UFC 86: Forrest Griffin Upsets Rampage Jackson For Light Heavyweight Title
Published: Sunday - July 6, 2008
Words by Randall Stevens
Forrest Griffin beat out light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson on Saturday night (July 5), winning in five-round unanimous decision at UFC 86.
Griffin, who was the Season 1 winner of "The Ultimate Fighter," was a 5-2 underdog and his victory was a major upset, despite coming back from first-round knockdown, as a result from an uppercut from Rampage.
Forrest Griffin lands a high kick to the head of Quinton Jackson Photo: AP
Griffin answered back early in the second, hobbling Rampage with a left leg kick to his right knee. The kick seemed to have injured Rampage, and was to be the turning point of the fight, as Griffin then took Jackson down on his back and spent the next 4 1/2 minutes throttling him with elbows and fists.
After a fast paced first two rounds, the fight slowed a bit in the third, with Rampage recovering from the previous round's kick. In the fourth, Rampage opened up a cut above Griffin's right eye, and then in the fifth, the two fighters exchanged blows back and forth, with Griffin seeming to get the better of the exchange.
After it was said and done, Griffin came out on top, and he called it the "best moment of his life."
However, both fighters agreed that a rematch is definite, and Griffin isn't looking forward to it, as he explained the power of Rampage.
"I think we're going to have to do that again. And that sucks for me," Griffin said. "Every punch he threw hurt," added Griffin.
As for Rampage, he admitted that he was injured by Griffin's kick in the second, and it resulted in the loss. "He really hurt my leg," Jackson said afterward. "In the second round, I was on the ground the whole time. I was just trying to recover."
The victory marked the first time a winner from the UFC's reality series captured a title belt. It was Griffin's first fight since a nine-month layoff he tapped out Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in September 2007, who was the last person to defeat Jackson.
According to reports, Griffin made $250,000, including a $100,000 win bonus, while Rampage collected $225,000.
On the undercard, Joe Stevenson tapped out Gleison Tibau with a guillotine choke at after nearly three minutes of the second round, despite Tibau seeming to be in control.
Josh Koscheck earned a unanimous decision victory over bloodied and battered Chris Lytle.
And lastly, Tyson Griffin defeating Marcus Aurelio by unanimous decision.
The new UFC event comes in two weeks on Spike TV. The main event will be Anderson Silva against James Irvin. Then in August, it's UFC 87, where Georges St-Pierre will defend his Welterweight Championship against Jon Fitch, and former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar will face Heath Herring.
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