Tyson Griffin - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Tyson Lee Griffin is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

from Albany, California. Griffin currently fights as a Featherweight

Featherweight

Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...

in the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

(UFC).

Early life

Griffin was a standout wrestler at Albany High School and moved on to wrestle at Skyline Junior College before dropping out. He began training at David Terrell

David Terrell (fighter)

David Michael Terrell is a retired American mixed martial artist from Santa Rosa, California. A black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Cesar Gracie, no one has scored a point against Terrell in a grappling match...

's NorCal Fighting Alliance and the Cesar Gracie

Cesar Gracie

Cesar Gracie is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who trains a number of top fighters in Pleasant Hill, California. Gracie is a member of the Gracie family, the son of Sonja Gracie-Gronning and not to be confused with his cousin also named Cesar Gracie who is the son of Reylson Gracie.- Biography...

Academy. During his first mixed martial arts training session, Terrell cut two gashes over Griffin's left eye, requiring stitches. Griffin states that he committed himself to a career in MMA while in the hospital waiting room. His mother supported him during his first year of training, but after his professional debut he had to get side jobs to support himself through his early career.

Mixed martial arts career

Tyson Griffin began his professional career in 2004 in the Gladiator Challenge promotion. In his third bout, he dropped to featherweight to earn a TKO victory over future World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...

featherweight champion Urijah Faber

Urijah Faber

Urijah Christopher Faber is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC...

, which stood as Faber's only defeat for over three years. Griffin went on to win all of his first six fights before facing Duane Ludwig

Duane Ludwig

Duane Paul Ludwig is an American Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He is the former Middleweight Muay Thai world champion, and currently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championships in their welterweight and lightweight divisions...

at Strikeforce: Revenge
Strikeforce: Revenge
Strikeforce: Revenge was the second mixed martial arts event promoted by Strikeforce. The event took place at the HP Pavilion at San Jose in San Jose, California on June 9, 2006. The main event featured the North American debut of Alistair Overeem....

. He won the bout by TKO in the first round, attracting the attention of major promotions. After considering offers from Pride Fighting Championship and the UFC, Griffin signed with the UFC so that he could continue to fight stateside. While cornering for David Terrel at UFC 59
UFC 59
UFC 59: Reality Check was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 15, 2006 at Arrowhead Pond, in Anaheim, California, and broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States and Canada....

in Las Vegas, Griffin had an opportunity to meet members of the Xtreme Couture camp for the first time.

Griffin made his UFC debut at UFC 63
UFC 63
UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 23, 2006. The event took place at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California and was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States and Canada....

against David Lee

David Lee

-Arts:*David Lee , editor of Jackdaw magazine*David Lee , American photographer and film director*David Lee , DJ and professional voice over performer...

. He won the bout by rear naked choke in the first round, earning the Submission of the Night award in the process. Griffin used the money to move to Las Vegas and joined the Xtreme Couture camp. Former teammate Nick Diaz

Nick Díaz

Nicholas Robert Diaz is an American mixed martial artist. He is the former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, WEC and IFC Welterweight Champion. He has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride Fighting Championships and Elite Xtreme Combat. Diaz was promoted to black belt in Brazilian...

criticized Griffin as a "gym jumper", but Griffin rejected the accusation. He began 2007 with a fight against Frank Edgar

Frank Edgar

Frank James Edgar is an American mixed martial artist, who competes as a lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is the current UFC Lightweight Champion. His first and only career loss came against Gray Maynard in 2008, which marked the beginning of a noted rivalry...

at UFC 67
UFC 67
UFC 67: All or Nothing was a mixed martial arts event held by Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event was held Saturday, February 3, 2007 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada...

. The back-and-forth bout ended with Edgar trapped in a tight kneebar, but the judges unanimously scored the bout in his favor, handing Griffin his first professional loss. He rebounded with two decision victories over Clay Guida

Clay Guida

Clayton Charles Guida is an American mixed martial artist and currently fighting in the UFC as a lightweight. Guida was the first Strikeforce Lightweight Champion and held the title until being defeated by Gilbert Melendez at Strikeforce: Revenge...

and Thiago Tavares

Thiago Tavares

Thiago de Mello Tavares is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He currently fights in the lightweight division in the UFC.-Ultimate Fighting Championship:Thiago Tavares entered the UFC with an undefeated record and was highly regarded...

at UFC 72
UFC 72
UFC 72: Victory was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event took place Saturday, 16 June 2007 at The Odyssey in Belfast, Northern Ireland.-Background:...

and UFC 76
UFC 76
UFC 76: Knockout was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship . The event took place on September 22, 2007 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California...

, respectively. All three of his bouts in 2007 were declared Fight of the Night and were judged in the top 10 best of year.

In 2008, Griffin won unanimous decision victories over Gleison Tibau

Gleison Tibau

Janigleison Herculano Alves, better known as Gleison Tibau is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He currently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is one of the largest lightweights in MMA, weighing up to 183 pounds by the time he enters the cage.-Mixed martial arts:He was brought up...

at UFC 81
UFC 81
UFC 81: Breaking Point was a mixed martial arts event held on February 2, 2008 by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip....

and Marcus Aurelio

Marcus Aurelio

Marcus Aurélio Martins is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He formerly fought for the PRIDE Fighting Championship and for the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

at UFC 86
UFC 86
UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 5, 2008, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada....

