Max Pain Performance
MAX “PAIN” GRIFFIN / PERFORMANCE
Confidence
built through
experience.
Training. Coaching. Mentorship.
UFC veteran · 2016–26 · 20+ years of martial arts experience
I help people build the skill, confidence, and composure to meet their next challenge—in training and in life.
Start your intake ↗Sacramento + virtual coaching
Private training · Small groups · Mentorship
THE PHILOSOPHY
More than
fight training.
You don’t have to be a fighter.
Max Pain Performance is for people who want to become more disciplined, confident, resilient, and capable when the pressure is on.
Build real skills. Keep showing up. Learn how to stay composed and carry that work into your life.
Discipline
Raise the standard you hold yourself to.
Resilience
Learn how to respond when things get difficult.
Confidence
Build it through preparation and experience.
Capability
Develop real skills you can rely on.
BUILT UNDER PRESSURE
The fight shaped me.
The purpose
goes further.
MMA · BOXING · WRESTLING · BJJ · MUAY THAI
I’m a Sacramento native, professional fighter, entrepreneur, speaker, and youth mentor. Martial arts entered my life at four. A career in the UFC taught me to prepare, adapt, and keep showing up through wins, losses, and reinvention.
For over a decade, I’ve worked with sports psychologists and mental-performance coaches. Presence, resets, boundaries, and self-belief are tools I’ve practiced under real pressure. Alongside elite coaching, reading, study, and trial and error, they shape how I work with people today.
As a father and mentor, I care about what that work makes possible: confidence, direction, and the courage to take your next step.
Start your intake ↗EARNED IN COMPETITION
Notable UFC wins
Martial arts credentials & championships
Three black belts
- Marinoble’s Fighting System
- First-degree kickboxing · IKF recognized
- Bok Fu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brown belt
Championships
- Tachi Palace Fights · welterweight
- West Coast FC · welterweight & middleweight
- ISCF West Coast · welterweight
- Ultimate Reno Combat · amateur welterweight
Professional since 2009. UFC competition from 2016–2026.
33 professional fights. 20 wins, including 9 knockouts and 2 submissions. 19 UFC appearances. Also faced Colby Covington, Neil Magny, and Michael Chiesa.
Championships listed are regional and amateur titles.
MULTIPLE UFC BONUSES
Performance, recognized.
vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos · October 2017
vs. Song Kenan · March 2021
A LIFELONG STUDENT
A lifetime of learning.
Now passed forward.
I learn from elite coaches and performance professionals, from reading and studying, and from trying, falling short, and adjusting. I bring that curiosity to every part of my life—as a father, mentor, athlete, and person.
At the UFC Performance Institute, I learned from Bo Sandoval about committing to a plan, and from Hannah Kroll about how, when, and why to eat for my changing performance goals.
Experience gives me perspective. Curiosity keeps me growing.
Coaches, mentors & specialists
The people I’ve learned from across my career—and the lessons I carry into my life and coaching.
Striking & MMA
Dave Marinoble
My longtime sensei. How to carry myself in the dojo and in life, commit fully when it’s time to act, and develop my combatives.
Jim West
Belief in my abilities and a grappling system that helped me connect my disciplines.
Justin Ewen
A Marinoble black belt and my first amateur coach. Keep it fun. Be fast, be first, and finish.
Thomas Fallon
Muay Thai specialist, cornerman, and an exceptional pad holder.
Norm Tavalero
The sweet science, perspective, and giving my best so I can live without regrets.
Joey Rodriguez
Boxing, protecting myself in a fight, and managing fight-week stress with an experienced voice in my corner.
Wrestling & grappling
Eliot Kelly
A professor on the mat and someone I look up to. His coaching advice has stayed with me.
Ryan Loder
A Division I All-American, my cornerman, and the wrestling coach I’ve spent the most time learning from.
Jaime Jara
My first BJJ specialist. Fierce, effective jiu-jitsu—and honor alongside it.
Alex Grunder
My first wrestling coach, an Iowa Hawkeye, and someone I have a lot of love for.
Strength & conditioning
Lem Adams · GameFit
Pushing beyond the moment my mind wants to stop. Building mental strength alongside my conditioning.
Bo Sandoval · UFC Performance Institute
How to commit to a plan and follow it precisely. Preparation with purpose.
Mental performance
Dr. Ethan Bregman
Presence through simple practice—even washing a plate with my full attention. A way to notice when my mind drifts and come back.
Danny Patterson
How to be authentic, why it matters, and practical tools to bring that into my performance.
Micah Schnurstein
Small resets, perspective, and boundaries. Two things can be true at once. Just because I can doesn’t mean I should.
Jyzen · Neurofit
Six months of brain-training and recovery-focused work. Part of my personal experience exploring brain health and performance.
Nutrition & recovery
Hannah Kroll · UFC Performance Institute
Over roughly two to three years, learning how, when, and why to eat for my changing weight and performance goals.
Russ Dunning · KIME
Nine years of learning to appreciate my body and navigate injuries while continuing to perform.
Cellular Performance Institute
Four visits that shaped how I think about recovery, daily habits, and what I put into my body.
Brain health & research participation
Cleveland Clinic · Lou Ruvo Center
In his September 2026 letter, Max described baseline brain-health assessments at the Lou Ruvo Center the previous year and plans to return for further testing.
His role is that of a participant. This is not a medical credential or an endorsement of his coaching by the clinic.
Read Max’s firsthand account ↗These relationships describe Max’s training and personal experience across his career. They do not confer medical, nutrition, or psychology licensure, or imply institutional endorsement.
THE WORK, TOGETHER
Your goals.
A place to start.
Private training, focused conversations, consistent coaching, or a small group. Choose the closest fit; Max can recommend a different starting point after reviewing your intake.
All experience levels welcome.
Short Sessions With Max
25-minute call · $50
30-minute training · $75
Focused support for busy lives.
Start your intake ↗Talk With Max
45-minute private mentorship
Perspective, conversation, and your next step.
Start your intake ↗1-on-1 Training
60-minute private session
Training shaped around your goals and current level.
Start your intake ↗Maximum Progress
8 private 60-minute sessions
Scheduled twice weekly.
Start your intake ↗Small Group Training
60 minutes · 2–4 people
Train together in a small group.
Start your intake ↗Private Mobile Training
At an approved private location
Share your location and goals in the intake.
Start your intake ↗BEYOND THE SESSION
Someone in
your corner.
Skill
Striking, movement, and practical self-defense. Start with the fundamentals. Refine the details.
Consistency
Build your conditioning and the discipline to keep showing up. Start where you are. Put in work you can build on.
Self-belief
Practice staying composed under pressure. Learn from setbacks and build confidence through the work you do.
THE NEXT GENERATION
The same commitment.
Beyond training.
From school assemblies to the youth wrestling mat, Max’s community work is about encouragement, direction, and showing up. Rooted in Sacramento, he gives his time and voice to young people and causes including Stand Up Placer.
Looking for a school, team, or youth event?
Explore Youth Speaking & Mentorship ↗YOUR NEXT STEP
Let’s start
with you.
In Sacramento or joining from elsewhere? Meet with Max in person or explore virtual coaching for mentorship, mindset, and accountability. Share your goals and preferred format in the intake.
Start your intake ↗Five guided stages · No experience required
Training, perspective, and life beyond the fight.
Read The MPG Letter ↗