Max Griffin Says Zelim Imadaev’s Still “a Genuine Idiot”, Despite UFC 236 Win

Very often in MMA, beefs between fighters are squashed after they battle in the cage. But, clearly that’s not the case with Max Griffin and Zelim Imadaev…

Leading up to UFC 236, Griffin let it be known that he didn’t like Imadaev. The welterweight said he had heard Imadaev was a dirty fighter and that he tried to hurt fighters in sparring.

Well, that prompted a pretty intense, lead-up to the fight between the two, which culminated in Griffin winning their fight Saturday via decision. But, evidently, Griffin isn’t about to push his issues under the bridge and move on. After his win, the veteran fighter had this to say about Imadaev (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“This guy is a genuine idiot,” Griffin said . “This ain’t like a backyard brawl, and he can’t differentiate that. We’re professionals, and he’s not.”

“There’s a lot of bad blood with this guy; he came at me yesterday morning at breakfast, at a restaurant. The cops came. He tried to go after me again before the bus – we got on the bus yesterday – because I was talking (expletive). He’s an ass, man. Real bad sportsmanship.”

“All I ever said in any interview was the truth,” Griffin said. “He got kicked out of Xtreme Couture in Vegas for trying to hurt all his sparring partners. He tried to get into a fight with Forrest Griffin at the PI in Vegas. He’s a dirty guy, man.”

Now sure, Imadaev and his camp may have a different take on these allegations above. But, one thing seems clear, the 24-year-old fighter seems pretty, pretty intense.

All that aside, it will be interesting to see how and or if Imadaev can bounce back from the defeat. The Russian fighter is a highly touted prospect, who prior to facing Griffin, had won all 8 of his pro bouts via stoppage.

Griffin meanwhile, returned to the win column with Saturday’s victory, after dropping back-to-back decisions to Thiago Alves and Curtis Millender.