In advance of his fight with Bart Palaszewski at UFC 137, Tyson Griffin (15-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) is drumming up support for a local charity.
The UFC featherweight is conducting a raffle to benefit Boys Town of Nevada, an organization dedicated that cares for troubled youth and families.
One lucky winner will get two tickets to the pay-per-view event, which takes place Oct. 29 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, as well as two tickets to Griffin's afterparty.
Griffin has previously acted as a youth mentor at Boys Town of Nevada and said it's a cause close to his heart.
"I could have been in their shoes," Griffin stated in a press release. "I had a chance to work with Boys Town a couple of times for the UFC and learning about the kids down there and what their situations were, I could relate. Growing up my parents got locked up and I was in foster care for a little bit and I could really relate to those kids and understand what they’re going through and what the situation is.
"I was one of those kids back in the day and I just want to really give back based on the situations I came from and help those kids understand that it doesn't really matter where you come from that you can still come out on top."
Tickets for the raffle are $25 and can be purchased on Griffin's website, TysonGriffin.com.
Griffin's manager, Tom Call of Impact Fight Management, said the contest is a way for fighters to give back to the community.
"It's not just about entertaining the fans," he stated in the release. "We have to be proactive in showcasing the true character of our clients, and I applaud Tyson for stepping up and setting a new MMA standard. Expect more Impact fighters to follow the same course."
Griffin, a former UFC lightweight contender, saved his UFC career with a recent majority-decision victory over Manny Gamburyan at UFC on Versus 4. After a 6-1 run from 2007 to 2009, the Xtreme Couture fighter and four-time "Fight of the Night" winner hit the skids with consecutive losses to Evan Dunham, Takanori Gomni and Nik Lentz. Despite the setbacks, the Dunham and Lentz losses both came via closely contested split decisions.
The UFC featherweight is conducting a raffle to benefit Boys Town of Nevada, an organization dedicated that cares for troubled youth and families.
One lucky winner will get two tickets to the pay-per-view event, which takes place Oct. 29 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, as well as two tickets to Griffin's afterparty.
Griffin has previously acted as a youth mentor at Boys Town of Nevada and said it's a cause close to his heart.
"I could have been in their shoes," Griffin stated in a press release. "I had a chance to work with Boys Town a couple of times for the UFC and learning about the kids down there and what their situations were, I could relate. Growing up my parents got locked up and I was in foster care for a little bit and I could really relate to those kids and understand what they’re going through and what the situation is.
"I was one of those kids back in the day and I just want to really give back based on the situations I came from and help those kids understand that it doesn't really matter where you come from that you can still come out on top."
Tickets for the raffle are $25 and can be purchased on Griffin's website, TysonGriffin.com.
Griffin's manager, Tom Call of Impact Fight Management, said the contest is a way for fighters to give back to the community.
"It's not just about entertaining the fans," he stated in the release. "We have to be proactive in showcasing the true character of our clients, and I applaud Tyson for stepping up and setting a new MMA standard. Expect more Impact fighters to follow the same course."
Griffin, a former UFC lightweight contender, saved his UFC career with a recent majority-decision victory over Manny Gamburyan at UFC on Versus 4. After a 6-1 run from 2007 to 2009, the Xtreme Couture fighter and four-time "Fight of the Night" winner hit the skids with consecutive losses to Evan Dunham, Takanori Gomni and Nik Lentz. Despite the setbacks, the Dunham and Lentz losses both came via closely contested split decisions.