Former UFC lightweight contender Tyson Griffin today announced on Twitter that he has signed a multi-fight deal with the World Series of Fighting. Here’s what Griffin Tweeted: I hope to be on the august WSOF card & can’t wait to put on the most exciting fight the @WSOFfans have ever seen!! Griffin, 16-6, was cut from the UFC following a 1-4 skid in the organization that culminated with him missing weight and getting knocked out by Bart Palaszewski at UFC 137. In addition to his losing skid, Griffin tested positive for marijuana following his split decision loss to Nik Lentz at UFC 123 which certainly didn’t help with his status in the organization, and he was cut in November 2011. After his failed stint at featherweight, Griffin returned to the lightweight division and he picked up a unanimous decision win over Efrain Escudero in the RFA last November. However, he never fought again for the organization and he’s now signed an exclusive deal with WSOF. There was no opponent named for Griffin nor was a debut date mentioned, but a possibility is the winner of the upcoming lightweight bout between Lyle Beerbohm and Jacob Volkmann, which takes place at WSOF this June in Las Vegas. Sanchez To Fight At UFC 164 According to MMAjunkie.com, lightweight Diego Sanchez will return to the cage at UFC 164 this August in Milwaukee, although his opponent is not yet known. Potential opponents include Jamie Varner, Ross Pearson, Joe Lauzon and Gilbert Melendez, among others. Whoever Sanchez is paired up with, though, one can expect his bout to be a “Fight of the Night” candidate. Gonzaga Appeal Denied MMAjunkie.com also reported that Gabriel Gonzaga’s appeal of his controversial TKO loss to Travis Browne was today denied by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after the commission said they couldn’t find a reason to overturn the call. Gonzaga’s camp claimed that Gonzaga was knocked out with illegal 12-6 elbows by Browne in their heavyweight bout at the TUF 17 Finale, and many fans and observers of the sport agreed with them. However, the commission has denied their appeal and so Gonzaga remains with a loss on his record, while Browne has a big win over a veteran. Look for Gonzaga to return to the cage at UFC 163 this August in Brazil, while Browne will likely fight again this fall against a top contender. Le Has Interest In Bisping Former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le will likely return to the Octagon sometime this summer and one opponent he would fight is Michael Bisping. Le made a few cryptic remarks on his Twitter account about possibly fighting Bisping, although he didn’t directly call him out. However, where there’s smoke there’s often fire and a bout between Le and Bisping would likely be a Fight of the Night candidate. Both fighters are deft standup artists, with Le being the better kicker and Bisping the better puncher, and there’s no doubt a fight between these two would be epic if it did happen. It could even possibly headline a FX card or be the co-headliner for a pay-per-view. There are a number of contenders in the wide-open UFC middleweight division so look for Le to be matched up with someone in the top 10 if he doesn’t get Bisping the next time out.
