Chile’s Valenzuela had suffered a loss on the Contender Series last year, but bounced back with a regional scene victory in March, earning himself a spot on Saturday’s Fight Night card. Griffin, meanwhile, was looking to snap a two-fight skid that saw him bested by Michael Chiesa and Chris Curtis.

Valenzuela was also coming into Fight Week with his grandmother having recently passed away.

Round one was a slow, tentative affair. Valenzuela marched forward, but Griffin stayed just out of range, clearly looking to avoid Valenzuela’s power while picking his spots. There was little meaningful action for most of the frame, though Griffin did time Valenzuela’s jab a few times. Valenzuela tried to close strong at the bell, but Griffin secured a brief takedown to cap off an uneventful opening round.

Round two wasn’t much different. With the fight badly needing some urgency, neither man provided it early. Valenzuela attempted a spinning backfist, which briefly appeared to give Griffin an opening for a rear-naked choke, though the replay showed it was far less dramatic than it seemed live. Griffin remained comfortable fighting off the back foot, landing calf kicks and countering effectively. The issue was that Valenzuela simply wasn’t applying enough pressure. Late in the round, Valenzuela made a mistake that allowed Griffin to score a takedown, though Valenzuela quickly scrambled back to his feet. Another lackluster round sent the fight to the third.

Valenzuela finally came out with some real urgency in Round three. Just as he started building momentum, Griffin changed levels for a takedown, though he couldn’t keep Valenzuela grounded for long. The first two minutes of the round featured more action than the entire fight up to that point. Valenzuela’s increased pressure forced Griffin to engage, and he found success working in the pocket with some effective dirty boxing. Both men exchanged freely at close range, turning what had been a dull fight into an entertaining final round.

Following his debut win, Valenzuela dedicated the fight to his grandmother. “I love you, thank you, because in some way you were with me today and this victory is yours.”

Official Result: Victor Valenzuela def. Max Griffin by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Curtis, a longtime MMA vet and fan favorite, literally sprinted to the cage during his walkout, showing he wasn’t overly drained after making the move down from 185lbs. Both fighters entered the night off losses, Griffin to Michael Chiesa, Curtis to Roman Kopylov, and Brendan Allen before that.

Griffin worked from the outside early, circling and looking to keep Curtis at the end of his punches. While the first 90 seconds or so were a feeling out process, Curtis felt one blow most of all: a grazing low kick that just caught the cup, and led to a time out. After a brief pause, Curtis then began complaining about a head clash, only for the ref to tell him to fight on. Griffin stayed right on him, bullying Curtis up to the fence. Curtis would eventually break free, with the next few minutes playing out at range, both fighters landing a couple of decent blows. One final clinch, and they headed off to the second.

Round two saw Curtis and Griffin pick up where they left off, with Curtis landing a solid left inside of a minute. Griffin was a bit slower than he’d looked in the first, but went on the attack about a minute in, only to get tagged hard by Griffin. Suddenly, Curtis was coming on, firing some heavy power shots as Griffin bobbed and weaved. Griffin had a trickle of blood along the hairline now. With two minutes still on the clock, Griffin tied Curtis up by the fence, much to the displeasure of the Nashville crowd, given the lack of action that ensued. Curtis would manage to free himself, and walk down a backpedaling Griffin. The final minute saw another series of exchanges, with Curtis landing a few, but missing on some even bigger shots.

Max Griffin opened round three with a high kick, blocked by Curtis, who was soon ripping the body. Griffin then retreated and regrouped, before working from the outside. Griffin ripped a kick to the body, while Curtis relied as he often does on his boxing. Near the midway mark of the round, Griffin fired off a combo punctuated with a high kick. Curtis, however, ripped the body again, hurting Griffin. Curtis suddenly had Griffin hemmed in against the fence, with Max “Pain” having slowed a step. Curtis would press in the final minute, though Griffin was there with a body kick. They’re trade to the horn, then await the judges’ decision after 15 hard-fought minutes.

Official Result: Chris Curtis def. Max Griffin by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

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Confirmed by the UFC in a press release issued on Tuesday, Curtis (31-12, 1NC) will face Max Griffin (20-11) in a welterweight clash at UFC Nashville on July 12, 2025.

Magic MMA Bets was first to report news of the booking.

Curtis has lost his last two fights, and was stopped by a Roman Kopylov head kick in his last outing this past January. “The Action Man” did share Fight of the Night honors with Kopylov despite the loss, which came in the final second of the bout.

Now 37, Curtis competed as a welterweight during his run with the PFL in 2019, fought all over (including at light heavyweight) during his regional stint following that run, then returned to middleweight upon joining the UFC in 2021.

Max Griffin, 2-2 in his last four, gets the job of welcoming Curtis back to 170lbs. Max “Pain” is coming off a loss to Michael Chiesa in December, and will be taking his first fight of 2025.

