Kendall Grove, middleweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter's Season 3, is preparing for his biggest fight to date. He will face UFC veteran Evan Tanner in the main event of Spike TV's TUF 7 Finale on June 21st and he is ready.
Grove recently made the move back to his homeland of Maui, Hawaii, after living and training in Las Vegas for the past several years. He made the move for many reasons; Grove will be the proud father of a baby girl in August, he and fellow TUF 6 fighter Troy Mandaloniz plan to open a mixed martial arts school on the island in September, and he is currently training in Hilo with his childhood hero B.J. Penn.
Upon speaking with Kendall, the first thing I noticed is how humble he is and how appreciative he is to do what he loves most, and that is to fight. Constantly learning and growing as a fighter is what drives him to succeed. And with his new school on the horizon, he hopes to give back to the younger, aspiring fighters in his community.
"It's all about expanding your arsenal." says Grove in regards to switching training camps several times in recent years. From Tito Ortiz to Randy Couture, and now B.J. Penn, Kendall has trained with the best in the business. He credits Rudy Valentino from B.J.'s camp for "getting me in touch with my reach and fighting smarter for a 6 foot guy. We just click", says Grove. "Whenever you change camps you get excited because you're learning something new." When I asked what he was learning most in his new camp Grove replied, "Obviously, I'm getting unbelievable jiu jitsu training, but I'm also getting excellent stand-up. B.J. is always flying guys in for us to train with, so we're getting everything." And those new skills may be exactly what is needed to secure a win against Tanner come June 21.
Having just come off two consecutive losses in the UFC, Kendall seems incredibly at ease with his upcoming fight and is very grateful for his opportunity to be the main event. He feels that fighting Tanner will be a wrestling and boxing war, but expects a battle in the clinch. "I'm preparing myself for the worst. That's where he inflicts the most damage. All the Hilo boys are helping me for that so if it does happen, I'll know how to react."
Mental strength is also key for Grove, as it is for any fighter. Visualization techniques help him to prepare for any and all scenarios in the Octagon. He spends a few hours every day walking on the beach thinking about the fight over and over with his favorite reggae or rap music, something he considers his form of meditation. "That's the greatest tool that we have is our mind, and if we can't use that then we're hopeless."
Having a supportive family and network of friends is also something Kendall cherishes and does not take for granted. "My father has been to every one of my fights. He even flew to the UK in January." Although his mom is a bit squeamish about watching him fight in person, he chuckles, she still manages to watch the taped fights afterwards while supporting him 100%, win or lose.
During our conversation, I had to ask the inevitable question "Who would you most like to fight that you haven't already?" Kendall's response was "Anybody good. I like pushing myself and I like fighting crafty veterans who've been there. One guy I would love to fight is Jason McDonald; he's a tough kid, good wrestler and a good jiu jitsu guy."
Regardless of the outcome of the June 21 fight with Evan Tanner, Kendall plans to take a break until January of next year to enjoy being a father for the first time, in addition to focusing on his new MMA school with buddy Troy "Rude Boy" Mandaloniz. "Ever since I've been in the UFC, I told myself I'm going to help the boys in Maui get where I'm at, help get them fights wherever I can, get their names out there. I'm already there. They don't have the opportunities to take it that far. Nobody helps them." He also states that teaching the next generation of young fighters is his greatest passion, something I find commendable being that he himself, is just a young gun of 25. Whatever the future holds for Kendall Grove, one thing is for certain, he has a good head on his shoulders and the spirit of Aloha in his soul.
Kendall Grove thanks: Jill Baxter, Team Punishment, Hui, Cryogel and Mickey's Malt Liquor
Photo used by permission from Kendall Grove's myspace page : myspace.com/kendallgrove
www.kendallgrovemma.com
No comments:
Post a Comment