Welcome to the UFC, Griffin & Perry

UFC 202 has been getting a bit of a tummy tuck with a number of changes to the midsection of the card’s lineup and a slew of new faces being brought into the promotion. Most recently Tim Means has picked up a new opponent in former TUF talent Sabah Homasi, but newcomer’s Chris Avila, Marvin Vettori, Mike Perry, and Max Griffin also dot the card. Today I’m looking at those last two: Max Griffin, who’s set to make his UFC debut against Colby Covington, and Mike Perry, who steps in for Sultan Aliev against Hyun Gyu Lim on short notice. So…

Who is Max Griffin:

Max “Pain” (because of course) Griffin is a 30-year-old welterweight fighting out of MMA Gold and Marinoble’s Martial Arts in California. MMA Gold is home to Invicta prospect Aspen Ladd, as well as a number of longtime regional MMA vets. He’ll be making his way to the Octagon with 12-2 record, including an exhibition loss to Matt Secor in the opening round of TUF 16, back in 2012. Since that short TUF stint, Griffin is 8-1, with his only loss coming via split decision to recent Bellator pickup Chidi Njokuani. Griffin has strong wins over UFC vet David Mitchell, Bellator mainstay Fernando Gonzalez, and top shelf regional journeyman Ricky Legere Jr. Toss Waachiim Spiritwolf and Jaime Jara in there and an early split decision loss to Justin Baesman to make a very good, battle tested record. Outside of MMA, Griffin has a blackbelt in Bok Fu, training under Dave Marinoble.

What you should expect:

Griffin seems a bit like the kind of fighter who’s always had enough power so that his technical game didn’t have to be that deep. That’s not to say his technique hasn’t improved, it has. But, he’s still something of a cautious outside striker working behind a quick jab, who flips a switch to pressure brawler when he feels he can get inside. Neither his distance game nor his clinch game are especially complex. And when he …

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