| Forrest Griffin gets set to rumble with Hector (Sick Dog) Ramirez |
Reported by By Jose Rodriguez of the Calgary Sun - Getting a straight answer from Ultimate Fighting Championship funnyman Forrest Griffin can be as draining as three rounds in the cage with Randy Couture.
But going into his fight against Hector (Sick Dog) Ramirez at UFC 72, the 205-pounder admits since his knockout at the fists of Keith (Dean of Mean) Jardine, he’s questioning his ability to take a punch.
"I learned maybe I don’t have the chin I thought I did and maybe I need to re-evaluate my game plan for this sort of thing," said Griffin, who has a record of 13-4.
"I mean he hit a little harder than I thought he did and my chin wasn’t as good as I thought it was.
"I’ve been knocked out a bunch — like out cold … but I’ve never been kind of like — where my body wasn’t doing what I told it to and I didn’t really know how to react to that."
But in true Griffin form, there weren’t too many questions the Georgia native took seriously during a press conference hyping the June 16 card in Belfast, N. Ireland.
Asked about his health, Griffin responded: "It’s horrible. I’ve got Herpes. I’ve got Hepatitis. I’ve got all kinds of nasty (crap). But, as long as the blood tests work out …"
And Griffin is not impressed with having to cross the Atlantic to fight.
"Man, I don’t like traveling for vacation let alone for work," he said.
"You know? I moved out in Vegas so I could fight here in Vegas. I hate traveling. I can’t pack right."
Griffin is coming into the fight favoured to win but he knows he’ll have his work cut out for him against Ramirez, an East L.A. construction worker with heavy fists and a 6-2-1 record.
" I was kind of thinking about maybe (defending against) punches a little bit," said Griffin.
"That seems like a good idea"
| " | "I've been knocked out a bunch -- like out cold ... but I've never been kind of like -- where my body wasn't doing what I told it to and I didn't really know how to react to that." |
