UFC welterweight Max Griffin has revealed he plans to make high-rated prospect Michael Morales quit at UFC Vegas 76 on July 1.
The pair are set to clash as the main card featured bout from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Griffin comes into the bout having won four of his last five fights while Morales is undefeated through 14 fights in his young career.
In an exclusive interview with Combat Sports UK, the 37-year-old discussed his plans to make the Ecuadorian quit.
He said: “It may be war, he doesn’t like getting hit though. I’m gonna make a statement on this guy because he’s undefeated, they [the UFC] like him, but I’m not the guy.
“I’m not someone down, I’m not thinking about retirement or anything like that anytime soon, not even on my radar at all. Every fight I’m getting better, faster, stronger, better position and I love being out there.
“I’m not one of these guys on the way out that’s getting one of these young guys, I’m in my f*cking prime right now fighting this young guy with no experience that people like, I’m gonna brutalize him. I want him to quit just to show him what a real fight is.
“I’m offended [that] he signed the contract, that means he thinks he can beat me. I don’t want it to be a lucky thing, I wanna beat him up good, maybe choke him out or something. More like a masterclass, teacher and student – I’ve been in there with the best of them and there’s nothing I haven’t seen. I’m looking forward to it.”
Max Griffin’s Initial Thoughts on UFC Vegas 76 Matchup
‘Pain’ is seven years into his UFC stint after debuting against Colby Covington back in 2016. However, he isn’t slowing down and doesn’t want to be compared with other fighters of a similar age that may be on their way out.
He admitted that he didn’t originally believe he deserved to fight someone that is on their way up.
He said: “Originally, I was like ‘What the freak, who is this guy? I don’t deserve to fight this guy’. They’ve been doing a lot of vets vs rookies I’ve noticed. Even on The Ultimate Fighter they’ve been trying to put these new guys in.
“But I’m not the guy, I’ve fought numerous of these undefeated prospects, they keep sending me these guys. I fought the Russian, Zelim [Imadaev], who was 8-0, all knockouts, sent him back. They sent me Ramiz [Brahimaj], 8-0, all subs, sent him back with his ear off. It seems to kind of be a trend, they like giving me these guys.
“I had a big chip on my shoulder about this fight, he’s hyped, he’s a favourite, all kinds of stuff.”
Griffin then admitted he now sees his 24-year-old opponent as a gift from the UFCUFC Hall of Famer Lauds Ilia Topuria.
He continued: “I’ve fought some of the best guys on the planet and beat them and I’m gonna waste this guy. So now, I look at it as he’s a gift. Ready for me to open him up [on] Saturday.”
Max Griffin Full Exclusive Interview
You can watch the full interview with Griffin below:
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