Preview: UFC on ESPN 21 ‘Brunson vs. Holland’

Welterweight

NR | Max Griffin (16-8, 4-6 UFC) vs. NR | Kenan Song (16-5, 4-1 UFC)

ODDS: Griffin (-200), Song (+170)

Griffin checks a lot of boxes as a fighter, but he has not quite found any sustained success inside the UFC. Griffin is a strong and durable athlete who can do a little bit of everything, but that jack-of-all-trades moniker is a bit of a double-edged sword for “Max Pain.” Save for a 2018 victory over Mike Perry in which Griffin put forth the smartest range-striking performance of his career, he tends to have a straight-ahead approach. Given that Griffin’s bag of skills is wide but not particularly deep and that he is not much of a defensive fighter, the end result is a lot of nip-tuck decisions that see him absorbing as much damage as he gives out. A lot of those close fights have gone against Griffin, but 2020 was a positive year on the whole. His split decision loss to Alex Oliveira at least came against a higher grade of competition than usual, and Griffin authored a highlight-reel win in grisly fashion when he ripped Ramiz Brahimaj’s ear. Even if Griffin never gets on a true roll inside the UFC, he has carved out a niche as an entertaining and violent fighter, which should hold true here. Song’s 2017 signing was a bit of a surprise, as he was coming off two straight defeats (the loss to Brad Riddell looks much better four years later). However, “The Assassin” has done well inside the Octagon thus far, winning four out of five fights on the back of his powerful striking game. Song should be able to hit Griffin hard, but this looks like a winnable fight for the American. Griffin is the best athlete Song has faced to date inside the UFC and durable, to boot. Add in that he is a willing takedown artist and that Song’s wrestling is relatively unproven, and Griffin should be able to take this one. Even though it is rarely smooth sailing for him on the scorecards, the pick is Griffin via decision.

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