The Mac
11-21-2010, 06:51 PM
Although once a top UFC lightweight contender, Tyson Griffin since has posted three consecutive losses.
The latest came Saturday on the untelevised preliminary card of UFC 123, where Griffin (14-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) suffered a controversial split-decision defeat to Nick Lentz (20-3-2 MMA, 4-0-1 UFC).
And though Griffin now has suffered a trio of defeats, UFC president Dana White said the Xtreme Couture fighter won't be cut from the organization's roster.
White knows MMA judging has its problems and continually cautions fighters not to leave their fate in the officials' hands, but he's adamant Griffin got a raw deal.
"Tyson Griffin got [expletive] big time tonight," White said.
The bout was far from a barnburner, and both fighters continually stalled working for takedowns. But Griffin appeared the aggressor despite the judges' 29-28, 27-30 and 29-28 scores in his opponent's favor.
Prior to his recent three-fight skid, which also include a split-decision defeat to top contender Evan Dunham and a flash knockout to Takanori Gomi, Griffin went 7-2 in his first nine UFC fights and picked up five "Fight of the Night" bonuses and a "Submission of the Night" award.
Those bonus checks don't get to boring fighters, and White said such competitors get longer leashes when determining who gets their walking papers and who gets televised spots.
"You know how I feel," White told MMAjunkie.com "I like guys who come in and fight. I'd rather keep a guy who lost a dogfight than keep a guy who ran around in circles for three rounds and won."
The latest came Saturday on the untelevised preliminary card of UFC 123, where Griffin (14-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) suffered a controversial split-decision defeat to Nick Lentz (20-3-2 MMA, 4-0-1 UFC).
And though Griffin now has suffered a trio of defeats, UFC president Dana White said the Xtreme Couture fighter won't be cut from the organization's roster.
White knows MMA judging has its problems and continually cautions fighters not to leave their fate in the officials' hands, but he's adamant Griffin got a raw deal.
"Tyson Griffin got [expletive] big time tonight," White said.
The bout was far from a barnburner, and both fighters continually stalled working for takedowns. But Griffin appeared the aggressor despite the judges' 29-28, 27-30 and 29-28 scores in his opponent's favor.
Prior to his recent three-fight skid, which also include a split-decision defeat to top contender Evan Dunham and a flash knockout to Takanori Gomi, Griffin went 7-2 in his first nine UFC fights and picked up five "Fight of the Night" bonuses and a "Submission of the Night" award.
Those bonus checks don't get to boring fighters, and White said such competitors get longer leashes when determining who gets their walking papers and who gets televised spots.
"You know how I feel," White told MMAjunkie.com "I like guys who come in and fight. I'd rather keep a guy who lost a dogfight than keep a guy who ran around in circles for three rounds and won."