'He looked at me like I was stupid'… Forrest Griffin reveals the most 'confusing' part about fighting Anderson Silva

31/08/2024 18:21

Forrest Griffin has given an insight into what it was like to fight a prime Anderson Silva, confessing that the Brazilian made him feel ‘stupid’ for trying to hit him.

The pair of sporting titans squared off in a major collision back at UFC 101 in 2009.

Forrest Griffin gives amusing recollection of Anderson Silva fight

Throughout his career, Anderson Silva made a reputation for his incredible understanding of distance, utilizing his sublime reflexes to move just far enough out of the way to make his rivals look silly as they swung into thin air.

And never was his elusive style more on display than when he shared the cage with Forrest Griffin.

In their battle at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, Silva toyed with his rival, making him miss wildly and subsequently pay with thunderous shots.

After landing a plethora of heavy punches, a simple jab was the straw that broke the camel’s back, as Griffin slumped towards the canvas.

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Luckily, the American managed to overcome the negativity, and in a testament to his character, he has the ability to actually laugh at the whole situation.

A year after the defeat, during an interview on The Jason Ellis Show, a caller asked him if he’d fight Jon Jones.

While confessing that he wouldn’t be thrilled at the idea, he admitted: “It couldn’t be worse than Anderson Silva. Every fight I go into, no matter what happens, it couldn’t be worse than Anderson Silva. That s**t was a year ago, and literally every day, people ask me something about that, ‘What happened’?

Ellis responded: “He punched you in the chin,” to which Griffin confirmed: “Repeatedly, and I was very confused,” which resulted in enormous laughter from the host.

The fighter then explained the ridiculous way Silva made him feel, asserting: “I tried to punch him, and he literally moved his head out of the way and looked at me like I was stupid for doing it. He looked at me like, ‘Why would you do such a stupid thing’?

“He looked at me like, ‘Did you really think you were going to hit me? What a stupid thing to think’. And then he punched me. I felt embarrassed for even trying to punch him. I felt like some kid trying to wrestle with his dad.”

Anderson Silva reveals why he didn’t try to beat Chael Sonnen in their boxing match

While everyone loves to remember Silva at the peak of his powers, ‘The Spider’ is no longer the man he used to be.

The sporting legend recently ventured into the boxing ring for one last dance in a draw against his old rival, Chael Sonnen, in São Paulo, Brazil.

Over the cusp of two previous encounters, the pair had pushed each other to the limit, with savage trash talk.

However, this time around, the Brazilian revealed that he didn’t even want to score the knockout.

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