Here’s food for thought on this bright Monday morning: why can’t Forrest Griffin move to the heavyweight division?
There’s nothing left for him in the light heavyweight division. He has suffered two straight losses to Rashad Evans and Anderson Silva, and he’s so far removed from the title picture that it will likely be a couple of years before he’s considered a legitimate contender again. Yeah, he’s the former light heavyweight champion, but the light heavyweight division is so stacked with talent that two straight losses puts you on the scrap heap.
Forrest is a gigantic light heavyweight. He walks around at 245 pounds outside of training camp, which is the same weight most heavyweights step into the Octagon at. Mirko Cro Cop, for example, weighs 235 pounds on fight night. Cain Velasquez is roughly 240 pounds, while Frank Mir stepped into the cage against Brock Lesnar last month at 245 pounds.
If Forrest took six months to bulk up, to focus almost exclusive on weight training and on packing on muscle, I strongly believe he could add the strength he would need to compete in the heavyweight division. I’m not saying that he would jump in and be competitive against Brock Lesnar right away, because he wouldn’t. But I do believe that with added size and strength, Griffin could be a factor near the top of the division.
Not only that, but he’d be back in the mix much faster than he would in the light heavyweight division. It would likely only take Griffin one or two wins to secure a title shot, because he’s a name competitor in a division that doesn’t have all that many. He’d still have to face the 285 pound Brock Lesnar for the championship, but at least he’d be back in the mix.
And let’s face it: in terms of matchups, it’s a much more interesting situation for Griffin at heavyweight.
He’s already faced the top guys in his current weight class, and outside of a potential rematch with Rampage Jackson, there will be little desire to see him face the same guys again. Fights with Cain Velasquez, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Cro Cop and Cheick Kongo are infinitely more interesting to me from a match-making perspective than seeing him in a series of rematches that have little or nothing to do with being a contender.
Plus, a Griffin run at the heavyweight title and a fight against Brock Lesnar would do gigantic business on pay per view. Griffin is one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster, a folk hero of sorts, and Lesnar is the most hated. Griffin would be giving up a tremendous size advantage, and everyone loves an underdog. It’s a license to print money.
This is obviously all speculative, but I think there is a bigger (no pun intended) opportunity for Griffin to make a mark in the heavyweight division than in the weight class he currently calls home.
