Forrest Griffin: I can’t even dunk a basketball anymore

The training and competing of professional combat sports is like that in no other sport in terms of the toll it can take on the body and mind. Ben Fowlkes recently looked at the hidden costs and benefits of ‘epic’ battles in the cage, talking to several fighters, including Forrest Griffin about how it has affected them:

I watch guys like Henderson and ‘Shogun,’ and I just think about how lucky they are to still be able to do that, said Griffin, 34, who retired in May 2013 after struggling with chronic injuries. I felt so good at 32, and then by 33, I felt like, this is my forever body? Are you kidding me?

I’ve been able to dunk a basketball since I was 14, Griffin said. I couldn’t touch the rim when I tried yesterday.

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