advice bestseller list, a testament to the accessibility and real-world charm that have allowed Forrest to have such an impact on popular culture and elevate the sport of mixed martial arts to its current heights. The book is packed with R-rated anecdotes and advice – some of it tongue-in-cheek, some sincere – as well as general observations from Forrest's unique perspective on the sport of MMA and the world at large, all delivered with his characteristic sarcasm and self-deprecating humor. Plainly, the book is a riot.
In speaking with the man, that same laid-back, down-to-earth attitude comes through loud and clear, though on this occasion the biting sarcasm was mostly curbed. Having just finished another grueling workout, perhaps his focus on the task at hand kept some of the jokester in him at bay. Whatever the case, Forrest was happy to open up on a number of topics, from his thoughts on Anderson Silva and some of the other top competitors in the UFC® today to the evolving prominence of the UFC® on the eve of its 100th main event, and MMA in general.
LO: First off, thanks for doing this, man. How's the training going?
FG: Good man, it's alright, you know. It's been a good day so far.
Well, I've been reading some of your book, Got Fight? It's pretty funny...
Good, good.
What led you to write it?
Just the ego trip of having other people listen to your thoughts, your insane ramblings, which is really flattering.
So it was a good time working on it then?
Well, you can tell it's not a book that takes itself too seriously; it tries to be helpful, but at the same time, it's hopefully funny. My mom didn't think it was too funny; she's not a fan...
Yeah there's some interesting subject matter in there.
What can you do?
Well, let's talk about this Anderson Silva fight coming up at UFC® 101. What do you think of him, his rep as the best pound-for-pound fighter, etc?
You know, in this sport you want to challenge yourself. You want the fight that makes you really want to train, and even scares you a little bit, you know? So it's an easy fight to get ready for; you don't have to look too far to find motivation.
You mention in your book that you often tailor your training to your specific opponent. How has Silva's game influenced your training this time around?
You know, you just try and work with southpaws that are counter-fighters, and you do some specific things – body triangle, how do you get out of the body triangle? The hold down on the half-guard, how do you get out of that? You know, he fights takedowns on the fence so well, what's the answer to that? Where's he strongest? So maybe I don't necessarily want to drive him up against the fence to try to get my takedown; maybe the best takedown for him is what worked for Lutter, which is an open-floor shot.
Do you think it gives you any advantage that he's coming up to your weight class?
No, I mean, he's a big guy. I think what really matters in this sport is reach. He's a long guy, he's about the same height I am, and he's actually got a half-inch reach on me so, you know, I don't think it's going to be too big of a size difference. I don't kid myself with that.
Ok, so how do you feel you can gain an advantage on him?
Well, my English is much better than his.
Well-played.
You know, Anderson Silva, turns out he's pretty good. I'm excited about fighting him, but the toughest thing for me is fighting a southpaw. I don't care for it. I think it should be illegal to be a southpaw.
What's the big problem with southpaws?
It's just that you've been doing things your whole life one way, and when you're tired you tend to fall into old habits; and my old habits tell me to, you know, duck out to the right, to get outside and move right, and obviously you want to move the other way on a southpaw.
I see.
So it's an easy fight to get motivated for, you know? Obviously it's hard to find guys that can do what Anderson Silva does, but you do the best you can.
Alright, how about Wanderlei Silva. From reading your book I get the sense you have a high opinion of him. What did you think of UFC® 99?
To be honest I was surprised. I thought he looked a little flat, and I can tell you from working with him, I really thought he was going to win that fight. I really did. Having worked with him a little bit in the beginning when he was getting ready for Rich, I thought he was really in good shape. The only thing I can maybe think – and obviously I don't want to conjecture too much about him – is maybe he was a little over-trained. ‘Cause like I said, two months before the fight he was really ready to fight him, you know, looking good, sharp.
Talk a little bit about the upcoming UFC® 100 event. What does it mean for the sport, how far it's come, and maybe for you personally?
Well, it's just a point where the UFC® can kind of sit back and celebrate their success at this point. You know, how an organization that maybe wasn't going to make it is now thriving, and there's no end in sight, when, you know, they almost closed up shop at one point. And it's amazing the velocity, you know, and there's just so many fighters, and the level of talent's changed. UFC® 100 is a good point to kind of stand back and look at the whole spectrum of the sport and how much it's changed and evolved, and then look to the future. ‘Cause this sport realistically is still in its infancy.
You know, in sports and life and everything, talent goes where the money is, and the money's coming to the UFC®. And one of the results of that has been the talent of the athlete now pursuing the UFC® has changed. In 5 or 10 years there's going to be kids that [when asked] "What sport did you play, football, basketball?" [will respond] "No I did UFC® growing up, I did Jiu-Jitsu, I wrestled, I boxed." You know, guys that just are really complete martial artists, complete fighters, [that have] trained in the sport of fighting their whole life. Whereas a lot of guys [today] trained wrestling or they boxed, and then they kind of made the crossover.
Well, speaking of the future, what do you think of Lyoto Machida? He's "bringing karate back," as they say.
Yeah, I mean, he's just an amazing athlete, amazing in action, calm, quick; and his karate works because his Jiu-Jitsu, and his judo, and his striking are so good, and unorthodox. And again, he's a damn southpaw. He's one of those guys that comes along, and you almost want to call him a game-changer, you know? Like Chuck Liddell is a game-changer; his game is at a different level than everybody else's. And we forget how, you know, because Chuck has kind of gotten old and guys have caught him and figured him out, we forget that there was such a disparity between the rest of us and Chuck Liddell two years ago, three years ago, when he was really at his high point. He was a game-changer. And I think Machida right now is that game-changer, that guy that comes along and you have to adapt to him and figure out. Somebody will figure him out sooner or later, you know – it will happen. Somebody will figure him out, and the rest of us will say, "Oh, that's what we should've done."
Well, why not you? Do you see a title shot in the near future?
Well, that's another thing about fighting a guy like Anderson Silva – it's really hard to look past a guy like that. You're fighting probably the best guy in the world at fighting. I mean, that's kind of the big thing in my life, is just that fight. And that's something I actually talk about in my book, you know, don't get ahead of yourself – little goals, little goals, and you get enough little wins and you find that you're kind of moving in the direction of where you want to go.
Fair enough. Switching gears here – how are the BSN supplements treating you?
Good, good, real good actually. I just got a new box in. I double up on all the serving sizes, ‘cause I'm big, but also ‘cause it's free, so obviously it's great for me.
We're happy to oblige. What are you using right now?
Well actually just before we started the interview, I finished two scoops of CELLMASS®. I take that after every workout. And then I've been taking the VOLUMAIZE® with the CELLMASS® after workouts; I guess you're supposed to take the VOLUMAIZE® during, but I really just like to drink water during workouts, so I take the VOLUMAIZE® either before I lift or with CELLMASS® after workouts. There's really no point in taking beta-alanine after a workout, but I do it anyway just ‘cause it's got the good carbohydrates and a lot of other good stuff you need.
And obviously protein – right now the Chocolate Peanut Butter SYNTHA-6™ is my favorite, which is ironic because I don't really like peanut butter. I was on the Chocolate Mint, but now I've switched over.
Those are the two flavors that I always hear people talking about actually.
Oh are they really? You know I also really like the Vanilla Ice Cream one, it's really good if you want to throw some fruit in it.
Alright well, this has been great. Some great insights, and a smoothie recommendation to boot! I appreciate you taking some time out to do this, and good luck in Philly!
Alright bud, thank you much.