Josh Richard Grispi (born October 14, 1988) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2006 until 2014, he has competed for the UFC and WEC.
Background
Grispi, a talented hockey player, was kicked out of many schools and even a paintball facility before venturing into mixed martial arts 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 and Massachusetts, winning local tournaments while often being the youngest competitor.[1]
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 submission in the first round.[2] This was followed up by an early first round TKO victory over Micah Miller.[2]
His next fight came against former UFC Lightweight ChampionJens Pulver at WEC 41 on June 7, 2009. He won the fight via guillotine chokesubmission 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.[3]
Grispi returned after a year off to face LC Davis on June 20, 2010, at WEC 49.[4] Grispi submitted Davis by guillotine chokesubmission at 2:33 of the first round, earning Submission of the Night honors.[5]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Grispi was expected to face Erik Koch on November 11, 2010, at WEC 52.[6] However, in October 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.[7]
He was expected to fight José Aldo at UFC 125 for the UFC Featherweight Championship but Aldo was forced to withdraw due to injury.[8] Risking his #1 contender status, Grispi instead fought late replacement Dustin Poirier at the event and lost via unanimous decision. Grispi suffered a jaw injury in the fight which sidelined him for 5 months.[9]
Grispi was expected to face Matt Grice on October 8, 2011, at UFC 136.[11] However, Grispi was forced from the bout and replaced by Nam Phan.[12]
Grispi was expected to face Pablo Garza on August 4, 2012, at UFC on FOX 4.[13] However, Garza was forced out of the bout and replaced by Rani Yahya.[14] Grispi lost to Yahya after he tapped out to a north–south choke in the first round.
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.[17] 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.[18]
Personal life
Grispi filed for divorce while incarcerated and has a son and a daughter with ex wife Kaitlyn.[19] He is a distant relative of legendary boxerRocky Marciano.[20] Aside from fighting, Grispi used to do construction work with his father.[21]
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.[19] 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.[19][22] The police searched Grispi's house and found 20 marijuana plants and 15 grams of cocaine.[22] 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."[22] On June 16, 2017, Grispi was convicted on 25 of 29 charges in Plymouth County Superior Court in Brockton, Massachusetts. He received a sentence of 5+1⁄2 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.[23]