UFC Nashville is headlined by Derrick Lewis and Tallison Teixeira in a heavyweight bout, and takes place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN on July 12. The following match-ups have been reported for the Fight Night event:

• Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira
• Lauren Murphy vs. Eduarda Moura
• Fatima Kline vs. Melissa Martinez
• Vitor Petrino vs. Austen Lane
• Calvin Kattar vs. Steve Garcia
• Robert Valentin vs. Ateba Abega Gautier
• Tuco Tokkos vs. Junior Tafa
• Chidi Njokuani vs. Jake Matthews
• Chris Curtis vs. Max Griffin

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Chiesa (18-7) not only finishes 2024 with two victories in the UFC, but he earned his black belt the night before UFC 310.

“I got my black belt last night at my weigh-in dinner,” Chiesa told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“I didn’t add any pressure because of that, but it definitely felt very good to go out there on the backend of that moment. It’s been a very special 24 hours for me.”

The longtime UFC welterweight also celebrated his birthday on fight night turning 37-years-old.

“I’m not going to lie. The two of these, between getting my black belt last night and getting a submission win on my birthday, I don’t think I’ll ever have a better 24 hour stretch in my life. Outside of my wedding,” he said.

“I’m very, very happy with my performance.”

Up next is, Chiesa hopes, UFC Seattle which was confirmed for Feb 22 during the broadcast.

“I asked Sean (Shelby) if they had a main event. I saw him backstage when I was walking back. He said he saved a spot for me, kind of put the ball in my court, we’ll see what happens. I tweaked my thumb pretty good. My thumb knuckle’s all blown up,” said Chiesa.

“We’ll see what happens. My wife’s birthday’s on Friday so I’m going to take a little bit of time and just decompress. Going to go to Lake Tahoe for the weekend, come home, get back to fighting. I put that responsibility on my team to make those decisions. If they think it’s good for me to do it, I’m going to do it.”

Being on the card would be great, but to headline UFC Seattle would be another level for Chiesa.

“The main event slot would really sweeten the pot, but I think that they have somebody so we’ll see what happens. Just got to make sure I’m smart about it, but I’ve got to admit it’s good to be active again.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Michael Chiesa above.

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At UFC 310, the final PPV for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2024, it was instead placed early on the preliminary card- though no less anticipated, really.

Chiesa landed a big early takedown off a jab on Griffin, who overcommitted on his own attack and paid for it. Looking to take the back, however, Chiesa would allow Max to escape back to his feet. Chiesa stayed on the back, but eventually, Griffin was able to free himself. On the feet, Griffin had his right hand cocked and kept the pressure on, though Chiesa was able to land a knee to the body in a brief clinch. Chiesa landed another takedown with 30 seconds left on the clock, but Griffin immediately scrambled free – only to end up back on the mat anyway.

After setting up his takedown entries so beautifully in the first, punching his way into them, Chiesa got a bit sloppy in the second, allowing Griffin to avoid at least three attempts early. Griffin then opted to clinch up himself, putting Chiesa on the fence. Not exactly Griffin’s world, however, and it eventually led nowhere. In the final minute, Chiesa would trap Griffin along the fence, threatening to take the back with one hook in. There was no takedown to be found in what was unquestionably a slower round, but it again appeared to have Michael Chiesa in the lead.

Round three saw Max Griffin go on the offensive early, and for good reason, likely behind two rounds. Chiesa was able to hold his own, firing punches back at “Max” Pain while circling outside. Catching a kick, Chiesa quickly took Griffin down, smoothly taking Max’s back. Moments later, a very tight rear-naked choke was in, and while Max tried to gut it out, after being forced belly down, he had no choice but to tap.

With the submission finish, The Ultimate Fighter: Live winner becomes the first man to submit Max Griffin. Not a bad night’s work for Michael Chiesa. On his own birthday, no less, with his cheering section singing “Happy Birthday” from the stands. Chiesa went on to dedicate the win to late UFC staffer Derek Thompson, and petition for a main event spot on the recently announced UFC Seattle.

Official Result: Michael Chiesa def. Max Griffin by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 1:56

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“Man, when I heard Michael Chiesa I jumped off the couch,” he said with a chuckle. “I got [the text] at like eight o’clock at night on the couch and it said ‘UFC 310 – Michael Chiesa.'”

The longevity of Chiesa’s career is really what stood out to Griffin at first. He’s not only near the top of the sport, but has held that spot for a really long time. Griffin knows that a win over him could mean big things for “Pain”.

“He’s a big name to me. He’s been ranked for my whole life – that’s what it feels like,” he said. “He’s fought some of the biggest names. He’s really impressive… he’s a big name, man and a win over him is going to be nice.”

Winning is important in any sport, but he isn’t just planning on winning this one. He expects to go in there to do it in emphatic fashion. While he won’t say exactly how he’s going to do it, he does have some suggestions for those with a little extra money in their pocket.

“I don’t want to say exactly, but I’m going to say bet on me,” Griffin said. “I’m a favorite, but it’s not too much – you’ll still get paid. And I’ll say inside the distance. That should be plus-money.”

You can catch his fight with Michael Chiesa as part of the UFC 310 prelims. That part of the card will start at 6pm EST and will air on both ESPN2 and ESPN+.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 2:03.

