UFC Lightweight: Tyson Griffin Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seats

With the UFC handing out submission of the night, knockout of the night, and fight of the night honors, it is time to look into just who it is exactly that we all see on on a fight card that keeps us on the edge of our seats.

This is what draws us all in and keeps us coming closer and closer to the edge of our seats. Here, we are talking about the most exciting fighter from the UFC lightweight division. 

Starting off with the UFC's spark plugs, the lightweights are lightning fast and bottled with endless amounts of energy that would make the Energizer Bunny envious of them. The division is currently ruled by champion "The Prodigy" B.J. Penn. And while Penn is on a tear of his own there is another fighter at 155 pounds that holds the top spot for action-packed fights.

So who stands at the top of the list in the UFC's most entertaining division?

Well, he stands at 5'6" and holds a record of 14-2. His lone losses are to former champion Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk and the current No. 1 contender Frankie Edgar, the man set to face current champion Penn next at UFC 112: Abu Dhabi. He has made a living from fight of the night and submission of the night bonuses alone.

Tyson Griffin would be that fighter taking the top spot. Griffin earned a submission of the night honor in his Octagon debut and has not stopped entertaining the mixed martial arts world since. After that submission of the night bonus against David Lee at UFC 63, Griffin moved to Las Vegas to train with the famed Xtreme Couture camp led by Hall of Famer Randy Couture.

With a fighter having so much success, and holding wins over former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber and current UFC lightweight Duane Ludwig, why would he want to move his camp?

The reason is simple. Since making the trip to Xtreme Couture and making the gym his full-time home for training, Griffin has racked up five fight of the night honors. The word boring and Tyson Griffin get along about as well as Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and "Sugar" Rashad Evans do—not at all.

Griffin's style is much like the name of the next UFC: relentless. Every time Tyson Griffin steps into the Octagon everyone knows that they are about to be on the edge of their seats. After joining Xtreme Couture, Griffin won three consecutive fight of the night honors, taking on Edgar, Clay Guida, and Thiago Tavares all in 2007.

Since that time, Griffin has notched victories over Gleison Tibau, Marcus Aurelio, Rafael dos Anjos, and Hermes Franca.

Griffin took home two more fight of the night honors in the dos Anjos bout and his decision loss to Sean Sherk. In Griffin's most recent bout he was seen knocking out Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Hermes Franca in stunning fashion back at UFC 103. Griffin showed vastly improved standup with quick crisp strikes and powerful hands.

Griffin was previously slated to face fellow lightweight Jim Miller at UFC 108, but was forced off the card with an injury.

One can bet that when Tyson Griffin's next bout is announced and he walks out to his entrance of "Eye of the Tiger" everyone will begin edging closer to the edge of their seats in action-packed excitement. With solid takedowns, lightning quick transitions, and knockout power in his hands, it's hard not to make a case for Tyson Griffin getting a title shot in 2010 if he continues the pace he is currently at.