Kendall Grove (born November 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2003, he has also competed for the Bellator MMA, UFC, KSW, ProElite, King of the Cage, and was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 3 on Spike TV.

Kendall Grove
BornKendall Grove
(1982-11-12) November 12, 1982 (age 42)
Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii, U.S.
Other namesDa Spyder
ResidenceMaui, Hawaii
Height6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
DivisionLight Heavyweight
Middleweight
Reach79 in (201 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofMaui, Hawaii, United States
TeamCobra Kai (2002–2008)[1]
Team Punishment (2006–2008)[2]
Misfits MMA
Maui Jiujitsu
Straight Rootless Fight Team
Rank2nd degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Jake Mapes[3]
Years active2003–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total44
Wins24
By knockout7
By submission11
By decision6
Losses19
By knockout9
By submission4
By decision6
No contests1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Early life

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Grove was born in Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii and is a graduate of Baldwin High School in Wailuku, Hawaii, where he was a high school wrestler and played football.[4] Grove has a mixed ethnic heritage of Native Hawaiian, Samoan, Spanish, and Native American bloodlines.[5][6] Kendall trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu in his freshman year in the high school and moved to Las Vegas in 2002 to focus in the sport.[7] However, he got intrigued in mixed martial arts and begun training all aspects of it.[7]

Mixed martial arts career

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The Ultimate Fighter

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While on The Ultimate Fighter 3, Grove trained under Tito Ortiz, and won a preliminary victory against Ross Pointon by rear naked choke and in the semi-finals defeated Kalib Starnes by submission after a rib injury sustained by Starnes during the fight caused him to verbally submit. He defeated Ed Herman in the finals by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, and 29–28) in the series finale, winning a six-figure contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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In his first bout since the show on October 10, 2006, Grove defeated then-undefeated Chris Price via submission (elbows) in the first round at Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter.

After the taping of the series, Grove was invited to Ortiz's training camp, Team Punishment and has trained with Ortiz along with many of his former teammates on The Ultimate Fighter 3 at Ortiz's Big Bear City, California, training facility. He has trained with Randy Couture's camp at Xtreme Couture.[8] Since his loss to Jorge Rivera, he has moved back to Hawaii and has trained there with his friend B.J. Penn.

In his next fight at UFC 69 he faced up and coming prospect Alan Belcher. After a close first round Grove came out strong in round two. Grove rocked Belcher with punches and knees from the clinch. With just over two minutes remaining in the round Grove secured a double-leg takedown. As Belcher scrambled to escape Grove locked in a D'Arce choke which rendered Belcher unconscious giving Grove the victory by technical submission at 4:42 of round two.

At UFC 74, Grove faced UFC veteran Patrick Côté. Côté defeated Grove via first-round TKO. Grove experienced his second consecutive loss at UFC 80 to Jorge Rivera losing by KO at 1:20 in the first round.

Grove faced Evan Tanner at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs Team Forrest Finale on June 21, 2008. The bout saw Grove bloody Tanner and frustrate the former middleweight champion by stopping his takedowns and getting back up immediately following being sent to the floor. Grove won a split decision (28–29, 30–26, and 30–26) to snap his two fight losing streak.

Grove then defeated Jason Day by TKO at UFC 96. In his next appearance at UFC 101, Grove lost to Ricardo Almeida by unanimous decision.

At UFC 106 Grove defeated Jake Rosholt by triangle choke at 3:59 of the first round.

Grove next faced middleweight prospect Mark Muñoz at UFC 112 in a bout that would earn Fight of the Night honors. After a successful first round with several near submissions, Grove lost via TKO at 2:50 in the 2nd round.

Grove faced Goran Reljic on July 3, 2010, at UFC 116.[9] Grove won via split decision (28–29, 30–27, and 29–28).[10]

Grove next fought Demian Maia on December 4, 2010, at The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck Finale. Grove lost the fight via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, and 29–28).

Grove faced Tim Boetsch on May 28, 2011, at UFC 130[11] and lost via unanimous decision.

