In 2005, shortly after winning season one of The Ultimate Fighter, the idea of stardom hadn’t set in for Forrest Griffin.
Forget that he almost single-handedly put mixed martial arts on the mainstream map with his stirring three round victory over Stephan Bonnar on April 16, 2005 and captivated a nation with his self-effacing humor and ability to smile through a mask of blood. He was just another guy taking out his stitches with the aid of an Xacto knife nine days after the biggest fight of his life.
“I still do it,” he deadpanned three years later.