Who Will Forrest Griffin Fight When He Returns?

Forrest Griffin had a great year in 2008, from coaching on TUF 7 to beating Rampage to become the UFC Light-Heavyweight champion, Griffin showed what he was all about this last year. He recently lost the title at UFC 92 against Rashad Evans and suffered a broken hand during the fight.

The broken hand will keep Forrest out of the octagon for most of 2009, but when he does return, it will be interesting to see who the UFC put in front of him.

It's hard to predict what will happen in the next six months especially in the light-heavyweight division, but here are several names that could just be interesting opponents for Forrest Griffin when he returns from injury.

Chuck Liddell

Let's say Chuck wins at least one fight in 2009, a fight against Forrest could be interesting. Both men are willing to bang with the best of them and a battle between these two would be exactly that. With Chuck Liddell's fall from grace, he could be a good adversary for Forrest to return to, get the victory and fall right back in the top contenders at 205.

Keith Jardine

They have fought in the past and Jardine made Griffin look bad. Keith dominated Forrest and won in the first round and made it look easy. Forrest would surely want to avenge such a devastating loss. It's a rough match to comeback to, considering how Jardine was dominant, but returning and getting the win would be huge for Griffin.

Luiz Cane

This fight would depend alot on what Luiz does in 2009. He has shown promise in his last fights and if he can continue on like that, Forrest could have a serious opponent when he returns. Cane would be a good opponent for Forrest, I think Griffin would win but it wouldn't be an easy fight.

The loser of Machida/Silva

One of these two men will lose at UFC 94 and whoever does will probably drop down several spots in the rankings. By the time that man reaches the top, Forrest will be back to fight him.

Thiago Silva would probably be a better opponent for Forrest, but let's face it, returning to fight either of these two men is a dangerous fight.

Stephan Bonnar

This one is a long shot but it's possible. Stephan returns at UFC 94 and if he can win this fight and maybe one more, he could possibly fight Forrest for the third time. This is a fight that fans don't mind seeing a third time because they put on one hell of a show. Considering the fact that Forrest won the two first fights, he could return, have a great fight and win...again.

Rich Franklin

Franklin vs Forrest could be great, it's a really marketable fight. Franklin should have one maybe two fights before Forrest returns and they could fight it out. It's a great fight for both because with a win, the winner becomes a top contender for the light-heavyweight tile.

So many choices are to be considered when Forrest does return from his hand injury. Many things can happen from now to then, but these could be Griffin's most interesting return fights.