In this hype video for UFC 92, Forrest Griffin makes an interesting comment about his upcoming light heavyweight title fight against Rashad Evans:
"Winning the belt is one thing," Griffin said. "But you're not really a champion until you defend it."
I don't really agree with that, but I do think that even as the champion of the UFC's most stacked weight class, Griffin hasn't yet been accepted as one of the truly elite fighters in MMA. Until he defends his belt, maybe a couple of times, Griffin is still going to seem (in the eyes of many fans, anyway) more like an ordinary guy who won The Ultimate Fighter than like a true champion. But that says more about the way we've underrated Griffin than it says about Griffin himself.
"Winning the belt is one thing," Griffin said. "But you're not really a champion until you defend it."
I don't really agree with that, but I do think that even as the champion of the UFC's most stacked weight class, Griffin hasn't yet been accepted as one of the truly elite fighters in MMA. Until he defends his belt, maybe a couple of times, Griffin is still going to seem (in the eyes of many fans, anyway) more like an ordinary guy who won The Ultimate Fighter than like a true champion. But that says more about the way we've underrated Griffin than it says about Griffin himself.
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