But for Tyson Griffin, there is a downside to being the man for whom the phrase ‘three round war’ was seemingly created.
“In having these fights that have gone the distance, I’ve gained experience,” said Griffin, who returns to the Octagon this Saturday to take on Gleison Tibau at UFC 81. “But the more I can keep the element of surprise on my side by finishing opponents in the Octagon quick, that’s perfect to me. I don’t want everyone to know my skills. If I can keep my kickboxing and my jiu-jitsu a secret and if people only think I can wrestle and ground and pound, that’s great by me. Nobody was expecting me to submit David Lee early, but I did. I’ve got submission skills and kickboxing skills, I’ve got it all, but if I can keep the element of surprise on my side, I’d love to finish every fight in 30 seconds. It also shows dominance – you’re dominating opponents, dominating a weight class, and it lets you move up in the ranks as opposed to just getting these split decisions where people are telling you it could have gone either way.”
Three of the 23-year old Griffin’s four Octagon fights have gone the route, and his wins over Clay Guida and Thiago Tavares and his loss to Frankie Edgar have all been instant classics in a division where great fights are almost guaranteed every time out. That has to put a lot of pressure on a fighter who is expected to produce fireworks every time the cage door closes. The Sacramento native doesn’t see it that way though.
“I won’t say it puts any pressure on me,” said Griffin, whose first eight fights didn’t see the final bell, including a third round stoppage of WEC featherweight champ Urijah Faber in 2005. “I’ve had eight fights where I fought exciting fights for the time they lasted. Seven of those fights were finished in the first round and if they went the distance they probably would have been as exciting as all these UFC fights. But there are so many tough guys in the UFC that they’re hard to finish. I keep going at my same pace, and the fights just end up being exciting. I don’t try to be exciting; I really just try and push the pace and break guys physically and mentally. So far it’s ended up with three Fights of the Night, and I’m not complaining about it.”
The distance fights Griffin has had have all been nip and tuck battles, something which has been great for the fans, and in his lone loss in 2007 to Edgar, it was the only thing that allowed him to keep his head up.
“When I lost that fight with Frankie, that was the only thing that let me feel comfortable, that it was fight of the night,” said Griffin, who was actually concerned that he might not get called back to the UFC. “A couple of years ago in the UFC, if you lost a fight, you were done and that’s just how it worked. They wanted guys that were winning, they wanted the best of the best, and that’s how they weeded guys out. I guess now I feel like I’ve got a job in the UFC no matter what I do because I’ve had so many exciting fights. And if I’m gonna be dominating guys and finishing them, that’s the best thing I can do for myself and my career. It will make me climb the ranks and they’ll have to get me other fights because they’re gonna want to test me and see me pushed for three rounds.”
Griffin, who now lives and trains in Las Vegas, survived his trial by fire by going nine rounds in his last three bouts. In fact, by doing so, he removed one of the few question marks on his resume when he entered the UFC in 2006. Sure, he was a dominating wrestler and ground and pounder who physically imposed his will on pre-UFC opponents, including Faber and Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig, but how would he fare against his peers at the elite UFC level if pushed into deep waters? Well, that questioned was answered in the Edgar fight and solidified in his bouts with Guida and Tavares. He does admit that he noticed the amped up level of competition though.
“Very much so,” said Griffin, “and more so from the stylistic matchups. All these grapplers are real tough and hard to finish, and I put myself in that class as a tough grappler who is hard to finish. And when you fight those guys, you have to expect a three round war. There are no easy fights. There are a few guys you think you match up well against stylistically, that you would say is an easy fight, but everyone’s tough in the UFC, and there are no easy fights anymore.”
That applies to Saturday’s matchup against American Top Team’s Tibau, who brings a 27-3 record and a four fight winning streak into the Octagon against Griffin. Tibau is also a former welterweight known for his strength, Griffin’s M.O. How will the youngster deal with a fighter who may be as strong or stronger physically?
“I think I derive most of my strength from my legs and I use my legs to drive,” said Griffin. “I don’t have a massive upper body like a Gleison Tibau, and I think it may work against him having all that muscle and burning up oxygen. So I’m gonna approach this fight the same and I usually don’t think about overpowering guys; I just try to use my technique and my movement and it may look like I’m dominating with my strength, but I usually focus on my technique and my footwork as opposed to just muscle.”
So if he needs to go three hard and fast rounds again, that’s not a problem.
“I prepare myself in the gym before the fight,” said Griffin. “If I’m training hard and in great shape, I’ve got nothing to worry about going in there. I know I can go hard from start to finish. I don’t have to pace myself, I don’t have to think about going the distance, or worry about squeezing too hard on a takedown or submission. When you train properly, that puts you at ease mentally.”
And while a win moves him even further up the ranks in a crowded division, Griffin is not one to be tooting his own horn or demanding a spot in the title mix at 155 pounds. In fact, if you ask him, he may be top of the class among the young lightweight guns, but he feels he hasn’t even scratched the surface on the world scene, something he hopes to rectify in 2008.
“Not taking anything away from those guys (he has fought already), but the only person that I feel has beaten a world-class opponent would be Clay Guida beating Marcus Aurelio,” said Griffin. “So that’s the only fight that I can really say would put me above any of the fighters out there in rank. And I believe that until I get a chance to fight some of those guys ranked in the world, I don’t really know where I see myself in the division. I guess I’m on the top of all these other up and comers, but I don’t feel I’m on top of the UFC veterans.”
Give him time.
UFC.com
