Josh Richard Grispi (born October 14, 1988) is an American former professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. A professional competitor from 2006 until 2014, he has competed for the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

and WEC.

Background

Grispi, a talented

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

player, was kicked out of many schools and even a

paintball Paintball is a competitive sport, competitive team sport, team shooting sport in which players eliminate opponents from play by hitting them with spherical dye-filled gelatin capsules called Paintball equipment#Paintballs, paintballs that b ...

facility before venturing into

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

when he was 13 years old, following the advice of his father. Grispi went to South Shore Sportfighting. The sport grew on Grispi, and he began fighting in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

and

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, winning local tournaments while often being the youngest competitor.

Mixed martial arts career

World Extreme Cagefighting

After beginning his career in 2006 and going 10–1 in smaller promotions, Grispi was signed by the WEC. He made his promotional debut against Mark Hominick at WEC 32, locking in a

rear-naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC), also known as hadaka jime (裸絞) in Judo and "lion killer choke (Mata Leão)" in BJJ, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word ''naked'' in this context suggests that, unlike other stra ...

submission in the first round. This was followed up by an early first round TKO victory over Micah Miller. His next fight came against former

UFC Lightweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

Jens Pulver at WEC 41 on June 7, 2009. He won the fight via guillotine choke

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

33 seconds into the fight. Two days before the Pulver fight, Grispi injured his ankle while training, but agreed to fight anyway. He underwent surgery and returned in the summer of 2010. Grispi returned after a year off to face LC Davis on June 20, 2010, at

WEC 49 ''WEC 49: Varner vs. Shalorus'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on June 20, 2010 at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Background WEC 49 was the only event the organization had held outsi ...

. Grispi submitted Davis by guillotine choke

at 2:33 of the first round, earning ''Submission of the Night'' honors.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Grispi was expected to face

Erik Koch Erik Jon Koch (born October 4, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2007, he formerly competed for the WEC. Background K ...

on November 11, 2010, at

WEC 52 ''WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on November 11, 2010 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas. Background Urijah Faber made his bantamweight debut against Japanese striker Takeya ...

. However, in October 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. He was expected to fight

José Aldo José Aldo da Silva Oliveira Júnior (; born 9 September 1986), known as José Aldo, is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer who competed in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions of the Ultimate F ...

UFC 125 ''UFC 125: Resolution'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 1, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The planned rematch between UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson ...

for the UFC Featherweight Championship but Aldo was forced to withdraw due to injury. Risking his #1 contender status, Grispi instead fought late replacement

Dustin Poirier Dustin Glenn Poirier (born January 19, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion. ...

at the event and lost via unanimous decision. Grispi suffered a jaw injury in the fight which sidelined him for 5 months. Grispi faced

George Roop George H. Roop (born November 10, 1981) is a retired mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of Spike TV's ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir'', winning his preliminary and first round fights. He fought as a Bantamweight (MMA), ...

on June 4, 2011, at

The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos'' is the thirteenth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The UFC and Spike TV held open tryouts on November 4, 2010 ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the third round. Grispi was expected to face

Matt Grice Matt Grice (born July 29, 1981) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He was in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, fighting in the featherweight division before suffering a traumatic brain injury in a traffic accident in Shawnee, Oklahoma ...

on October 8, 2011, at

UFC 136 ''UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 8, 2011, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The event coincided with a two-day UFC Fan Expo held at the George R. Brown ...

. However, Grispi was forced from the bout and replaced by

Nam Phan Nhat Nam Si Phan (born March 13, 1983), better known as Nam Phan, is an American retired mixed martial artist and professional boxer. A professional in mixed martial arts since 2001, Phan has competed for the UFC, WEC, Strikeforce, World Victor ...

. Grispi was expected to face Pablo Garza on August 4, 2012, at UFC on FOX 4. However, Garza was forced out of the bout and replaced by

Rani Yahya Rani Ahmad Yahya (born September 12, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and BJJ practitioner. He won the 66 kg division of the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in April 2007. He currently fights in the Bantam ...

. Grispi lost to Yahya after he tapped out to a north–south choke in the first round. Grispi faced Andy Ogle on February 16, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald. Grispi lost the fight via unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Post-UFC career

After serving his sentence in jail, Grispi has returned to the mixed martial arts and was expected to face Bruce Boyington for NEF Lightweight Championship at NEF 42 on February 8, 2020. However on January 20, 2020, news surfaced that Grispi was forced to withdraw from the bout due to legal complications and was replaced by

Manny Bermudez Manny Bermudez (born July 19, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions. A professional mixed martial artist since 2015, Bermudez has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championshi ...

