Former UFC Champ Forrest Griffin Announces Retirement Following UFC 160

UFC 160 has come and gone, including the likes of Cain Velasquez defending his title, Junior Dos Santos taking a page out of Vitor Belfort’s book, and a new contender being born in the lightweight division in TJ Grant. With it also came the announcement that one of the UFC’s long time stars who helped bring the company to where it is today would be retiring after a career that included a UFC title.

At the UFC 160 press conference, it was announced by UFC president Dana White that former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin would be retiring. Griffin was also present at the press conference and in typical Forrest Griffin fashion, joked about why he chose to retire:

“When Dana White says retire, you should retire otherwise you’ll blow your knee out before your next fight.”

On a serious note, Griffin said that injuries had forced him out of two of his last three scheduled fights and that they were a major factor in his choice to pursue  retirement. White maintained just like he always has that Griffin would have a position with the UFC , though that position has not been determined yet.

Lastly, it was announced that Forrest Griffin would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in July at the UFC Fan Expo in July in Las Vegas, along with two time opponent Stephan Bonnar.