Sep-14-2009

Tyson Griffin – The UFC’s Undisputed Action Hero

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By Thomas Gerbasi

Over the course of his three-year UFC career, Tyson Griffin has shared the bill with some of the game’s biggest stars – Anderson Silva, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Mirko Cro Cop, Forrest Griffin, Rich Franklin, Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida, and Shogun Rua, just to name a few. Yet at the end of the night, win or lose, Griffin usually walked away with something these MMA superheroes didn’t – the coveted Fight of the Night award, and the bonus check that goes along with it.

And it’s not like Griffin’s nabbed two or three of these awards. In eight UFC fights, he’s taken home five Fight of the Night bonuses, an unprecedented number that not only guarantees an action-packed bout more often than not, but that makes Griffin a guy you want to avoid being on the same card with, if at all possible. Don’t think so? The lightweight contender hears it in his own gym.

“I get that a little bit,” smiles Griffin, who fights out of Las Vegas’ Xtreme Couture gym. “(Welterweight contender) Martin (Kampmann) fought on the same card as me last time, so I stole fight of the night from him and (Carlos) Condit. (Laughs) He’s jokingly a little upset that he has to compete with me again this time. I told him now that he’s fighting (Paul) Daley, it might not be that close because he’s got a better style matchup with Daley than (Mike) Swick. I said ‘Swick might have been a closer fight, man, I don’t think you’re gonna have a chance now.’”

It’s some good natured banter between the two UFC 103 stalwarts, both of whom will be tested by their opponents in Dallas this Saturday night. For Kampmann, it’s a showdown with noted British striker Paul Daley, and for Griffin, he has a showdown with Hermes Franca to look forward to. If that sounds like another potential Fight of the Night, you’re probably right.

“He’s a tough, tough individual,” said Griffin of the veteran from Brazil. “He’s got finishing power, and if you’re not on your game and you make a mistake, he’s gonna capitalize. So it’s definitely gonna be a test to see if I can stay sharp for 15 minutes. With that and fighting my gameplan, I’ll hopefully come away with a dominating victory.”

And after showing his ground game, standup, determination, and ability to engage in a memorable war, the 25-year old Griffin is ready for the next steps in his career, which include taking out Franca, a former world title challenger, and dominating his opponents to the point that he’s finishing them. Having gone the distance in his last seven fights, getting his first stoppage or submission since he forced David Lee to tap out in September of 2006 would be a bonus in its own right.

“You can’t expect to get every guy out of there in 30 seconds,” said Griffin. “My first fight was actually submission of the night, where I submitted David Lee, and I remember running around to my corner, going ‘man, that was easy.’ (Laughs) It ain’t been that easy ever since, so it definitely is a little frustrating not getting the finishes, but at the same time, the name of the game is winning, and with a win, that’s all that matters.”

Griffin has done plenty of that during his nearly five year pro career, compiling a 13-2 slate that includes wins over Urijah Faber, Clay Guida, Thiago Tavares, and Rafael Dos Anjos. Now he’s looking to move up to the next tier of the division, and though he fell short in his first attempt in a close decision loss to Sean Sherk last October, the fight against Franca gives him another opportunity to make that move. But the Sacramento native stresses that he’s in no rush.

“I have no timetable,” said Griffin. “Sherk was a test where I said if I dominate this guy, I know I’m ready. But it didn’t work out that way. I’ve still got a lot to learn and I’m still young in the game, so I’m just taking it one day at a time. I want to be the best fighter I can be when I fight for that title and keep holding it for a long time. So I definitely want to dominate and show that I can dominate the division. I don’t want to be someone who has to ask for a title shot. I want it to be a ‘You’re killing everybody, beating all the top guys, we want you to fight for the title,’ kinda deal.”

Of course, there is a downside to all this. As Griffin explains, a Fight of the Night usually encompasses back and forth action where there is danger at various times before the final bell, including some danger for him.

“The UFC does a good job of getting guys that I guess I can’t put away and that seem to put me in precarious enough situations to make it entertaining,” he chuckles. “I know the fights that I won by unanimous decision that weren’t Fight of the Night (against Gleison Tibau and Marcus Aurelio) were probably because I didn’t get caught in some crazy submission. To the UFC’s credit, I think they make good matchups, and that’s what allows them to be exciting fights, along with my style.”

So if Griffin begins walking through people and dominating and finishing them in the coming months, does that mean no more post-fight awards? Nah, this is Tyson Griffin we’re talking about, so he probably has no problem taking home some bonus checks for knockout or submission of the night. Either way, he’s going to keep doing what he’s doing, not just because of the old adage ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’, but because there’s nothing else he’d rather be doing.

“This is fun for me,” he said. “I enjoy fighting, I enjoy tough competition, and I’m a sore loser, so coming out on top is what makes it fun.”