Personal life

Grispi filed for divorce while incarcerated and has a son and a daughter with ex wife Kaitlyn. He is a distant relative of legendary

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

Rocky Marciano Rocco Francis Marchegiano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969; ), better known as Rocky Marciano (, ), was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955. He held the world heavyweight championship from 1952 to 1956, and re ...

. Aside from fighting, Grispi used to do construction work with his father.

Legal issues

On August 6, 2014, Grispi was held without bail on domestic abuse and assault charges against his wife. Grispi had first been arrested on August 1, 2014, and charged with multiple counts of improperly storing firearms near minors, as well as assault and battery on his wife. However, Grispi was released on August 4, 2014, after posting $2,000 bail. That same day, Grispi allegedly assaulted his wife again by punching and kicking her repeatedly, as well as sending his bull terrier dog who had been trained to attack her after her. However, his wife was able to escape and reach a neighbor's house to receive help. The neighbor then called police to report the assault. The police searched Grispi's house and found 20 marijuana plants and 15 grams of cocaine. Grispi's wife told police her husband had been abusive to her for the past two years in their three-year marriage. One officer described the event as "the worst case of domestic abuse I've ever seen." On June 16, 2017, Grispi was convicted on 25 of 29 charges in Plymouth County Superior Court in

Brockton, Massachusetts Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 105,643 at the 2020 United States census. Along with Plymouth, Massachusetts, Plymouth, it is one of the two county seats of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, ...

. He received a sentence of years of incarceration and 5 years of probation upon release. Several charges, such as witness intimidation and witness tampering, related to behavior while incarcerated and awaiting trial, were added.

Championships and accomplishments

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was mad ...

** Submission of the Night (One time) vs. LC Davis ( technical guillotine choke)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 14–5 , Andy Ogle , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, United Kingdom , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–4 ,

, Submission (north/south choke) , UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:15 ,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

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, TKO (body punch) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:14 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:33 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 , Jens Pulver , Submission (guillotine choke) , WEC 41 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 ,

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Micah Miller , TKO (punches) , WEC 35: Condit vs. Miura , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:50 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Mark Hominick , Technical submission (rear-naked choke) , WEC 32: Condit vs. Prater , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:55 ,

Rio Rancho, New Mexico Rio Rancho () is the largest and most populous city in Sandoval County, part of the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into northern Bernalillo County. It is the thi ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Spencer Paige , KO (head kick) , FFP: Untamed 18 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:11 ,

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth ( ; historically also spelled as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in and the county seat of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklor ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Paul Gorman , Submission (triangle choke) , FFP: Untamed 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:29 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Glen Medeiras , KO (punches) , RF: Domination , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 ,

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the county seat, seat of Merrimack County, New Hampshire, Merrimack County. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 43,976, making it the List of municipalities ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Charlie Murphy , Submission (armbar) , WFL 16: Moment of Truth 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Revere, Massachusetts Revere (, ) is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Located approximately northeast of Downtown Boston, Revere is the terminus of the Blue Line (MBTA), MBTA Blue Line, with three stations located within the city: Wonderland station, Wonderla ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Fernando Bernandino , Decision (majority) , FFP: Untamed 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Edward Odquina , Submission (armbar) , WFL 15: Winter Brawl 2007 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:11 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Henrique Bilcalho , Submission (heel hook) , CZ 19: Above and Beyond , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 , Revere, Massachusetts, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Eddie Felix , TKO (punches) , FFP: Untamed 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:49 ,

Mansfield, Massachusetts Mansfield is a New England town, town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the United States 2020 Census, the town population is 23,860. Mansfield is 23 miles southwest of Boston and is 22 miles northeast of Providence, Rhode Is ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Cylde Ganthier , KO (punches) , WFL 12: Calloway Cup 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Revere, Massachusetts, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Dan Bonnell , Submission (guillotine choke) , CZ 18 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:27 , Revere, Massachusetts, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Nick Zimmerman , TKO (punches) , RF: Invasion , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:18 ,

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...

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References

External links

*
Official UFC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grispi, Josh American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Massachusetts Featherweight mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 1988 births Living people People from Rockland, Massachusetts People convicted of domestic violence Sportspeople from Plymouth County, Massachusetts