Max Griffin wants new UFC contract, fight in hometown of Sacramento

UFC welterweight Max Griffin gambled big that he’d upset Mike Perry at UFC on FOX 28, quitting his job and fighting out his contract.

Now, Griffin (14-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) wants a fight in his hometown of Sacramento, Calif. He also wants a new deal that reflects his worth – and makes up for that lost day job at Blue Cross Blue Shield.

“I want to get my contract,” he told MMAjunkie Radio. “That was the last fight, so now we’re trying to renegotiate and get paid, becauase I want to start coming after these guys.”

Griffin said the UFC was interested in a new contract prior to the Perry (11-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) fight. But he chose to not sign a deal so his asking price would be higher in the event of a win.

When he earned a unanimous decision, the UFC agreed to give him a big raise. The only thing he’s interested in at this point is how much.

“I did roll the dice,” Griffin said. “I had to. I quit my job. I went double all-in. I had to make it happen. I know some other guys are getting paid good money. I just don’t want to get the basic contract.”

Griffin has already noticed the difference in his training now that he’s a full-time fighter. Rather than having to squeeze in training sessions between work shifts, he can space them out. He has more time to recover. He can schedule everything.

“Even going into this last fight, it was like slow motion,” Griffin said. “It was so slow. Usually fights are so stressful, if you can imagine being in there, people yelling at you, the lights, someone trying to kill you. To go in there and have it be calm, it’s calm as it is right now for me. It was perfect.”

With a high-profile upset under his belt, there’s no telling how high Griffin can climb on the UFC welterweight ladder. He hopes the promotion sees the same and gives him the incentive to keep moving north.

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 28, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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