Mixed martial arts (MMA) lost one of its true pioneers on Saturday night (May 25, 2013) when former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin announced his retirement from the sport.
Griffin's accomplished more in his eight-year stint with the UFC than most fighters will in a lifetime from being the original winner of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) reality show to the UFC's 205-pound champion after knocking off Quinton Jackson in what was considered a significant upset at the time.
The 33-year-old officially retired from active competition at the UFC 160 post-fight press conference (watch it here) and even though he will no longer step in the cage will still be a part of the UFC family in the form of a front office job as well as an induction into the organization's Hall of Fame -- a honor less than 10 people have received in the 20-year history of the UFC.
Just moments after his announcement at the press conference, Griffin was pulled aside by Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting to conduct an exclusive interview about the past, present and future of one of the most popular figures the UFC has ever seen.
Watch the video embedded above to see the one-on-one interview with Griffin following his retirement announcement.
Get the latest gear
