Sunday, July 8, 2012

UFC 148 Results: Apology Doesn't Make Up for Forrest Griffin's Classless Antics

Forrest Griffin may need more than an apology to make up for the shenanigans pulled in his UFC 148 rubber match with Tito Ortiz.

At the end of a three-round battle with Ortiz, the beloved former light heavyweight champ stormed out of the Octagon before the judges could even render a verdict.

After being chased down by UFC President Dana White, Griffin, who obviously thought he was behind on the scorecards, returned to the Octagon and was awarded the unanimous decision.

Unfortunately, Griffin's odd antics didn't end there. After winning the decision, he took the microphone out of UFC commentator Joe Rogan's hand and attempted to do a lighthearted interview with Ortiz.

At the post-fight press conference, White expressed great disappointment in Griffin's behavior.

"He drives me crazy, this guy, It's like professional suicide, the things he does. People love Forrest Griffin. So I ran after him. I mean, do I really have to tell you guys what I said to him? I met him back in the hall and I said, 'What are you doing? What's wrong with you? Are you mental?' And he said, 'I was really depressed.' And I said, 'The next time you're depressed about winning a fight, go in the back and be depressed.'

It's Tito's last night, stand there, get your hand raised or Tito's hand raised, do your interview and if you're bummed out, go do it in the back. And if you're bucking for Joe Rogan's [expletive] job, it ain't gonna happen. That's Joe's job. Leave the microphone alone until Joe comes over to talk to you. I love Forrest Griffin. I always have. He's a great guy, but he gets a little kooky sometimes."

Griffin didn't really have an answer for his actions, but he was apologetic at the post-fight press conference.

"I sincerely apologize," Griffin told the media. "I can see you guys have got a ton of history and I apologize. I wish I could take that back. I'm sorry."

Love him or hate him, Ortiz is a legend of the sport. He paved the way for fighters like Griffin to even have an opportunity to compete on a mainstream stage.

In a way, Griffin's actions can be considered an embarrassment to the sport. The very essence of martial arts is respect and discipline. Sadly, Griffin showed neither in his bizarre post-fight antics.

As with anything in life, you do your best and deal with the consequences. Griffin has a tendency to act out when things don't go his way; most remember him throwing a tantrum and storming out of the Octagon after his loss to Anderson Silva back in August 2009.

For now, an apology will have to do, but Griffin has to understand the significance of his actions.

He took away a moment from Ortiz that he can never get back.

"You've got to understand, 15 years ago Joe Rogan was the first person to interview me," Ortiz said at the post-fight presser.

"I told him, 'I'm going to make a mark in this sport.' I helped build the sport that built me into the person I am today. For Forrest to step in and do the thing he did, after running? ... I wish Joe Rogan would have interviewed me, but that's what we've got a press conference for."

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1251158-ufc-148-results-apology-doesnt-make-up-for-forrest-griffins-classless-antics

Vernon White Mike Whitehead Jonathan Wiezorek

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