Those looking for some added drama between former training partners Tyson Griffin and Evan Dunham in their lightweight clash at UFC 115 this Saturday in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, best look somewhere else, says Griffin.
“A lot of it was blown out of proportion. I don’t necessarily consider him a teammate at the time or now (though) maybe one day,” Griffin told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown Show” on Monday. “He was just a training partner. Since the gym opened, there’s a core group of us that have been there every day and there’s been numerous fighters that have moved in, moved out, trained for fights, trained and gone back home or whatever it may be…I didn’t really think of it as fighting somebody close to me.”
Dunham, who doesn’t have Griffin’s tenure at the regarded facility, moved his camp to a variety of other gyms in the area, including Throwdown, Tapout, and Cobra Kai. That doesn’t mean Griffin didn’t get a good eyeful while Dunham trained at his side, though.
“Yeah, for sure. I definitely got a feel for him in the gym and looking at his fights you can see the same thing,” said Griffin. “He’s a tough, hard-nosed guy. He’s got a good chin. He’s going to keep fighting no matter what.”
Dunham, undefeated in 10 professional bouts, submitted formerly unbeaten “Ultimate Fighter 8” winner Efrain Escudero at UFC Fight Night 20 in January. Some may say the 28-year-old Dunham is where Griffin was three years ago -- a promising newcomer taking the next step up in competition. Proportionately, Griffin sees far more to lose in this fight than gain.
“I think it will just let me hold my contender status,” said Griffin. “If I lose to him, I guess it will put me back in the running of the up-and-comers and I’ll have to grind my way back into contender status. I don’t think it will move me anywhere, but a loss would definitely drop me down.”
Making his tenth UFC appearance, Griffin rides in on a dynamic second-round technical knockout over heavy-handed Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Hermes Franca at UFC 103 last September. Griffin’s sudden handling of Franca came on the heels of seven straight decision wins.
“It just simply mixing it up and keeping people guessing,” said the 26-year-old Griffin. “In the Franca fight, I was mixing it up with kicks and body punches and maybe he wasn’t ready for a punch coming towards his head and he was a little bit more relaxed.”
Griffin’s penchant for taking bouts to the final bell hasn’t garnered him a reputation for lackluster fare. On the contrary, the reserved Californian has cornered the market on “Fight of the Night” bonuses (five plus one submission bonus) doled out by the promotion. Griffin’s frenetic pacing, and particularly his ability to come out on top in scrambles, has made him a scourge in the UFC’s lightweight division.
“I guess it’s just my body type and how I wrestled growing up,” said Griffin. “I don’t come from a hard-nosed wrestling background that drilled a thousand double-legs a day. I have my own style and my own scrambles and being flexible allows me to do some things that other guys can’t. I created my own style and it works for me, so I’m going to keep doing it -- and more than anything, scrambling makes people really tired, so it’s hard to keep up with.”