TUF Vet and Stephan Bonnar Headed to UFC Hall of Fame

By FCF Staff

After a decade plus of professional fighting, which included winning the UFC Light-Heavyweight Championship, Forrest Griffin has announced he’s retiring at the age of 33.

Griffin made the announcement at last night’s post-UFC 160 presser and cited injuries he’s battled in recent years as a contributing factor. The charismatic fighter also joked that when “Dana White says retire, you should retire, otherwise you’ll blow your knee out before your next fight.”

The TUF 1 winner has fought only three times since 2009 and is coming off a unanimous decision win over Tito Ortiz last July. Griffin’s career highlights include his historic  TUF 1 finals battle with Stephan Bonnar in 2005, which was a huge success for the UFC and the sport of MMA.

Griffin (19-7) went on to decision “Rampage” Jackson in 2008 to become champion, and one of the sport’s biggest stars, but was KO’d by Rashad Evans in his next bout. White says Griffin will be given a position with the promotion but the nature of it has yet to be determined. The vet noted that he would like to have a role that is charity related.

The UFC President also announced that promotion will be inducting Griffin and Bonnar into the UFC Hall of Fame at the Fan Expo this July.

Bonnar (15-8) became a mainstream figure for MMA after his classic TUF 1 fight with Griffin and was one of the promotion’s top light-heavyweights for several years. Bonnar hasn’t fought since last October, when he was stopped by Anderson Silva and tested positive for steroids following the bout.

The Fan Expo takes place the same weekend as UFC 162, which is set for July 6th in Las Vegas.