Undefeated prospect, Tyson Griffen, will face his greatest test to date when he meets K-1 and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran, Duane "Bang" Ludwig, during a featured fight on the 10-bout Strikeforce “Revenge” mixed martial arts mega-card, which will take place at San Jose, California’s HP Pavilion on Friday, June 9th.

“It’s a chance to put my skills out there against a well-known name and, basically, a big stepping stone in my career,” said Griffin, whose half-dozen professional mixed martial arts appearances have revealed a great deal of promise in the explosive 22-year-old native of Albany, California.  To date, none of Griffin’s opponents have been able to take him the distance of a fight and only one has survived a full round of battle with him.  “I’m definitely a ground and pound fighter.  I like to hit guys and, usually, fights end up on the ground, so I’ll keep hitting them on the ground.” 

A member of the Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance squad, Griffin was introduced to the sport of mixed martial arts approximately three years ago after he befriended UFC competitor, David Terrell, who invited Griffin to one of his training sessions.  “I was basically in the right place at the right time,” he explained.

Griffin’s grappling days began in high school where he was an all-star wrestler as well as a standout baseball and football player.  His athletic achievements earned him recognition from Contra Costa Times, a local daily newspaper, which named Griffin one of Contra Costa County’s top 100 high school athletes in 2002.  After graduation, Griffin went on to wrestle for Santa Rosa Junior College.

On paper, Ludwig’s greatest advantage in the Strikeforce matchup lies in his experience as well as the 27-year-old’s fearsome striking capabilities, which he has honed since taking up Muay Thai at the age of 15.  On January 10, 2004, Ludwig captured the International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) World Junior Middleweight (154 pound limit) Muay Thai championship by defeating Thai superstar, Malaipet Sitprapom, in Ludwig’s hometown of Denver, Colorado. 

Since becoming a dominant force in the world of stand-up fighting, Ludwig has put his skills to work in the cage.  Three and a half years ago, he made his first big mark in mixed martial arts by knocking out former UFC 155 pound limit champion, Jens Pulver.

On January 16th of this year, Ludwig returned to the UFC and scored a knockout on Jonathan Goulet only 11 seconds into their matchup by countering a left hand with a straight right punch to the chin that put Goulet on the mat.

Griffin contends that Ludwig’s kicks and punches will not be as much a factor in the fight as insiders may think.  He noted his own ability to engage in toe-to-toe battle, something he attributes to his training with boxing coach, Rosendo Sanchez, as well as his kickboxing mentor, Billy Olson. 

“No one’s seen my stand-up in my fights because I usually end up fighting on the ground,” said Griffin.  “I’ve trained with world class boxers and world class kickboxers.  I have a lot of skills that, hopefully, I’ll get to show in this fight.”