My boy said Rampage threw the fight: Thoughts

that is correct. but my point was that his comment indicated he thought as Griffin as much of a lesser threat than Liddell.

 

Rampage actually made a great adjustment after the second round to avoid getting hit with those leg kicks.


Bottom line Forrest seemed to want it more and did what he had to do to get it. I'd like to see a rematch, but I doubt it happens right away, to many guys in line who deserve a shot.

 

He got his ass smashed twice by Wanderlei Silva... and managed to rebound from that and knockout the LHW champion of the world in Chuck Liddell. Getting your ass thrashed and rebounding from that is gonna teach you to realize that anything's possible - it gives a sense of acceptence to anything and everything that the variables of a fight present. He knows how it works and accepts it. It's not being comfortable with losing, it's about being comfortable with the fact that anything can happen and acknowledging it.

He's a naturally funny dude who has a naturally benevolent outlook on life. People like that tend to roll with the flow; take things as they are - knowing that life is more than just being a fighter.

He was focused - he just didn't expect Griffin to have more to offer in opposition than what he actually showed. His impression of Griffin was the same of most peoples; that Griffin was in the title fight because Rua was hurt and because he's a hugely popular guy who can sell tickets. He respects Griffin's toughness and work ethic, but since Forrest has usually won by grinding out decisions, it's hard to sustain a fear for him as a dangerous opponent.

Plus... Rampage has absolute faith in his right hand and probably expected that at any moment the fight could be ended; in much the same way a jits fighter knows that he's always one move away from a swift conclusion to a fight. It turned out that Griffin's chin is more stable than conventional wisdom merited it to be.