On June 17, 2011, Grove announced via Facebook that he had been released from the UFC, along with welterweight Chuck O'Neil.[12] He became the third Ultimate Fighter winner to be released following Efrain Escudero from Season Eight and Travis Lutter from Season Four.

ProElite

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Grove fought Joe Riggs at ProElite 1 This was a rematch of their previous encounter at Rumble on the Rock 5, a match which Riggs won. Grove won via guillotine choke submission 59 seconds into round 1.

Grove fought Ikuhisa Minowa at ProElite 3 on January 21, 2012.[13] He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Independent Promotions

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Grove headlined against Jay Silva on February 16 in Las Vegas, Nevada.[14] Grove lost the fight via submission in the second round.

Grove's next fight was against undefeated Derek Brunson for the ShoFight Middleweight Championship. Grove won via split decision.

Grove next fought Ariel Gandulla in Victoria, Canada at Aggression Fighting Championship 13 on November 3, 2012.[15] Grove defeated Gandulla by TKO in the second round.[16]

On December 1, 2012, Grove faced Mamed Khalidov at KSW 21 event in Poland. He lost by submission in the second round.

On June 8, 2013, he fought Michał Materla, for KSW Middleweight Championship and lost by unanimous decision.[17]

Bellator MMA

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Grove made his promotional debut at Bellator 104 on October 18, 2013, with a three-round decision victory over Joe Vedepo.[18]

In 2014, Grove entered the Bellator Season 10 Middleweight tournament. He faced Brett Cooper at Bellator 114 on March 28, 2014.[19] He lost the fight via knockout in the second round.

Grove faced former Bellator Light Heavyweight champion Christian M'Pumbu on October 3, 2014, at Bellator 127.[20] He won the fight via submission in the second round.

Grove faced Brandon Halsey for the Bellator Middleweight Championship on May 15, 2015, at Bellator 137.[21] He lost the fight via TKO in the fourth round.

Grove next faced Joey Beltran at Bellator 143 on September 25, 2015. He won the fight via TKO in the third round.

Grove then faced Francisco France at Bellator 150 on February 26, 2016. He again won the fight via knockout, this time in the first round.[22]

Following two knockout victories, Grove faced former Bellator middleweight champion, Alexander Shlemenko, in the main event at Bellator 162. Grove lost the fight via TKO in the second round.[23]

Grove was originally scheduled to face Chris Honeycutt at Bellator 174 on March 3, 2017. However, Honeycutt was removed from the bout on February 28 and replaced by Mike Rhodes. Rhodes was then unable to make the required weight, and the bout scratched after they were unable to come to an agreement for the bout to proceed at a catchweight.[24]

Grove faced John Salter at Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017. He lost the fight via technical submission in the first round.[25]

Grove faced A.J. Matthews at Bellator 193 on January 26, 2018.[26] He lost the fight via split decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.[27][28]

Golden Boy Promotions

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Grove was expected to face Andre Walker on Golden Boy Promotions' inaugural MMA event on November 24, 2018, but the fight never made it to fruition.

Other regional promotions

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Grove was scheduled to face Casey Ryan at LXF 6 on March 20, 2020, but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[29]

Ten years after their first bout with Grove lost by unanimous decision, Grove rematched Michał Materla on January 21, 2023, at KSW 78, losing the bout in the second round after being dropped and finished with ground and pound.[30]

Bare knuckle boxing

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After three straight losses in Bellator, Grove signed to a new promotion, Bare Knuckle FC and debuted on August 25, 2018.[31] He faced Bruce Abramski and won the bout by unanimous decision.

In his sophomore bout in BKFC, Grove faced Marcel Stamps at BKFC 3 on October 20, 2018. He lost the fight via knockout.