.

He next faced Sean Sherk

Sean Sherk

Sean Keith Sherk is an American mixed martial arts fighter currently fighting for the UFC. He currently holds a professional mixed martial arts record of thirty-six wins, four losses and one draw. Sherk has fought in both the UFC and Pride FC, and is a former UFC Lightweight Champion...

at UFC 90
UFC 90
UFC 90: Silva vs. Côté was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 25, 2008 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The main event featured UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva vs Patrick Côté....

, in a fight with title contention implications. In another three-round war, Griffin lost by unanimous decision, after a hard fought fight.

Griffin defeated Rafael dos Anjos

Rafael dos Anjos

Rafael dos Anjos is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. Dos Anjos trains out of Evolve MMA in Brazil and Singapore and is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under Aldo "Caveirinha" Januario de Olivera...

at UFC Fight Night: Condit vs Kampmann via unanimous decision.

He won against Hermes Franca

Hermes Franca

Hermes França Barros is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes as a lightweight.-Early career:França made his professional MMA debut in November 2001. He quickly earned an undefeated streak of 6-0, drawing the attention of the UFC.-First UFC run:...

via KO in the second round at UFC 103

UFC 103

UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 19, 2009 in Dallas at the American Airlines Center. The event was broadcasted on pay-per-view.-Background :...

, this was his first victory via stoppage in three years.

Griffin was scheduled to face Jim Miller

Jim Miller (fighter)

James Andrew Miller is an American mixed martial artist. He has held the Cage Fury Fighting Championships Lightweight Championship and Reality Fighting Featherweight Championship. He currently fights for the UFC's lightweight division. He is the younger brother of fellow MMA fighter Dan Miller...

on January 2, 2010 at UFC 108

UFC 108

UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 2, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.- Background :...

, but was forced off the card with an injury.

Griffin fought Xtreme Couture training partner Evan Dunham

Evan Dunham

Evan Dunham is an American mixed martial artist who currently fights for Ultimate Fighting Championship in their lightweight division...

on June 12, 2010 at UFC 115

UFC 115

UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 12, 2010 at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.-Background:...

. He lost the fight via split decision.

Griffin faced former PRIDE Lightweight Champion, Takanori Gomi

Takanori Gomi

, is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Gomi is a former Shooto Welterweight Champion and was the last and only Pride Lightweight Champion. He is also a four-time All Japan Combat Wrestling champion. During his time in Pride he was considered...

on August 1, 2010 at UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko

UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko

UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday, August 1, 2010. Originally scheduled to take place at the EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, the UFC was forced to move the event to a different venue due to low ticket...

, replacing an injured Joe Stevenson

Joe Stevenson

Joseph Christopher Stevenson is an American mixed martial artist fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada. Competing as a welterweight, he won The Ultimate Fighter 2 welterweight tournament. Stevenson fought most of his UFC career as a lightweight, and made his featherweight debut at UFC Live: Kongo vs....

. Griffin lost via KO (punch) at 1:04 of the first round. This marks the first time Griffin has lost back to back fights, as well as the first time he had been stopped in a fight as all of his previous losses have gone to a decision. Griffin was visibly upset with the loss; pacing around the octagon and refusing to shake Gomi's hand.

Griffin was defeated by Nik Lentz

Nik Lentz

Nik Lentz is an American mixed martial artist. Lentz is currently signed under the Ultimate Fighting Championships promotion, fighting in the lightweight division.-Background:...

on November 20, 2010 at UFC 123

UFC 123

UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 20, 2010 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan...

by controversial split decision. Though Griffin has lost three in a row, Dana White has confirmed that Griffin will not be cut due to the controversial decision.

Griffin has posted a video, stating that he will drop to the UFC's featherweight division.

Griffin next faced Manvel Gamburyan

Manvel Gamburyan

Manvel "Manny" Gamburyan is an Armenian American mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter 5. Besides The Ultimate Fighter, Gamburyan has fought for notable promotions such as King of the Cage and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.Gamburyan is fighting in the...

on June 26, 2011 at UFC on Versus 4. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Griffin lost to Bart Palaszewski

Bart Palaszewski

Bart K. Palaszewski is a Polish-American mixed martial artist. He fought for the Quad City Silverbacks of the now defunct International Fight League. Following the UFC/WEC merger, Palaszewski is now under contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

on October 29, 2011 at UFC 137

UFC 137

UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 29, 2011 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...

via first round KO. During weigh ins, Griffin had failed to make the featherweight limit, coming in 3 pounds over. Griffin was fined 25 percent of his earnings and the bout took place at a catchweight of 148lb.

Championships and achievements

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

Fight Of The Night
Bonus Awards
-Background:UFC Bonus Awards are three different kinds of awards usually given to four fighters after a UFC event.Fight of the Night - Award given to the two fighters that fought each other and delivered the "most impressive" fight on the card....

