Forrest Griffin is largely responsible for saving the UFC.
20 years ago, Griffin won Season 1 of "The Ultimate Fighter" as a light heavyweight. His memorable war with the late Stephan Bonnar on April 9, 2005 helped the promotion at a time where they were struggling financially, and the UFC brass are forever grateful for it. Despite losing the fight, Bonnar was also awarded a UFC contract.
Griffin and Bonnar helped put the UFC on the map, and bolstered television ratings that night.
"It was a definitive moment for the sport, for the UFC, and it helped balance the books," Griffin told MMA Junkie.
Griffin, who went onto capture the UFC light heavyweight title, shared a special moment of reflection – but doesn't see himself reacting to the memory moving forward.
"I think 20 years, we can celebrate it one last time and then forget about it forever," Griffin said. "I don't really notice it, and then last year someone said the 19th year, and I was like, 'Holy crap, no way.' So 20 years is pretty cool, though. For me, this is bigger than like a high school graduation. For the guys who were on the show, it's pretty cool I think."
Their monumental fight was inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame. Bonnar was there for the ceremony, but died in December 2022 of an accidental fentanyl overdose. Griffin revealed that he kept in touch with Bonnar years after the conclusion of the show.
"Obviously Stephan was a big part of it. We became friends after. We pal'd around," Griffin said. "It's funny – he lived in Vegas for a while and we would always do fun gigs together. He was one of those people who was like, 'Hey, I've got a great idea,' and you're like, 'It's probably not, but let's do it anyway.'"
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Forrest Griffin reflects on 20-year anniversary of winning Season 1 of 'The Ultimate Fighter'