Grove next faced fellow UFC veteran Hector Lombard at BKFC 12 on September 11, 2020.[32] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

Personal life

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Grove and wife Anna, have six children together: two sons and four daughters.[33]

Championships and achievements

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
44 matches 24 wins 19 losses
By knockout 7 9
By submission 11 4
By decision 6 6
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 24–19 (1) Michał Materla TKO (punches) KSW 78 January 21, 2023 2 4:27 Szczecin, Poland Catchweight (195 lbs) bout.
Win 24–18 (1) Anthony Ruiz Submission (triangle choke) WFC 110 August 10, 2019 1 4:30 Wailuku, Hawaii, United States Catchweight (195 lbs) bout.
Loss 23–18 (1) A.J. Matthews Decision (split) Bellator 193 January 26, 2018 3 5:00 Temecula, California, United States
Loss 23–17 (1) John Salter Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 181 July 14, 2017 1 4:37 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
Loss 23–16 (1) Alexander Shlemenko TKO (punches) Bellator 162 October 21, 2016 2 1:43 Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Win 23–15 (1) Francisco France KO (punches) Bellator 150 February 26, 2016 2 0:35 Mulvane, Kansas, United States
Win 22–15 (1) Joey Beltran TKO (punches) Bellator 143 September 25, 2015 3 2:27 Hidalgo, Texas, United States
Loss 21–15 (1) Brandon Halsey TKO (punches) Bellator 137 May 15, 2015 4 2:25 Temecula, California, United States For the Bellator Middleweight World Championship. Halsey missed weight (188 lbs) and was stripped of the championship and only Grove was eligible to win the title.
Win 21–14 (1) Christian M'Pumbu Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 127 October 3, 2014 2 4:14 Temecula, California, United States
Loss 20–14 (1) Brett Cooper KO (punches) Bellator 114 March 28, 2014 2 3:33 West Valley City, Utah, United States Bellator Season Ten Middleweight Tournament Semifinal.
Win 20–13 (1) Joe Vedepo Decision (unanimous) Bellator 104 October 18, 2013 3 5:00 Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States
Win 19–13 (1) Danny Mitchell TKO (punches) GWC: The British Invasion: US vs. UK June 29, 2013 1 4:53 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Loss 18–13 (1) Michał Materla Decision (unanimous) KSW 23 June 8, 2013 4 5:00 Gdańsk, Poland for the KSW Middleweight Championship.
Loss 18–12 (1) Jesse Taylor Decision (unanimous) K-Oz Entertainment: Bragging Rights 5 February 23, 2013 5 5:00 Perth, Western Australia For the K-Oz Entertainment Middleweight Championship.
Loss 18–11 (1) Mamed Khalidov Submission (achilles lock) KSW 21 December 1, 2012 2 1:31 Warsaw, Poland
Win 18–10 (1) Chris Cisneros TKO (punches) RWE: Just Scrap 3 November 10, 2012 2 4:30 Maui, Hawaii, United States
Win 17–10 (1) Ariel Gandulla TKO (punches) AFC 13: Natural Selection November 3, 2012 2 4:45 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Win 16–10 (1) Joe Cronin Submission (D'Arce choke) RWE: Just Scrap 2 September 8, 2012 1 1:20 Lahaina, Hawaii, United States
Win 15–10 (1) Derek Brunson Decision (split) ShoFight 20 June 16, 2012 3 5:00 Springfield, Missouri, United States Won the ShoFight Middleweight Championship. Brunson missed weight (190 lbs); title on the line for Grove only.
