What's Next For Forrest Griffin and The Light Heavyweight Division?

Forrest Griffin fought well enough to earn the judges favour over Tito Ortiz last Saturday, but where does he go from here?

The UFC’s light heavyweight division hasn’t been a blueprint for consistency, it is a revolving door compared to the other divisions (one exception is the heavyweight division, but that’s because of interim statuses). Since Griffin held the title there’s already been two new champions and, according to some, there would have been a third had he not received the short end of the judging stick.

What a division, always something new to look forward to.

That being said, the much anticipated debut of a fighter who has been dubbed on numerous occasions as “the best fighter not currently in the UFC,” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was fantastic.

Luis Arthur Cane is always up for a fight and Nogueira gave him more than he could handle. The fans didn’t get to see any of his slick ground game, but they did see some crisp hands that lit up Cane like a pre-decorated Christmas tree from Walmart and earned the Brazilian Knockout of the Night honours.

So how about a Nogueira vs. Griffin match up?

Both are coming off wins and both will be ready to fight again around the same time, seeing as they were on the same card and barring any injuries. Both are also on the cusp of the LHW title bubble.

Some rankings have Griffin ranked higher than Nogueira and some don’t. There are a slew of rankings out there on the Internet, so for the sake of the story, I have Griffin looking up to see Nogueira on the rankings ladder.

A win for either fighter would put them into the hot mess that is the LHW title picture. I’m not saying number one contender, but a title shot with one or two more quality wins would probably be in the cards.

Nogueira isn’t a household UFC name, but a quality win over fan-favourite Griffin after his impressive “I’ve arrived” KO would attract bandwagon riders a-plenty. On the Contrary, Griffin started his comeback campaign after two uninspiring losses by outlasting Ortiz and a two-fight win streak is quite valued in the UFC these days, especially when you’re a up and down like Griffin.

Ultimately, Griffin would of course give it everything he has, but Nogueira would come out on top as he has all the weapons Griffin has and their much better. But, stranger things have happened.

Then of course, we have the question of where does the winner of this fight go and what about the winner of Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva, and what if Quinton Jackson returns?

The questions and what ifs in the LHW division could stir a great debate and by the time the outcome of Mauricio Rua and Lyoto Machida rematch is announced, who knows what the LHW picture will look like.

Again, what a division!

If there was ever a shining example of that which should be involved in a grand prix, the UFC’s current LHW division is it. The UFC’s light- and welterweight divisions would make for good multi-event grand prix’s, but the LHW division has the most appeal.

After a grand prix with the UFC’s names, the fans would probably be on board for one multi-event tournament on a yearly basis.

I would love to see a third UFC event every four months built around an eight man grand prix, but that will most likely always be a Dream.