Sidelined since his split decision victory over Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin was to make his Octagon return against Rich Franklin at UFC 126. Franklin, who was also out nursing an injury, last made headlines with his late-round knockout victory over Chuck Liddell.
The two fighters, both viewed as high-level fighters who probably could not beat fighters within the absolute upper-echelon in 2011, also possess remarkably similar styles. Both prefer to strike and can deliver interesting combinations, but neither has truly-coordinated, truly-polished technique.
How did the fight go? Who had the more enjoyable comeback?
The result follows:
Forrest Griffin b. Rich Franklin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
*Story of the fight: From the get-go, the size difference was remarkable. Forrest Griffin looked like a giant compared to Franklin, with the size differential reminiscent of something like Nick Diaz vs. Muhsin Corbbrey. Sure enough, Griffin’s strength advantage played a big part in his victory–he opened things up with a takedown, and he spent the entirety of the first round on top of the former Middleweight Champion.
Round two and three were more evenly contested, with both men succeeding on the occasional strike attempt. Franklin seemed a bit more poised with his strikes, although Griffin delivered the more damaging blows, one of which stumbled Franklin in the second round. Of note is the fact that Franklin hesitated to deliver left hands, a possible sign that he re-injured the arm he broke in the Chuck Liddell fight.
Griffin took Franklin down in round two, but Franklin managed to get back to his feet. In round three, the takedown game went back-and-forth, with the two scrambling for top control late in the round.
Rounds two and three conceivably could have gone either way, but given the dominance of Forrest’s opening round performance, the occasional damage delivered by his punches and the general sense that he was physically “controlling” Franklin, the decision will definitely be a popular one with the viewers. It was clearly the right call.