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

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

. 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 Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

and WEC.

Background

Grispi, a talented

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

player, was kicked out of many schools and even a

paintball Paintball is a competitive team shooting sport in which players eliminate opponents from play by hitting them with spherical dye-filled gelatin capsules called paintballs that break upon impact. Paintballs are usually shot using low-energy ai ...

facility before venturing into

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

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 is bordered by 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 (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, 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 Mark Jeffrey Hominick (born July 22, 1982) is a Canadian retired mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he was the inaugural Featherweight title challenger, the WEC, and Affl ...

WEC 32 ''WEC 32: New Mexico'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) that took place on Wednesday, February 13, 2008. For the first time under Zuffa ownership, the show was held in Rio Rancho, New Mexico and no ...

, locking in a

rear-naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keikogi ...

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 classe ...

Jens Pulver Jens Johnnie Pulver (born December 6, 1974) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist and undefeated boxer and kickboxer. Pulver was the inaugural UFC Lightweight Champion in addition to serving as the head coach on ''The Ultimate ...

WEC 41 ''WEC 41: Brown vs. Faber 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on June 7, 2009 at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. It was the most successful show in the WEC's history. Background Featherweight champion ...

on June 7, 2009. He won the fight via

guillotine choke The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke"; compare to a rear naked choke) in judo, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent, often on the ground but can also be done while stan ...

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 La Carvas Rashad Davis (born October 28, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Bantamweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2006, Davis has also formerly competed for the Quad Cities ...

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

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 competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2007, he formerly competed for the WEC. Background Koch wa ...

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 Mi ...

. 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) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. 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 Júniorhttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/CI3oOc0VAAAr_iv.jpg (, born 9 September 1986), commonly anglicized as Jose Aldo, is a retired Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He last competed in the Ultimate Fight ...

UFC 125 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 Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

for the

UFC Featherweight Championship 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 classe ...

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

Dustin Poirier Dustin Poirier (born January 19, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is a former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion. As of May 9, 2022, he is #2 in the UFC lightweight rankings and as of October 24, 2022, he is #11 in the U ...

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 in th ...

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 Donald Matthew Grice (born July 29, 1981) is an American police officer and 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 ...

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 arts, mixed martial artist and professional boxer. A professional in mixed martial arts since 2001, Phan has also competed for the Ultimate Fig ...

. Grispi was expected to face Pablo Garza on August 4, 2012 at

UFC on FOX 4 ''UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 4'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 4, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background Chad Griggs was expected to fa ...

. 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 prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in April 2007. He currently fights in t ...

. Grispi lost to Yahya after he tapped out to a

north–south choke The North–south choke is a choking technique in grappling, employed exclusively from the north–south position, and classified as an air choke-hold. It closely resembles one of the seven mat holds, or osaekomi-waza, of Kodokan Judo, Kuzu ...

in the first round. Grispi faced

Andy Ogle Andrew Richard Ogle (born 16 February 1989) is a retired English mixed martial artist, who formerly competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2009, Ogle has made a name ...

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, and held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956. He is the only ...

. 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, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population is 105,643 as of the 2020 United States Census. Along with Plymouth, Massachusetts, Plymouth, it is one of the two county seats of ...

. 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, mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...

** Submission of the Night (One time) vs.

( technical guillotine choke)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 14–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

, 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 ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–3 ,

, TKO (body punch) ,

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

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1 ,

, Technical submission (guillotine choke) ,

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

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 ,

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, 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 ,

, Technical submission (rear-naked choke) , WEC 32: Condit vs. Prater , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:55 ,

Rio Rancho, New Mexico Rio Rancho ( es, Río Rancho) is the most populous and only city in Sandoval County, New Mexico, 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 north ...

, 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 known as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore, and culture, and is known as ...

, 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 seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua. The village of ...

, 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, United States, located approximately from Downtown Crossing, downtown Boston. Founded as North Chelsea in 1846, it was renamed in 1871 after the American Revolutionary War Patriot (American Re ...

, 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 town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the United States 2020 Census, the town population is 23,860. Mansfield is in the south-southwest suburbs of Boston and is also close to Providence, Rhode Island. The vill ...

, 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 a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Hamp ...

, United States ,

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