Chad Griggs

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Chad Griggs
Born (1978-05-15) May 15, 1978 (age 35)
Tucson, Arizona, United States
Other names The Grave Digger
Nationality American
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Division Heavyweight (265 lb)
Light Heavyweight (205 lb)
Reach 73 in (185 cm)
Fighting out of Tucson, Arizona
Team Apex MMA/Fight Legion
Years active 2005-present
Mixed martial arts record
Total 14
Wins 11
By knockout 9
By submission 2
Losses 3
By submission 3
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Chad Griggs (born May 15, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, Griggs has made a name for himself fighting in his home state of Arizona. He formerly fought for the Tucson Scorpions of the IFL.

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Background[edit]

Griggs is from Tucson, Arizona and was introduced to mixed martial arts when he began training and frequently sparring with MMA fighter Don Frye. Griggs attended college, where he received his EMT and paramedic certification.

Early career[edit]

Griggs made his MMA debut in December 2005, on the first Total Fighting Alliance card. He fought and quickly defeated Johnathan Tsosie, an 0-3 fighter at the time, only eighteen seconds into round one. In April 2006, Griggs took his second fight on a Rage in the Cage card, again winning via TKO.

Only a month after his second fight, Griggs fought Johnathan Tsosie in a rematch from their December fight. Griggs again came out victorious, winning via submission due to punches. He won another fight before signing with upstart promotion, International Fight League.

International Fight League[edit]

Griggs signed with the IFL in 2007, and was picked to be a part of the Tucson Scorpions. He made his IFL debut on the Houston card that took place on February 2, 2007. His opponent was PRIDE and UFC veteran, John Marsh. Griggs won the fight by TKO in the third round.

He then fought on the Connecticut card against undefeated Shane Ott. Ott defeated Griggs with a kimura submission early in round one. Griggs was released from the promotion after the loss.

Regional circuits[edit]

Griggs won two fights after being released from the IFL. After his second win, he took a year and a half off from competition. He returned in April 2009, winning against Jon Alexander at Ultimate Style Fighting: Rumble in Wyoming.

Strikeforce[edit]

Griggs made his debut for Strikeforce at Strikeforce: Houston on August 21, 2010 against former pro-wrestling star and standout collegiate wrestler Bobby Lashley.[1] Griggs defeated Lashley by TKO when Lashley was unable to return to his corner at the end of the 2nd round after Griggs landed a flurry of strikes.

Griggs next fight for Strikeforce came against promotional newcomer Gian Villante at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva. Griggs won the fight in the first round via TKO. The fight served as a reserve bout for Strikeforce's heavyweight grand prix.[2]

Griggs' next fight was against Valentijn Overeem at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum on June 18, 2011, in Dallas, Texas.[3] He won the fight via submission to strikes in the first round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship[edit]

With the elimination of the Strikeforce Heavyweight division, Griggs moved to the UFC in 2012. Griggs faced Travis Browne on April 21, 2012 at UFC 145.[4] He lost the bout in the first round via submission due to an arm-triangle choke.

Griggs was expected to face Phil Davis in his light heavyweight debut on August 4, 2012 at UFC on FOX 4.[5] However, Griggs was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by promotional newcomer Wagner Prado.[6]

After moving down to light heavyweight, Griggs lost to Cyrille Diabaté via first round rear naked choke submission on November 17, 2012 at UFC 154. [7] He was released from the UFC on January 18, 2013.[8]

Personal life[edit]

Griggs and his wife Julie have two children, a son named Bailey and a daughter named Haiden.[9] Griggs also works as a firefighter and a paramedic with the Tucson Fire Department.

Mixed martial arts record[edit]

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 11–3 France Cyrille Diabaté Submission (rear naked choke) UFC 154 02012-11-17November 17, 2012 1 2:24 Montreal, Quebec, Canada Light Heavyweight debut
Loss 11–2 United States Travis Browne Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC 145 02012-04-21April 21, 2012 1 2:29 Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Win 11–1 Netherlands Valentijn Overeem Submission (punches) Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum 02011-06-18June 18, 2011 1 2:08 Dallas, Texas, United States Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Reserve Bout
Win 10–1 United States Gian Villante TKO (punches) Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva 02011-02-12February 12, 2011 1 2:49 East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Reserve Bout
Win 9–1 United States Bobby Lashley TKO (stoppage) Strikeforce: Houston 02010-08-21August 21, 2010 2 5:00 Houston, Texas, United States
Win 8–1 United States Jon Alexander KO (elbows) USF: Rumble in Wyoming 02009-04-25April 25, 2009 1 1:13 Casper, Wyoming, United States
Win 7–1 United States Eric Garcia TKO (punches) All Power Combat 1 02007-11-17November 17, 2007 1 1:02 Arizona, United States
Win 6–1 United States Steve Sayegh TKO (punches) Rage in the Cage 101 02007-10-06October 6, 2007 1 2:28 Fountain Hills, Arizona, United States
Loss 5–1 United States Shane Ott Submission (kimura) IFL: Connecticut 02007-04-13April 13, 2007 1 1:09 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 5–0 United States John Marsh TKO (punches) IFL: Houston 02007-02-02February 2, 2007 3 2:32 Houston, Texas, United States
Win 4–0 United States Tony Mendoza TKO (punches) WFC: Rumble in the Rockies 02006-09-02September 2, 2006 1 2:41 Loveland, Colorado, United States
Win 3–0 United States Johnathan Tsosie Submission (punches) Rage in the Cage 82 02006-05-26May 26, 2006 1 0:43 Tucson, Arizona, United States
Win 2–0 United States Homer Moore TKO (punches) Rage in the Cage 81 02006-04-29April 29, 2006 3 0:30 Mesa, Arizona, United States
Win 1–0 United States Johnathan Tsosie TKO (punches) Total Fighting Alliance 1 02005-12-10December 10, 2005 1 0:18 Campo, California, United States

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]