(4 Times)

Gladiator Challenge

GC Lightweight Championship (1 Time)

Mixed martial arts record

Bart Palaszewski

| KO (punches)
| UFC 137

UFC 137

UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 29, 2011 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|15–5
|Manvel Gamburyan

Manvel Gamburyan

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

Nik Lentz

Nik Lentz is an American mixed martial artist. Lentz is currently signed under the Ultimate Fighting Championships promotion, fighting in the lightweight division.-Background:...

|Decision (split)
|UFC 123

UFC 123

Auburn Hills, Michigan

Auburn Hills is a city in Metro Detroit, Oakland County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 census. The city was formed in 1983 when Pontiac Township became the City of Auburn Hills.-Economy:...

Takanori Gomi

|KO (punch)
|UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko

UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

Evan Dunham

Evan Dunham is an American mixed martial artist who currently fights for Ultimate Fighting Championship in their lightweight division...

|Decision (split)
|UFC 115

UFC 115

UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 12, 2010 at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.-Background:...

|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|14–2
|Hermes Franca

Hermes Franca

|TKO (punches)
|UFC 103

UFC 103

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

, United States
|Franca weighed in at 159 lb, fighters agreed to fight at a catch weight.
|-
|Win
|align=center|13–2
|Rafael dos Anjos

Rafael dos Anjos

|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann

UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann

UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann, also referred to as UFC Fight Night 18, was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 1, 2009. The event was broadcast on Spike TV, as a prelude to the premiere of The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United...

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

Sean Sherk

|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 90

UFC 90

UFC 90: Silva vs. Côté was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 25, 2008 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The main event featured UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva vs Patrick Côté....

Rosemont, Illinois

Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States located immediately northwest of Chicago. The village was incorporated in 1956, though it had been settled long before that...

, United States
|Fight of the Night
|-
|Win
|align=center|12–1
|Marcus Aurélio

Marcus Aurelio

Marcus Aurélio Martins is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He formerly fought for the PRIDE Fighting Championship and for the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 86

UFC 86

UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 5, 2008, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada....

Las Vegas, Nevada

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|11–1
|Gleison Tibau

Gleison Tibau

|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 81

UFC 81

UFC 81: Breaking Point was a mixed martial arts event held on February 2, 2008 by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip....

Las Vegas, Nevada

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|10–1
|Thiago Tavares

Thiago Tavares

|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 76

UFC 76

UFC 76: Knockout was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship . The event took place on September 22, 2007 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California...

Anaheim, California

Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...

, United States
|Fight of the Night
|-
|Win
|align=center|9–1
|Clay Guida

Clay Guida

|Decision (split)
|UFC 72

UFC 72

UFC 72: Victory was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event took place Saturday, 16 June 2007 at The Odyssey in Belfast, Northern Ireland.-Background:...

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

UFC 67

UFC 67: All or Nothing was a mixed martial arts event held by Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event was held Saturday, February 3, 2007 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada...

Las Vegas, Nevada

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|8–0
|David Lee

David Lee (fighter)

David Lee is an English professional mixed martial artist who has competed for Ultimate Fighting Championship, Cage Rage, BAMMA, Bushido and Cage Rage UK...

|Submission (rear-naked choke)
|UFC 63

UFC 63

UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 23, 2006. The event took place at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California and was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States and Canada....

Anaheim, California

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|7–0
|Duane Ludwig

Duane Ludwig

|TKO (punches)
|Strikeforce: Revenge

Strikeforce: Revenge

Strikeforce: Revenge was the second mixed martial arts event promoted by Strikeforce. The event took place at the HP Pavilion at San Jose in San Jose, California on June 9, 2006. The main event featured the North American debut of Alistair Overeem....

San Jose, California

San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...

Lakeport, California

Lakeport is an incorporated city and county seat of Lake County, California. Lakeport is located on the west shore of Clear Lake, at an elevation of 1355 feet...

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|5–0
|Melchor Manibusan
|TKO (punches)
|FFCF 5: Unleashed
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|4:05
|Mangilao, Guam
|Lightweight debut
|-
|Win
|align=center|4–0
|Jorge Evangelista

Jorge Evangelista

Jorge Evangelista is an American mixed martial artist who has fought for World Extreme Cagefighting, International Fighting Championships and is the former Palace Fighting Championship Featherweight Champion. He is the older brother of mixed martial artist Billy Evangelista. Jorge is known for his...

Coarsegold, California

Coarsegold is a census-designated place in Madera County, California. It is located south-southwest of Yosemite Forks, at an elevation of 2218 feet...

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|3–0
|Urijah Faber

Urijah Faber

Lakeport, California

Lakeport is an incorporated city and county seat of Lake County, California. Lakeport is located on the west shore of Clear Lake, at an elevation of 1355 feet...

Porterville, California

Porterville is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, United States. Porterville's population was 54,165 at the 2010 census. The city's population grew dramatically as the city annexed many properties and unincorporated areas in and around Porterville. Not included in the...

Colusa, California

Colusa is the county seat of Colusa County, California. The population was 5,971 at the 2010 census, up from 5,402 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

, United States
|

External links

Official UFC Profile

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