Recently retired light-heavyweights Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar were inducted into the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Hall of Fame Saturday in Las Vegas at the 2013 UFC Fan Expo.
UFC president Dana White and Craig Piligian, executive producer of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), were the ones to officially induct the pair into the Hall, which currently honours Royce Gracie, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, Mark Coleman, Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz.
Griffin and Bonnar famously engaged in an epic battle of attrition at the TUF 1 finale in April 2005, a fight that White says singlehandedly changed the UFC forever because of the exposure it brought to the sport of mixed martial arts.
“I don’t think people really realize what that one fight meant to this sport and to this company,” White said Saturday afternoon during the ceremony.
Griffin (19-7) was a onetime UFC light-heavyweight champion after defeating Quinton (Rampage) Jackson by unanimous decision in a memorable five-round bout at UFC 86 in July 2008 and is one of the most popular fighters in MMA history.
“In the grand scheme of things, fighting is not that big of a deal,” Griffin explained. “It’s not like a hero profession even though sometimes it’s treated as one. It’s not being a soldier on foreign soil or being a firefighter. But sometimes, with special moments, it feels like that. It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever been a part of, and I really appreciate all of you being a part of it with me.”
The UFC announced Griffin’s retirement following UFC 160 in May. Griffin’s last fight in the UFC was a unanimous decision win over Ortiz at UFC 148 last July.
Bonnar (15-8) announced his retirement last October after a TKO loss to Anderson Silva in the main event at UFC 153. Although his accomplishments in MMA aren’t as vast as Griffin’s, White said Bonnar is still deserving of the induction because of that TUF 1 finale.
Griffin and Bonnar also fought at UFC 62 in August 2006 — where Griffin beat Bonnar for a second time — but have remained close friends despite their rivalry inside the Octagon.