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Kicking off this UFC 310 edition of TTP is our interview with UFC welterweight, Max Griffin. Griffin discusses his always budding entrepreneurial side and what he’s been up to lately. Then we break down his upcoming fight with Michael Chiesa at UFC 310. He also gives us some of his thoughts on why he’s had so many split decisions and a promise not to let it get to that point again.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC 310 (14:39)

It’s been two week since the UFC went to China, and now we’re back stateside for UFC 310 in Las Vegas. Alexandre Pantoja defends his flyweight title against promotional newcomer, Kai Asakura, who makes his way over to the UFC after dominating in RIZIN. Plus, we get a matchup of undefeated welterweights. Shavkat Rahkmonov faceds Ian Machado Garry in a bout with title implications. In addition, we’ll run further down the card to find an underdog and a parlay that we think will make your wallet fat this weekend. We’ve hit our plus-money parlay eight weeks in a row, so don’t miss these picks! For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Max Holzer Interview (24:25)

Closing out this UFC 310 edition of TTP is our interview with Oktagon MMA featherweight, Max Holzer. Holzer discusses his walkouts for Oktagon MMA so far and what has made them so much fun. While he promises another fun one this weekend at Oktagon MMA 64, he isn’t letting us know just what yet. Plus, he discusses what it was like to fight in the big stadium show of Germany and what he’s hoping for this upcoming weekend. Plus, he digs into the origins of his nickname “Stifler” and explains why some people at his gym don’t even know that his name is really Max. Come check it out!

The post TTP Ep. 458 with Max Griffin, Max Holzer, and UFC 310 appeared first on Cageside Press.

That fight will see Michael Chiesa (17-7) take on Max Griffin (20-10) at the event, set for the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV on Saturday, December 7, 2024.

MMA Fighting was first to report news of the booking.

Chiesa was last seen submitting Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson at UFC on ABC 7 in August. That snapped a three-fight skid “Maverick” had compiled from 2021 to 2023 that saw him drop fights to Kevin Holland, Sean Brady, and Vicente Luque. A former lightweight who won The Ultimate Fighter 15 at 155lbs, Chiesa made the move to 170 and rattled off four straight wins before becoming mired in the aforementioned slump.

Max Griffin has been trading wins and losses across his past four fights, and most recently notched a split decision win over Jeremiah Wells. Griffin has shared the octagon with the likes of Mike Perry, Tim Means, and Carlos Condit, holding wins over all three popular welterweights. Chiesa would be another big name on his resume.

December’s UFC 310 does not yet have a main event officially announced. The following match-ups have been reported for the card:

• Anthony Smith vs. Dominick Reyes
• Tatiana Suarez vs. Virna Jandiroba
• Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
• Chase Hooper vs. Clay Guida
• Nick Diaz vs. Vicente Luque
• Michael Chiesa vs. Max Griffin

The post Michael Chiesa vs. Max Griffin Booked for UFC 310 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Griffin, with wins over Carlos Condit, Tim Means, and Song Kenan, has become known for exciting fights, while Wells held a 75% finish rate to start the night.

Wells’s plan seemed to be exploding, landing, and then shooting the takedown but Griffin’s defense held up well. Griffin meanwhile wanted to stick and move happily countering Wells’ attacks.

Both men were very wary of each other’s power with Wells opting to use a very explosive and lunging attack. His first attack was a spinning heel kick to the legs that missed, but it was a preview of quite a few spinning attacks he threw during the fight.

Griffin used a lot of counters throwing a straight right anytime Wells exploded towards him and having plenty of success with it. Each man hurt the other in the second round, but a finish never materialized as the fight went all three rounds ending in a split-decision victory for Max Griffin who is now 19-10 in his career. Wells drops to 12-3 and is now on a two-fight losing skid.

Official Result: Max Griffin def. Jeremiah Wells via Split-Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Griffin recently beat Tim Means in a war, and then shortly thereafter became the first in the UFC to take undefeated Michael Morales to a decision. He attributes his sustained performance to one key part of his life.

“I’m a learner, I’m a grower. I figure once you stop trying to learn, that’s when you start declining,” Griffin explained. “I have a young mind too. I’m not one of these old guys who says ‘I’m getting old’. I’m 38, but I still get carded when I buy alcohol.”

While that mindset has allowed him to continue to get better at his age, he’s also realized the importance of taking care of his body. He’s added a lot of pieces in order to stay healthy and active in the gym.

“Recovery too. I do a cold plunge every day in my tub. I’m doing the red light baths, I’m getting massages every week,” he said. “I’m really taking care of my body and it’s been paying dividens.”

Because he’s been able to stay in the gym more, the gains he’s seeing are significant. With all of those things happening, he can’t begin to put parameters on how much longer he could do this.

“I was rolling with a young guy today – he was as strong as hell, but I was able to handle him,” “I’m looking good and I’m feeling good too. I’m getting faster. I’m getting stronger. My timing it getting better. My intelligence is getting better. Stuff is clicking more and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.”

Griffin will look to show off those improvements this weekend at UFC Vegas 86. He takes on Jeremiah Wells as part of the ESPN+ prelims, which start at 4pmn EST.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 2:12.

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