Chad Griggs Moves To Light Heavyweight, Faces Cyrille Diabate At UFC 154

(Photo by Al Bello/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Former Strikeforce fighter and one-time UFC heavyweight Chad Griggs is making the move to the light heavyweight heavyweight division at UFC 154 when he meets veteran French striker Cyrille Dibate on Nov. 17.

While not confirmed, the 205-pound contest will likely take place on the preliminary portion of the card, which is set to broadcast on FX and Facebook.

UFC officials announced the match up this past week.

Griggs (11-2) was supposed to make his light heavyweight debut against Phil Davis at UFC on FOX 4 last August, however an injury forced the 34-year-old off the card. Griggs made the decision to change weight classes after being dominated and submitted in the first round by Travis Browne at UFC 145 in April. “The Grave Digger” has fought at 205-pounds earlier in his career but moved up to heavyweight when he signed with Strikeforce. Prior to his loss to Browne, Griggs had won six fights in a row, finishing all of those opponents inside the distance. The Arizona native will attempt to earn his first UFC victory when he steps into the world famous octagon for the second time at UFC 154.

Diabate (18-8-1) is ready to welcome Griggs back to the light heavyweight division, hopefully with a loss. “The Snake” has alternated wins and losses since joining the UFC roster in mid-2010 and his overall UFC record currently stands at a respectable 3-2. Diabate was last seen at UFC on FUEL TV 2 last April where he picked up a majority decision win over Tom DeBlass. The 38-year-old is one of the oldest fighters currently contracted to the UFC and attempts to put together back-to-back wins for the first time since joining the organization.

UFC 154: St-Pierre vs. Condit goes down Nov. 17 from the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A welterweight championship unification match between Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit headlines the event.

The get the latest on UFC 154, click here. For up-to-date versions of all upcoming fight cards, head over to the rumors section.

Mike Bohn, founder and lead writer of FightCove.com, wrote this article. You can follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeBohnMMA. Also, follow @FightCove on Twitter and “Like” Fight Cove on Facebook.