"He had been partying and was out of shape, but we got some work in though. We wasn't going crazy and doing anything that I would consider overworking, but we went a few rounds. It wasn't like I was sparring with him all day," stated UFC lightweight contender Tyson Griffin as he talked about working with Takanori Gomi and his training for his upcoming clash with Marcus Aurelio at UFC 86. Check it out!
PC: It's been awhile man. How are you doing?
TG: Everything is good. I'm just training hard and getting ready for the next one.
PC: How is camp going for this fight against Marcus Aurelio at UFC 86?
TG: It's going great actually. I really didn't take that much time off from my last fight. I had to jump right back in. Gray's fight was coming up and then Sam Stout was finishing up his camp so I stayed in camp pretty much right after my last one. I kept the weight down and stayed in shape.
PC: Aurelio has fought some of the best in the world. How big would a win over him be for you?
TG: It would be a big win just because of where his name is at. When he beat Gomi, it put him up there, but then in the UFC, he lost to Clay Guida so it would be a big loss too if I lost to him. It's a very important fight as far as where I'm at in my career in the UFC.
PC: ATT against Xtreme Couture; two of the best gyms in the country. What will separate you guys come fight night?
TG: I don't really know. I guess we'll find out man. When it comes down to it, I've already fought two American Top Team black belts, Tavares and Tibau, and beat both of them, but at the same time, I'm not fighting any of those guys, I'm fighting Marcus Aurelio and I think just pure hard work is what's going to separate us and I'm hoping it shows on July 5th. I want to put the pressure on him and break his conditioning and hopefully capitalize.
PC: Tibau wanted to stand with you a little more than I expected him to. Aurelio's fights are all over the place. What kind of fight do you anticipate?
TG: Yeah, it will be interesting to see what kind of gameplan he has against me. He stood with Clay in his first fight in the UFC and then after that, he's been rushing in for a quick takedown to get the fight on the ground. He's wanted to take the fights to the ground as soon as possible so I'm prepared for everything. I've trained my butt off so we'll have to see what he comes with.
PC: I saw some pictures with Takanori Gomi training with you at Xtreme Couture. Was that just to prepare for Aurelio or will he be a regular at Xtreme Couture?
TG: (Laughing) No, I think he was just in town to watch the BJ Penn and Sean Sherk fight. That was a big fight for the lightweight guys so he stopped by the gym to do some training. It had nothing to do with my fight. He had no idea I was even fighting Aurelio. He was actually like, "Oh, I lost to him before." I think I surprised him when I told him I was fighting him. It had nothing to do with my fight and I doubt Gomi will be a regular at Xtreme Couture. He was just in town and stopped there.
PC: Did you get some pretty good work in with him?
TG: He had been partying and was out of shape, but we got some work in though. We wasn't going crazy and doing anything that I would consider overworking, but we went a few rounds. It wasn't like I was sparring with him all day.
PC: When I spoke with Kenny Florian, he named you as the guy that the winner of his fight with Huerta should have to fight for the title if BJ vacates. How does that make you feel?
TG: Yeah, I actually heard that from my brother. I take that as a great honor and great respect. Kenny Florian has actually been to the gym and we've trained and sparred a little bit. It's a great thing for a young guy like me to hear coming from a veteran like him.
PC: It's a great card. Rampage and Forrest should be fireworks. You've been on several big cards. Where do you rank this one?
TG: Man, I've fought on a lot of big cards. I fought when Forrest fought Shogun and when BJ Penn fought Matt Hughes. I would love to see Forrest get that title; that would be great. After my fight, I'm going to sit down and enjoy a great show and see Forrest wearing that gold afterwards. I don't really put too much pressure on myself about a big card because like I said, I've fought on some pretty big ones. I just go in there and do me and I don't worry about any of the other fights on the card. I usually never watch the fights before my fights anyway.
PC: I appreciate your time Tyson. I'll speak with you after the fight I'm sure. Good luck on the 5th of July. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
TG: I just want to thank all of the fans that support me through my wins and losses and hopefully we'll come out with a win in July.
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