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UFC welterweight Max Griffin spoke to MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura ahead of Saturday’s UFC 248 event in Las Vegas.
UFC welterweight Max Griffin spoke to MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura ahead of Saturday’s UFC 248 event in Las Vegas.
Max Griffin sees a specific path to victory in his matchup with Alex Oliveira at UFC 248.
[autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] knows what kind of fight he needs to bring to Alex Oliveira.
Griffin (15-7 MMA, 3-5 UFC) opens up the UFC 248 main card when he takes on Oliveira (20-8-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC), in an appealing stylistic matchup that has his juices flowing.
“He’s an exciting fighter that brings it and is always fun to watch,” Griffin told MMA Junkie. “So going against a true warrior had me dancing out of bed when I got the call.”
Oliveira has been involved in some wars during his UFC tenure that have earned him four bonuses for his efforts. But Griffin sees a specific path to victory.
“He’s pretty wild – I can’t let him get comfortable in there,” Griffin said. “So I’m going to put the pressure on him and not give him room to breathe. He doesn’t like that kind of fight, and that’s what I’m going to do.
“I’m going to finish this man. Much respect (to him), but it’s me or him, and it’s gonna be him.”
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Griffin is 2-3 in his past five fights, but holds solid wins over Mike Perry and Zelim Imadaev. He is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Alex Morono in October in a fight he said he took some positives from.
“I’ve had some good wins and some razor-close losses,” Griffin said. “What I learned in my last fight is output. I got kicked in the head with Morono at the end of the second, (but) came out that third and steamrolled him. It’s the first fight I wasn’t fatigued at all. I’m coming in hot. I’ll be able use my newfound strengths and get the job done with authority.”
For this training camp, Griffin spent time training at Team Alpha Male, working specifically with 13-time world kickboxing champion Slava Borshchev.
After fighting three times in 2019, Griffin is looking to mirror that activity – if not more.
“I want to fight much as possible – the more, the better,” Griffin said. “I’m aiming for at least four (times in 2020) – maybe even something short notice if the opportunity arises. I’m always in the gym.
“This win will be major. It’s kicking off the main card of UFC 248 – a lot of eyes. It’s time for the Max ‘Pain’ Griffin takeover, and it couldn’t be on a better stage. After this, I can see a launch to a co-main or a main (event) somewhere. I’m looking for someone good – maybe (Santiago) Ponzinibbio or (Donald) Cerrone, (Carlos) Condit, (Robbie) Lawler.”
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We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 248 event in Las Vegas, featuring Adesanya-Romero and Weili-Jedrzejczyk title fights.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 248 event in Las Vegas.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC 248 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC 248 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
The lineup has been set for what promises to be an explosive night of action in Las Vegas.
UFC 248 will feature a championship doubleheader showcasing four elite competitors from all over the world.
Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya of New Zealand will put his title on the line against Yoel Romero, from South Florida by way of Cuba, in the main event.
In the co-main, strawweight champion Weili Zhang of China meets Joanna Jedrzejczyk of Poland.
The melting pot that is UFC 248 takes place March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Both Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Zhang (20-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will look to remain undefeated in the UFC.
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It’s been a while since Max Griffin has been this excited for a fight, as he meets Alex Oliveira at UFC 248.
It’s been a while since [autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] has been this excited for a fight.
Griffin (15-7 MMA, 3-5 UFC) takes on [autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] at UFC 248 on March 7, a contest that has “Fight of the Night” written all over it.
Oliveira (19-8-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC) is owner of four performance bonuses in the UFC and has been involved in some barnburners with the likes of Yancy Medeiros and Mike Perry – and that’s what makes this matchup so exciting for Griffin.
“Man, I’m pumped,” Griffin told MMA Junkie. “I actually haven’t been excited for a fight in a couple of fights. I had the Thiago (Alves) fight, pumped for that, then I had Zelim (Imadaev), Alex Morono. I was like, ‘Eh, ‘Cowboy.” I got out of bed, yes, so pumped.
“They had some contract stuff going on on the other side, so we almost didn’t get the fight. Two weeks later we get the fight. We get the bout agreement two minutes later, and we’re back in Vegas. Huge show, UFC 248, beautiful fight.”
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Griffin, like Oliveira, has had inconsistencies in the octagon. He has lost three of his last four, in frustrating results where he believes his opponents didn’t want to engage with him.
But with Oliveira, he has no doubt that he’s in for a battle.
“A lot of guys, even if they’re fighters, they don’t fight,” Griffin said. “They’re not in there to fight, they’re just in there to kind of win, but Oliveira would die on his shield out there. He actually enjoys being out there, and I think that mixed with – you got a killer guy. I mean we’ve both been in ‘Fight of the Nights.’ He’s had many more than me, but he’s been around, he’s a legend, and I’m ready to make it happen.”
“I’ve had some weird losses that – I looked back at my record that I could easily be way over .500 in the UFC. This fight is huge. I know that Oliveira is on a losing streak, but that means he’s hungry. He’s going to want to win. He doesn’t want to get cut, but he’s going back to Brazil, and that’s that.”
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You never know when “Gorgeous” George or “Goze” will catch somebody “Off Guard.” This time they catch up with UFC Welterweight Max Griffin.
You never know when “Gorgeous” George or “Goze” will catch somebody “Off Guard.” This time they catch up with UFC Welterweight Max Griffin.
An exciting 170-pound bout has been added to UFC 248.
An exciting 170-pound bout has been added to UFC 248.
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (19-8-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC) and [autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 3-5 UFC) will square off in March, two persons with knowledge of the booking told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. The persons asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
UFC 248 takes place March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Both fighters will look to turn around their recent bad luck. Oliveira is coming off three straight losses to Gunnar Nelson, Mike Perry and, most recently, Nicolas Dalby.
Griffin has dropped three of his past four. After losing back-to-back outings to Curtis Millender and Thiago Alves, Griffin scored a unanimous decision victory over Zelim Imadaev at UFC 236 in April. But at UFC on ESPN+ 19 in October, Griffin found himself on the other side of a unanimous decision when he lost to Alex Morono.
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With the addition, the UFC 248 lineup now includes:
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