Irish Whip Fighting Exclusive: Kendall Grove Interview

In his first post-Cote loss interview, Irish Whip Fighting got the opportunity to sit down with Kendall Grove. He talks about his loss to Cote, who he wants to fight next, and his critics. An Interview by Irish Whip Fighting.

Irish Whip Fighting: Prior to the Cote fight, you had been undefeated in the UFC. In your words, what happened there?
Kendall Grove: Umm…I got sloppy off of that clinch…I threw a knee with my eyes down and he caught me right behind the ear.

IWF: If given the opportunity, how would you change your plan in order to beat him?
KG: I would have changed nothing; I got caught off the clinch. Like I said, it’s a fight and anything can happen.

IWF: Was the Cote fight the toughest you’ve ever had?
KG: No, Ed Herman is the toughest fight I’ve ever had. It was my only fight that went the distance.

IWF: One of your training partners, Tito Ortiz, actually beat Cote a few years ago. Did he give you any pointers beforehand, and if so, what were they?
KG: He just told me how to train, how to get right for this fight. He told me that he hits hard and he’s strong, and I just went in there and I got caught.

IWF: We always hear that Tito works incredibly hard. How beneficial is it to train with someone like that?
KG: It’s very beneficial. If your partners train hard, you’re going to train hard. And he definitely makes me train harder.

IWF: You and Tito aren’t exactly fan-favorites among Sherdoggers. Do you have any comments on that?
KG: What is that?

IWF: It’s an online MMA forum.
KG: Oh…I really don’t care about what people think about me. They can say what they want to about me. People have been talking about me since I came into MMA, and they’re going to be talking about me until the day I die. So all I can say is, hate on haters!

IWF: How do you rank yourself among the 185s?
KG: Not too well right now. I would rank myself a small fish in a big pond.

IWF: Yeah, I mean you’re only 24 years old.
KG: Oh for sure, I’m just going to try to pay my dues and hopefully one day become a champion.

IWF: How do you feel you'd match up with current champ Anderson Silva?
KG: Right now, not too good. I just need a few more years to mature as a fighter.

IWF: Are there any matchups you're looking for? Possibly a rematch with Cote?
KG: Yeah after my next fight I wouldn’t mind getting a rematch with Cote after that.

IWF: You’ve obviously got a bright future ahead of you, being only 24. Looking into the future, are there any fighters that you would just love to fight?
KG: Umm…Jason MacDonald. Whoever will match up against me well.

IWF: Do you ever see yourself holding the Middleweight Championship?
KG: For sure, I see myself holding that belt in a couple of years.

IWF: How would you respond to the critics who say that you have a soft chin?
KG: Well Cote didn’t knock me out by hitting my chin, so I don’t know where that is coming from. Just hate on haters. Haters are known to be legally retarded sometimes, you know?

IWF: It looks like at UFC 78, one of your partners, Tito Ortiz, has his rematch against Rashad Evans. Can you comment on this fight? Or give us a prediction?
KG: Uh yeah man. I think it will be a better fight than the first one. Tito is pumped, he’s training his ass off. It should be a good fight. He doesn’t want it to be like last time.

IWF: Yeah we actually interviewed Tito after his first fight with Evans. He seemed pretty motivated.
KG: Yeah, he’s motivated for sure. I’m going up to Big Bear to train with him for a while before his fight. It should be a good fight.

IWF: Steroids have become a pressing issue in the UFC recently. Why are these guys cheating when they know they’ll probably get caught?
KG: I don’t know, I don’t use it, I don’t care. That’s my thing on that subject.

IWF: Alright, well I think that’s it for now. Thanks for taking the time for this. We appreciate it.
KG: For sure man.