Las Vegas, NV — UFC 264 welterweight Max Griffin let it be known ahead of his fight with Carlos Condit that he was a fan of the man.
That’s not surprising. If you’ve watched fighting at any point in the past, say, fifteen years, it’s hard not to be a fan of “The Natural Born Killer.” A former UFC interim welterweight champ, Condit has been known for exciting fights. That was the case Saturday, but it was Griffin with his hand raised in the end.
“Man. To be in there, and he’s looking across the cage, making his face. Experience. What a good weigh-in,” Griffin said following the decision victory. Of course, fight fans should well know the face Griffin is referring to. Condit mean mugs with the best of them. “I hurt him a couple of times, dropped him a couple of times. Man. It was surreal, being in there. I got the job done.”
How much of a fan is Griffin? “I’m trying to find him, I’m trying to get a picture with him,” he told the media backstage at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “They said he left, but I’m trying to get a picture with him. I’m such a fan. I’m such a fan of his. It was amazing. I had to turn it all off though. I had to turn every bit of it off. But now I beat him, hey, I’m trying to take a picture with that man.”
What’s next for Griffin might just be some R&R. “I want a vacation. I’ve been training so hard, for so long, and I’m on a three-fight win streak, great wins,” he stated. “T-Mobile Arena, UFC 264, I want to go relax. I’ve been pedal to the metal for some time now. I’m not saying I want to take a break, I just want to take a vacation, fight at the end of the year.”
To some, Griffin’s approach to the fight was reminiscent of Tyron Woodley vs. Carlos Condit. That’s a question Max “Pain” didn’t have an answer for.
“To be honest I did not watch one second of tape on him.” Instead, Griffin’s coaches did the strategizing for him. “They told me what he was going to do, and I did it.”
Griffin’s coach quickly confirmed that the Woodley fight at least played a role in their prep.
Watch the full UFC 264 post-fight press scrum with Max Griffin above.
