Dave Meltzer is reporting that UFC lightweight fighter Tyson Griffin will replace injured fighter Joe Stevenson to take on Japanese sensation Takanori Gomi as part of the the August 1 card UFC on Versus 2 event. The event takes place from the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California.
Fans of Gomi are hoping to see a much better and more polished fighter than the one that made his debut in the Octagon against Kenny “KenFlo” Florian at UFC Fight Night 21. Not only did Gomi look unfocused and outclassed, his cardio seemed to be very lacking as well.
Griffin is a solid fighter but not necessarily a solid finisher. With a penchance for having fights go to decision(8 of his last nine have gone that way) its easy to see why the ATT fighter hasn’t progressed to the upper levels of the UFC lightweight division. Griffin will be coming off a decision loss to Evan Dunham at UFC 115: Liddell Vs. Franklin and should be more than hungry to take out the former Pride champion Gomi.
There’s not a lot of information on the matches scheduled for UFC on Versus 2, but Jon Jones will take on Vladimir Matyshenko and Yushin Okami will face Mark Munoz. We’ll update the card information as the bouts become official.