Ever wonder what UFC fighters go through in their promotional debuts? UFC welterweight Max “Pain” Griffin opened up to Bloody Elbow’s Eddie Mercado about his surreal UFC debut experience and also touched on his preparation for his sophomore match against Erick Montano at UFC Fight Night: Mexico City on November 5, 2016.
Each competitor under the UFC banner has a unique story in regards to their promotional debut experience. For UFC welterweight Max “Pain” Griffin, his UFC entrance came against Colby Covington at the storied UFC 202: Diaz vs. McGregor 2 card back in August of this year.
Before making his sophomore appearance against Erick Montano at UFC Fight Night: Mexico City on November 5, 2016, Max Griffin spoke with Bloody Elbow’s Eddie Mercado to give his candid take on falling short in his UFC debut and what to expect from Max “Pain” in his second UFC showing.
Interview: UFC Welterweight Max “Pain” Griffin UFC Fight Night: Mexico City
Overall UFC 202 Debut Experience:
“It was like a dream, honestly. I wanted to be in the UFC since I was a little kid, you know. So to be there and to fight in, really like the Super Bowl, I think didn’t realize how big that card was. I’m looking at these next cards, and even the previous ones, and compared to that card [UFC 202], I mean giant. I took it for granted, almost.“
Surrealism:
“Bro, it was like a dream. I mean, I’m sitting there talking to [Michael] Bisping. Just backstage and seeing [Donald] Cerrone and Rumble [Johnson] talk shit to each other. These people that you look up to, almost idols, that you’ve been looking at your whole life, they’re eating cereal next to you. It’s like, what the hell.“
Debut Performance:
“Shitty! Shitty, man. I mean, I like froze up. I felt fine coming in, I felt fine warming up but when I was out there, it’s like it was third person almost. I remember being against the cage, and it’s like I was looking at myself. It’s like I was watching it happen. It’s so hard to explain. I was such in like a dream. It didn’t seem real. Even when he [Bruce Buffer] was, you know, ‘In the blue corner.’ It was like euphoric almost. It wasn’t real. It’s so hard to explain.”
Justified Stoppage:
“I was out. I mean, I was still conscious. I wasn’t going to quit. I mean, I was stuck. He had me in a good position holding my hand. I was like pinned behind my back. He was in a great position, you know, but I don’t think he would have knocked me out. But, I mean, I was fucked up. It is what it is. I’m not going to argue with it.“
The Despair of Defeat:
“I’ve never lost. I may have a split. My two losses were split decisions. The first one, I won. It was just a bad call. The last one, it was against Chidi Njokuani, and I lost a close fight. It’s a split though. A split’s a split but I’ve never been beaten, in my life. So to me, it’s like hold on, like. It was big, man. I’m not going to lie, I was depressed. I was going through it man.”
The Big Takeaway:
“You know, it’s no joke. The UFC is no joke. The UFC is no joke. I mean, I’ve fought former UFC guys and, you know, destroyed those guys. It’s just different. At this level, everyone is so good. Everyone is like me, everyone is like, the best at what they do. You have game plans for a reason. You have things to do for a reason. Everyone is so elite, it’s who makes the mistake. Who didn’t do what they were supposed to do. Who did what they were not supposed to do. That’s major.”
Shift in Perception:
“Losing. Like losing, for me. Losing, that doesn’t mean you suck because someone’s going to lose. Like i said, I’ve never lost so to me, to lose, it makes me look at people that have lost, differently. It really does. It’s just that mistake, you know. Does Hendo [Dan Henderson] suck because he lost? No, he’s a legend, right? Losing doesn’t ruin me. It’s coming back, you know.”
UFC Fight Night: Mexico City at 7,200 ft. Above Sea Level:
“I’m prepared for that. I’ve been going to Lake Tahoe, it’s two hours away. It’s 7,500 [feet] above elevation to start. It goes up to 10,000 and I’ve been up there, shit, three days a week, lately. I just picked up a hyperbaric chamber last night. I’m sleeping in that shit, high up, at like 8,000 [feet]. I’m doing whatever I can, you know, to make it work, get used to it.”
Sight Seeing in Mexico:
“No. I’m so focused on fighting. I’ve been wanting to fight. I didn’t want to do any interviews. I let you do it because you’re my boy, but like my takeaway, I just need to be focused on fighting. That’s all I care about. I care about putting him into the ground and that’s it. Even the [UFC] 202 thing, the media , this and that. Like I said, it was a dream to me. People don’t know how big it was.”
Preparation for Erick Montano:
“I’ve been doing a lot more wrestling, a lot more grappling, a lot more everything. But like I said, my last performance is kind of a blessing for this next fight because maybe he thinks he can just wrestle me. I can’t wait… I am so blessed to fight this opponent.”
Final Thoughts:
“This is just the beginning. It’s an honor to be in my position. I mean, I’m in the UFC for God’s sake. It’s real now. At first it wasn’t, but I’m here.“
Watch Max “Pain” Griffin take on Erick Montano at UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Ferguson in Mexico City, Mexico on November 5, 2016. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for all of your UFC event coverage including play-by-play, results, highlights, and more!