The UFC has released a longtime staple of the welterweight division as Max Griffin announced he is no longer in the promotion.
After it was reported by Roster Watch that Giffin was removed from the UFC roster, the veteran welterweight took to his social media to confirm the bad news.
“I’ve been officially released by the @ufc. Life ain’t fair. I learned this many years ago… Looking forward to where I land next. Shout out to all my people,” Griffin wrote in a video caption on Instagram.
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Griffin’s release comes not long after the promotion made a slew of other roster decisions in the past few weeks, including the release of UFC women’s bantamweight contender Ketlen Vieira, plus Colby Covington’s retirement from MMA and being removed from the UFC roster as a result.
Max Griffin Fought in the UFC For a Decade
Griffin, now 40 years old, entered the UFC in 2016, and he remained a mainstay of the welterweight division the entire time. He fought 19 times in the Octagon, holding an 8-11 record overall in the organization. His list of UFC wins includes Erick Montano, Mike Perry, Zelim Imadaev, Ramiz Brahimaj, Song Kenan, Carlos Condit, Tim Means, and Jeremiah Wells.
He lost to Covington, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, Curtis Millender, Thiago Alves, Alex Morono, Alex Oliveira, Neil Magny, Michael Morales, Michael Chiesa, Chris Curtis, and Victor Valenzuela, which turned out to be his last fight inside the Octagon.
Overall, Griffin’s MMA record stands at 20-13. 20 of those fights have gone the distance.
What’s Next for Max Griffin?
Now that Griffin is cut from the UFC, the next question that comes is, where does he end up next?
At age 40, Griffin is an elder statesman, but he will likely continue to fight, as this is how he makes a living.
MVP MMA is a possible home for “Pain.” As stated above, Griffin holds a previous win over Perry in the UFC, so that’s a potential rematch that could be booked in that promotion. As well, he could fight other welterweights in MVP MMA, like Jason Jackson, who picked up a massive KO win over Jeff Creighton on the preliminary card of that promotion’s first event.
Another option would be the PFL, as they hold lots of events and could always use another veteran welterweight to test their young prospects. For example, the PFL could sign Griffin and book him against Patrick Habirora, who just knocked out former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson at PFL Brussels. While Griffin is on the decline in his MMA career, he’s still as tough as it gets, having only been knocked out one time in his entire MMA career.
There are other options for Griffin out there as well if he just wants to strike, like BKFC and Karate Combat. But his wrestling has always been one of his best attributes, so he will likely want to stick around in mixed martial arts, where he can take opponents down instead of doing just a pure striking kind of combat sport.
UFC Releases Longtime Staple of Welterweight Division