Tyson Griffin lost a tight decision his last time out at UFC 90 but he's hasn't lost any of confidence in his abilities or fight style. He's one of the most well-rounded guys at lightweight but has gotten in the habit of grinding out decisions. He lost to Sean Sherk when two judges scored it 29-28 and the other gave it to Sherk 30-27. Griffin is starting to realize he needs to get more active and push the pace:
"I see why the judges thought I lost that fight," Griffin told Cage Writer. "He was more active with the punches, he threw more punches. Did he land the heavier shots? No, but at the same time that's not what always wins a fight."
Watch Cage Writer with Griffin as he talks about the lightweight champ B.J. Penn (5:00 mark):
Griffin says his biggest strength is his stamina. He plans on pushing the pace against Rafael dos Anjos, his opponent tonight, who he says tired in his last fight against Jeremy Stephens. Griffin also says cardio will be a big key in deciding whether the lightweight champ Penn will dominate at 155 pounds in the future:
"You've seen it with tons of guys who were champs and got sort of passed up with the sport. You look at B.J. Penn and he's showing weaknesses. How hard does he train outside of the MMA stuff? How hard does he push his cardio and road work? That's where I'm seeing the weaknesses. That's where these young guys are learning to really push."
Griffin gets tested on a daily basis at Xtreme Couture by elite lightweights like Gray Maynard and Rob McCullough as well as younger guys like Ryan Couture and Junie Browning. He talks at the end of the video about the difference between Couture and Browning.
Cage Writer will have full coverage of UFN 18 and the debut of The Ultimate Fighter 9 with a live chat with Maggie Hendricks during the event and fight-by-fight results. Don't forget after the card is complete Yahoo! Sports/ESPNRadio1100 will have on the winners during a live postfight show from the Sommet Center in Nashville. Listen here.
