With a few more solid wins, Avious Griffin could've lined himself up with a title shot. At the very least, he would've been on the hook for a few big-time fights. Now however, he'll have to start from scratch.

Julian Rodriguez seemed like the perfect stepping stone. He carried a terrific record, talked a ton of trash, but didn't appear to be overwhelmingly dangerous. Yet, the 30-year-old fought like a man who knew he had nothing to lose.

Griffin was on cruise control for most of the night last weekend. He fought beautifully on the outside and outworked him up close. While he could've boxed during the final round and grabbed a points win, attempted to close the show. Unfortunately for him, that backfired.

Rodriguez landed a Hail Mary left hand in the 10th, leading to an upset stoppage win. Griffin took some time to process things. Now with a clear head, he refuses to sulk. His first official loss on paper is something familiar.

"I took plenty of losses in the dark along the way to get here," Griffin wrote on his Instagram account. "The one in the light has been a pill to swallow but you know how it goes. Live by the gun, die by the gun, but I ain't dead yet. We have bounced back from worse things."

Griffin, who spent a short stint in jail, is attempting to look on the bright side but it isn't an easy process.

Although his career was going to plan, he walks around with the mindset that he's always the underdog and that has largely served him well. However at 31, he wants to take things to another level and show the world why that moniker is something he lives and dies by.

"Next chapter is called 'definition of the underdog.' See y'all soon."