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There’s not a whole lot that mixed martial arts fans can agree on.
Between rule changes, fighter rankings and judging, the various elements of the fight game divide opinion like no other sport.
But one historical aspect of MMA that the overwhelming majority can say “yeah, fair enough” about comes with the opinion that Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar I is the single most important fight in the history of mixed martial arts.
The light heavyweight conclusion to the UFC’s first foray into the world of reality television featured a bout between two men who were prepared to leave absolutely everything in the Octagon when the cage door closed.
I am always wary of telling people “you have to watch this fight, it’s crazy” when we see a Shogun vs. Henderson, Jones vs. Gustafsson or a Lawler vs. MacDonald because the biggest critics of MMA can still pick holes in how those bouts played out. But having promised a number of non-fight fans that they would be entertained by Griffin vs. Bonnar and having sat through the clash with them, my confidence is unwavering with regards to the quality of this war.
If you look at the distinction between what fight fans understand today and what they understood thirteen years ago, the headway is monumental.
Nowadays we see arenas full of fans stand up and applaud when a guard is passed or regained, or a leg kick is checked properly.
But back in 2005, MMA needed a push in the right direction. Something legendary. Something for the fan of football, rugby or boxing to sit up and say “woah, what’s this?”
And Griffin vs. Bonnar delivered.
Coach Randy Couture and coach Chuck Liddell had a representative each compete for the six-figure, three-year deal with the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion in the 205lbs division.
“We are anticipating a slugfest,” then-commentator Mike Goldberg prophesied as referee Herb Dean started the contest.
Little did Goldberg know that he was about to witness a spectacle that ended up earning both men a place in the Hall of Fame.
Inside the Octagon, we saw the greatest back-and-forth bout since the UFC’s foundation in 1993. Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin traded ludicrous striking exchanges, takedowns and submission attempts and celebrated the final bell with a wave of shared relief, sweat and blood.
Technique went out the window, along with any semblance of energy conservation as two determined combatants collided in several flurries which were almost cartoonish.
“These guys are swinging,” Joe Rogan remarked after just 11 seconds had elapsed and both men had already wound up and landed.
Griffin enjoyed the better of the early exchanges, stepping in cleverly and torquing thudding uppercuts when in close, before Bonnar elicited a gasp of excitement from the crowd with a turning side kick to the body.
A roundhouse kick from Bonnar prompted a wild explosion of hooks from both men and it was just about then that I fell in love with the UFC.
After grazing his opponent with one of the most looping shots ever seen in any combat sport, Griffin looked for a takedown but Bonnar landed on top.
More striking pandemonium took place after Griffin worked his way back to his feet, where both men proceeded to rock one another again, before Griffin secured a takedown and saw out the opening frame in pursuit of an armbar.
“That’s the most exciting round I think I’ve ever seen,” Rogan said.
The ten minutes that followed stayed true to the promise shown in the first round; with a breathless pace and bludgeoned faces across which smiles spread on several occasions despite the exhaustion and pain that the fighters were putting themselves through.
When the judges’ decision came and Griffin was awarded the victory, the MMA world’s brand new fanbase united in a communal feeling of “but what about Bonnar?” However UFC president Dana White brought the 3,000 in attendance to their feet by offering the fight’s “loser” a contract with the UFC. A Hollywood ending which brought goosebumps to an entire audience.
But to gauge just how significant Griffin vs. Bonnar was in the overall context of modern MMA, we must look at the event’s ratings.
A staggering average of 2.6 million people watched the event with a total of 3.3 million channel flippers tuning in to watch Griffin and Bonnar slug it out as people called their friends to say “turn on Spike TV, you won’t believe what’s going on!”
Zuffa had been struggling up to the point of The Ultimate Fighter 1 and those in the know appreciate the fact that the organisation was going under and in desperate need of a life jacket.
That saviour came in the form of fifteen minutes of action the likes of which we haven’t seen in the thirteen years since April 9, 2005 and which we’re unlikely to see ever again.
All it took was 15 minutes, two warriors and one fight to save the sport of mixed martial arts and for that we should all be grateful.