Loss 14–10 (1) Jay Silva Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) Superior Cage Combat 4 February 16, 2012 2 1:52 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 14–9 (1) Ikuhisa Minowa Decision (unanimous) ProElite 3 January 21, 2012 3 5:00 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Win 13–9 (1) Joe Riggs Submission (guillotine choke) ProElite: Arlovski vs. Lopez August 27, 2011 1 0:59 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Loss 12–9 (1) Tim Boetsch Decision (unanimous) UFC 130 May 28, 2011 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 12–8 (1) Demian Maia Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck Finale December 4, 2010 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 12–7 (1) Goran Reljic Decision (split) UFC 116 July 3, 2010 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 11–7 (1) Mark Muñoz TKO (punches) UFC 112 April 10, 2010 2 2:50 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Fight of the Night.
Win 11–6 (1) Jake Rosholt Submission (triangle choke) UFC 106 November 21, 2009 1 3:59 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 10–6 (1) Ricardo Almeida Decision (unanimous) UFC 101 August 8, 2009 3 5:00 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win 10–5 (1) Jason Day TKO (punches and elbows) UFC 96 March 7, 2009 1 1:32 Columbus, Ohio, United States
Win 9–5 (1) Evan Tanner Decision (split) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs Team Forrest Finale June 21, 2008 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 8–5 (1) Jorge Rivera KO (punches) UFC 80 January 19, 2008 1 1:20 Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Loss 8–4 (1) Patrick Côté TKO (punches) UFC 74 August 25, 2007 1 4:45 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 8–3 (1) Alan Belcher Submission (D'Arce choke) UFC 69 April 7, 2007 2 4:42 Houston, Texas, United States Submission of the Night.
Win 7–3 (1) Chris Price Submission (elbows) Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter October 10, 2006 1 3:59 Hollywood, Florida, United States
Win 6–3 (1) Ed Herman Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Ortiz vs. Team Shamrock Finale June 24, 2006 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Won The Ultimate Fighter 3: Middleweight Tournament; Fight of the Night.
Win 5–3 (1) Jay Carter Submission (triangle choke) Rumble on the Rock: Showdown in Maui October 7, 2005 1 3:25 Maui, Hawaii, United States
Loss 4–3 (1) Hector Ramirez KO (punch) KOTC: Mortal Sins May 7, 2005 1 1:08 Primm, Nevada, United States Light Heavyweight bout.
Win 4–2 (1) Matt Gidney Submission (rear-naked choke) TC 8-Total Combat 8 April 2, 2005 1 2:28 Tijuana, Mexico
Loss 3–2 (1) Savant Young Technical Submission (guillotine choke) Lockdown in Paradise 1 March 19, 2005 1 2:00 Lahaina, Hawaii, United States Catchweight (192 lbs) bout; Grove missed weight.
Win 3–1 (1) Matt Hendricks TKO (punches) Total Combat 7 January 29, 2005 2 N/A Tijuana, Mexico
NC 2–1 (1) Ricky Gunz NC Total Combat 6 October 24, 2004 1 N/A Tijuana, Mexico
Loss 2–1 Joe Riggs KO (elbows) Rumble on the Rock 5 May 7, 2004 1 3:09 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Win 2–0 Kaipo Kalama Submission (rear-naked choke) SuperBrawl 34 March 28, 2004 2 3:16 Wailuku, Hawaii, United States
Win 1–0 Tripstin Kersiano Submission (triangle choke) KFC 3: Island Pride July 27, 2003 1 2:04 Wailuku, Hawaii, United States

