If you thought Forrest Griffin was done competing in mixed martial arts (MMA) following his retirement earlier this year, think again.
The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight champion announced that he was hanging up the gloves for good last month due to injuries, but it seems if he can get healthy again Griffin would be open to getting back in the cage at least one more time.
"I'll start training again, September, August," Griffin said in a recent interview with MMA Fight Corner. "Maybe if I'm just magically healed and like everything works great, then I'll have to try [fighting] again. But, I'm not healthy now,"
While there are a number of fans out there who would surely like to see Griffin compete again, his focus is currently on the upcoming July UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he will be inducted into the UFC Hall-of-Fame.
The 33-year-old most has fought in the UFC since 2005, amassing a 10-5 record in his 15-fight career in the organization. He is a former 205-pound champion and one of the most famous names in the sport dating back to his revolutionary three-round war with Stephan Bonnar in the finale of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) in April 2005.
There have been plenty of fighters who have stuck around the sport for too long, but at the time of his retirement, Griffin was considered a top-15 light heavyweight.
While he could likely still compete with the very best in the world, he said the injuries began to stack up after a long career and a blown out knee was the last straw.
Griffin is 3-1 in his last four bouts and most recently competed at UFC 148 in July where he defeated UFC Hall-of-Fame inductee Tito Ortiz via unanimous decision.
While Griffin urged fans not to get their hopes up to see him fight again due to the severity of his injuries, he does admit that the fire and passion to train and compete is still inside him.