The following is from Telegraph.co.uk, authored by Gareth A. Davies
Forrest Griffin triumphed in a tactical five-round battle to strip light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson of the UFC light-heavyweight title in Las Vegas late last night.
The 3-1 underdog won by unanimous decision and UFC 86 will be remembered as the night Griffin absorbed the ferocious power of the rampaging incumbent light-heavyweight champion, and turned him over.
Griffin (16-4) employed clever movement, reach and kicks to take Jackson (28-7) late into the fight, though he showed deep abilities to take the champion’s power shots in a rivetting contest at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
The cards recorded 49-46, 48-46, 48-46, all for Griffin. Jackson, 30 had promised that the judges would not be needed; Griffin, 28, had said he was prepared to take as much pain as Jackson could give him.
The 205-pound match-up featured the opposition coaches from the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show. Griffin was winner of the show in Season 1, and this marked the first time that a winner from the UFC’s reality series had risen to become a title belt holder.
Griffin made $250,000, including a $100,000 win bonus. Jackson collected $225,000.
The spectators at the Mandalay Bay appeared unhappy with the decision, given that Jackson had dropped Griffin with a right uppercut in the first round, and had landed the heavier punches, yet they mellowed when Jackson conceded he had been beaten.
Griffin said: “I think we’re going to have to do that again. This is the best moment of my life, I can’t wait to do this again. Every punch he threw hurt.”
But this was a clever, tactical victory for Griffin, who weathered the storm in the first round, and hurt Jackson’s left leg, which buckled in the second, from a leg strike. It was a key moment in the fight, as Jackson was visibly feeling the damage.
Although Jackson continued to strike, Griffin worked away cleverly with kicks and punches and out-thought the champion. Jackson appeared to be tiring in the last round, and Forrest pounced with kicks and strikes.
Griffin’s game plan worked, and he deserved the title – just. They may have a re-match, but there are several great fights out there for both mixed martial artists.
In the co-main event, hard-hitting Canadian middleweight Patrick Cote won a split decision over Ricardo Almeida, two judges opting 29-28 for the former Canadian soldier, the third marking the fight 29-28 for Almeida, a Brazilian jiujitsu black belt.
What probably cost Almeida the contest was his belief he was two rounds ahead going into the last round.
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