met Forest Griffin at the restaurant I work at tonight. I was in the kitchen when a buddy who works with me who's also a huge fan of the sport came up to me and did the classic, "DUDE, YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE WHO'S AT THE BAR... FORREST GRIFFIN!" I for sure thought he was mistaken, so I walk out, and sure enough, its him. As soon as I saw him I knew it was him.
dude, I was STOKED. not in a way that made me want to rush him or anything like that, but that guy is a legit legend. he played a part in shaping the sport. former UFC champion. I have been fortunate enough to meet a few people of note in my life, people I've genuinely looked up to... when I was younger I have fanned out, but the older I get, if I can shake that person's hand and say, "thanks," that's more than enough for me. shaking that dude's hand is up there.
after dropping food off to a person next to him at the bar, I used that as an opportunity to say hello, shake his hand, and say thanks for all that he's done for the sport. he graciously said thank you back, and that was it. didn't try and grab a photo with him, and neither did anyone else. my buddy however got an autograph. I don't blame him.
the crazy thing is; I don't live in a super popular city. yes, people come through from time to time, but it's not an Orlando or Miami. totally unexpected. I also wasn't supposed to work tonight, but picked up a shift on a whim. the money I made is secondary. from what I heard there's a bjj tournament in town, so who knows if he was coaching someone, or maybe talent scouting.
crazy.