Mixed martial arts exhibition match record

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Professional record breakdown
2 matches 2 wins 0 losses
By knockout 0 0
By submission 2 0
By decision 0 0
Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 2–0 Kalib Starnes Verbal Submission (rib injury) The Ultimate Fighter 3 June 8, 2006 3 0:30 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Semi-finals.
Win 1–0 Ross Pointon Submission (rear-naked choke) April 20, 2006 1 3:45 Elimination bout.

Bare knuckle record

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Professional record breakdown
3 matches 1 win 2 losses
By knockout 0 2
By submission 0 0
By decision 1 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 1–2 Hector Lombard TKO (punch) BKFC 12 September 11, 2020 1 1:50 Daytona Beach, Florida, United States
Loss 1–1 Marcel Stamps KO (punches) BKFC 3: The Takeover October 20, 2018 3 0:47 Biloxi, Mississippi, United States
Win 1–0 Bruce Abramski Decision (unanimous) BKFC 2: A New Era August 25, 2018 5 2:00 Biloxi, Mississippi, United States

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Kendall Grove Online Chat Transcript -- A MMAjunkie.com and Mickey's Event". MMAjunkie.com. August 14, 2007.
  2. ^ Jessy Morris (November 26, 2008). "The Forgotten Spyder: What's Up with Kendall Grove?". bleacherreport.com.
  3. ^ "Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove". instagram.com. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  4. ^ Michael Tsai (May 25, 2006). "Knockout workout".
  5. ^ Starr Begley (2007-08-16). "Ke Koa O Maui". Mauitime.com. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
  6. ^ Brittany Yap (2006-07-02). "Maui fighter on 'Ultimate' high". the.honoluluadvertiser.com. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
  7. ^ a b "Kendall Grove Eyes April Fight". MMAjunkie.com. January 1, 2007.
  8. ^ "Index of /blog". Rmaxinternational.com.
  9. ^ "Kendall Grove vs. Goran Reljic at UFC 116". truefighting.webs.com.com. Archived from the original on 2010-05-06. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  10. ^ "UFC 116 LIVE RESULTS AND PLAY-BY-PLAY". mmaweekly.com. 2010-07-03.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "Tim Boetsch drops to middleweight, faces Kendall Grove at UFC 130". mmajunkie.com.com. Archived from the original on 2011-03-22. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  12. ^ "Following recent losses, Kendall Grove, Chuck O'Neil released from UFC". MMAJunkie.com. 2011-06-18. Archived from the original on 2011-06-20.
  13. ^ "Minowa to Meet 'Spyder' Grove at ProElite 3 in January". Sherdog.com. 2011-11-22.
  14. ^ "'Superior Cage Combat 4: Grove vs. Silva' set for Feb. 16 in Las Vegas | MMAjunkie.com". Archived from the original on 2012-01-27. Retrieved 2011-12-22.
  15. ^ "Kendall Grove to Fight in Victoria on November 3". TopMMANews.com. 2012-09-25.
  16. ^ "Aggression FC 13 Results". TopMMANews.com. 2012-11-03.
  17. ^ Sherdog.com. "Mamed Khalidov Achilles Lock Submits Kendall Grove in KSW 21 Headliner". Sherdog.
  18. ^ "Bellator 104 Play by Play". Sherdog.
  19. ^ "Bellator Season 10 Middleweight Tournament Features Cooper-Grove". Sherdog.
  20. ^ "DANIEL STRAUS-JUSTIN WILCOX FEATHERWEIGHT CLASH HEADLINES BELLATOR 127 ON OCT. 3". sherdog.com. August 22, 2014.
  21. ^ Staff (2015-03-03). "Bellator middleweight champ Brandon Halsey meets Kendall Grove at Bellator 137 on May 15". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  22. ^ "Kendall Grove unleashed on Francisco France at Bellator 150". news.com.au. February 28, 2016.
  23. ^ Brian Knapp (October 22, 2016). "Alexander Shlemenko Liver Shot Folds Kendall Grove in Bellator 162 Main Event". sherdog.com.
  24. ^ Mike Bohn (2017-03-02). "Kendall Grove-Mike Rhodes scratched from Bellator 174". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  25. ^ John Morgan (July 14, 2017). "Bellator 181 results: Derek Campos scores trilogy win over Brandon Girtz in blood-soaked instant classic". mmajunkie.com.
  26. ^ "Pinoy fighter AJ Matthews returns to action against veteran Kendall Grove". sports.abs-cbn.com. December 6, 2017.
  27. ^ John Morgan (January 26, 2018). "Bellator 193 results: Lorenz Larkin picks up first Bellator win". mmajunkie.com.
  28. ^ Mike Bohn (February 8, 2018). "Kendall Grove optimistic about future following Bellator release". mmajunkie.com.
  29. ^ Farah Hannoun (April 22, 2020). "With USADA suspension nearing completion, Francisco Rivera eyes final UFC run". mmajunkie.com.
  30. ^ Leonte, Leon. "Michal Materla Crushes Kendall Grove in KSW 78 Rematch". Sherdog. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  31. ^ Alexander K. Lee (July 23, 2018). "Kendall Grove signs exclusive deal with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, to debut on Aug. 25". mmafighting.com.
  32. ^ Damon Martin (July 28, 2020). "Thiago Alves draws Phil Baroni in bare-knuckle debut, Hector Lombard vs. Kendall Grove on tap for BKFC 13". mmafighting.com.
  33. ^ Kendall Grove (September 26, 2020). "#nationaldaughterday blessed with 4 strong & strong willed daughters. Doesnt matter how tough your job is or how strong you are if your daughter tells you you're gonna be a princess you man up and be a fkn princess. That's what daughters do to a man change u for the better". instagram.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24.
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