The Sun is reporting that former UFC light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin may miss most of 2009 because of the broken hand he suffered in his loss at UFC 92 to Rashad Evans. Pins were placed in the left hand to help the healing process. The British tabloid is quoting UFC sources as saying Griffin won't be back until September at the earliest.
The UFC's light heavyweight roster is deep but Griffin's loss does hurt. He was likely being targeted for co-main event status in July or August (suspended by NSAC until Jun. 27). It could be a blessing in disguise for guys like Wanderlei Silva, Chuck Liddell and Shogun Rua. With Griffin out of the way and a big win in the next fight they could all quickly be in the mix to face the Rashad Evans-Quinton Jackson winner.
When the UFC bought Japan's Pride Fighting organzation, Rua was considered the hottest commodity. The 27-year-old fell out of the mix after suffering loss to Griffin that was sandwiched between several bad injuries over the last two years. If healthy, Rua could quickly put himself in position for a title shot. He destroyed Jackson in a 2005 fight. Rua says his jiu-jitsu and striking will eventually take out light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans.
