It’s been 16 years since UFC 101, when Anderson Silva secured an epic knockout over Forrest Griffin. Silva met Griffin in the co-main event and made a statement with his flawless performance.
Silva, already the reigning UFC middleweight champion, moved up to light heavyweight for the fight. He previously competed in the division in 2008, where he defeated James Irvin by 1st round knockout.
Griffin, a former light heavyweight champion and ‘TUF’ winner, entered the bout with high expectations. He was considered to be an opponent that could challenge and pose a threat to Silva.
Griffin was coming off a entered his title loss to Rashad Evans and looked to reassert himself as a contender. That didn’t happen.
‘The Spider’s light heavyweight bout against Griffin was no different. The former light heavyweight champion was unable to land any significant strikes. The fight turned one-sided quickly, as Silva dropped the former ‘TUF’ winner multiple times with sharp counters.
While backing up, Silva landed a perfectly timed jab dropped Griffin. The sequence look surreal and secured a 1st round knockout win and reminded fans why ‘The Spider’ was must-see.
Silva walked away with both Fight of the Night and Knockout of the Night honors. His win also earned 2009’s Knockout of the Year.
Dana White Said Anderson Silva’s KO of Forrest Griffin Cemented His P4P Status
UFC CEO Dana White heaped praise on Silva’s performance and said it cemented his status as the top pound-for-pound fighter.
At the time, the pound-for-pound debate was a hot topic of discussion among fans like it is now. Silva, Georges St-Pierre, and Fedor Emelianenko all had strong cases. However, White didn’t hesitate in making his stance known.
While speaking to Ariel Helwani, White made a passionate case for Silva. He pointed to ‘The Spider’s activity and ability to compete and thrive in multiple weight classes as a deciding factor.
“[Silva] just broke the record for most wins in the UFC, for most title defenses,” White told Helwani. “He’s moving up and down in two different [expletive] weight classes,” he added.
White went further and claimed that Silva could also be successful at heavyweight.
“I believe he could go to [185 pounds] and could compete at heavyweight too. He’s that fast, that talented, and that [expletive] good.” White concluded.
Silva later returned to middleweight, where he successfully defended his title five more times. He eventually fought again at light heavyweight in 2012, defeating Stephan Bonnar by 1st round TKO at UFC 153.
Forrest Griffin Says Knockout Loss to Silva Was Embarrassing
Griffin opened up about his knockout loss to Silva and described it as an embarrassing moment in his career.
The former ‘TUF’ winner spoke with Gary Goodridge on his YouTube channel and revealed he was injured before the fight. According to Griffin, he was knocked out in training just two weeks prior to facing Silva.
Despite not being fully healthy, Griffin chose to go through with the fight. He said that it wasn’t a wise decision, as he was still feeling the effects and symptoms.
“I had one of the most embarrassing defeats in mixed martial arts. Anderson Silva, I didn’t even belong there,” Griffin told Goodridge. “I got knocked out 14 days before that fight and every time I got going, I would get nauseous.”
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