Ever since the Forrest Griffin v. Quinton Jackson fight was announced, I've been of the belief that Forrest had nothing that could hurt Jackson. Everything that Forrest does well, Jackson does better, and the fight seems like a foregone conclusion stylistically.
I've been watching all of Forrest's old fights in anticipation of the fight with Jackson. Tonight I took another look at Forrest's fight with Stephan Bonnar on The Ultimate Finale, and I realized that I had completely forgotten one of the tools he used most effectively in that fight: The Muay Thai clinch. Throughout the fight he landed effective knees to the head and ribs, and though he got exhausted and sloppy late, a jumping knee out of the clinch in the third round was definitely one of the strikes that put him over the top on the score cards.
Forrest Griffin also trains in the same facility as Wanderlei Silva in Las Vegas, and I have no doubt they've spoken strategy about Forrest's upcoming fight with Quinton Jackson. Forrest has a reach and size advantage in this fight, and though he certainly can't stand and trade with Jackson, the Muay Thai clinch may be an effective weapon for him against a guy who has never had an answer for it. He has not used it lately at all, but if he wants to have a chance in this fight, he's going to have to bring everything he's got.
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