Chad Griggs looking to ‘make a statement’ in UFC debut against Travis Browne this Saturday

Less than two years ago Chad Griggs (11-1) was a relative unknown in the mixed martial arts community and contemplating retirement from the sport. However, that all changed for Griggs when Strikeforce brought him in as the underdog to face an undefeated Bobby Lashley.

Griggs would go on to hand Lashley the first and only loss of his professional career and now, two wins later, Griggs is on the verge of making his UFC debut.

“It’s an honor to fight for the UFC,” Griggs said. “We kind of figured that we were going to try to make the move over there, and with them closing the whole [Strikeforce] heavyweight division out it was a given where I was going. They definitely gave me a tough opponent right off the bat.”

This Saturday, April 21, Chad Griggs will make his UFC debut when he takes on the undefeated Travis Browne (12-0-1) at UFC 145 in Atlanta, Ga. The fight will air live on FX at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).

“The guy is a monster,” Griggs said. “He likes to stand up and bang, which if you look at both of our records is kind of both of our styles. From a fans point of view I think it’s a really good matchup to see some big boys who can actually move around and throw heavy bombs.”

With all of the attention that the UFC heavyweight division garners, Griggs said that he plans on making a statement in his debut and putting on a good show for the fans.

“There are a lot of eyes on the heavyweight division now,” Griggs said. “With this being my first fight I absolutely want to make a statement. I want to have a good showing and I’m going to do my best to do that.”

And while making a statement on Saturday night will be no easy task for either fighter, Griggs said that coming out of his training camp he feels ready and up to the task.

“I think we’re going to be ready.” Griggs said. “It has been a good camp. I think that everybody has some ups and downs in their camp, but I think the main goal is getting the work in and peaking at the right time. I had some good guys working with me and I think we have a good game plan so I feel good.”

So what will Griggs’ game plan be when steps into the cage against Browne?

“With his reach advantage the key is to not stand within his reach and get picked apart,” Griggs said. “I’m going to have to stay out of the way, work my way into the pock when the time is right, cut angles, and be the faster more agile fighter. If that doesn’t work then I’ll have to try to take it to the ground, and if that doesn’t work we’ll change it again.”

No matter how things ultimately play out though, Griggs is confident that his fight with Browne will be anything but dull.

“We’re definitely going to be putting on a good show Saturday,” Griggs said. “I promise that it’s going to be exciting and that more than likely it’s not going to the decision.”

Chad Griggs would like to thank his sponsors, his team, his family and the fans for all of their support. Griggs said that it is definitely a team effort to get ready for a fight and he feels blessed to be in the position he is in.

UFC 145 will take place this Saturday, April 21, at Philips Area in Atlanta, Ga. The first preliminary fights will air live on Facebook beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT). The prelims will then move to FX at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) and will be followed by the pay-per-view main card at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT).