Issue 047
March 2009
Standing 6’6” and weighing 280lb (20 stone) it isn’t difficult to see how Neil Grove earned the nickname.
Despite his massive frame and the fearsome punching power that put fellow behemoth James Thompson to sleep in a matter of seconds, the adopted Brit is so easy-going that you can hardly imagine him fighting in a cage.
Originally from South Africa, Grove came to Britain as a backpacker, like many of his compatriots, in 1996. Shortly after arriving in the UK he “fell in love with London” and extended his visa. When he first arrived in the UK, his size meant he quickly found work as a doorman at several venues in the capital.
But despite his genial nature, Grove hints at a dark side when he explains his route into martial arts and thence to MMA. “I met my sensei through my first job in the UK, which was working on the door of an Irish nightclub. I ended up meeting him through … getting into a bit of trouble,” he says cryptically. “I was told to learn some control and restraint, so I started training with him.”
The sensei in question is Gavin Mulholland, who heads the Goju-Ryu Karate dojo in London. Fighters with a background in the traditional martial arts are a comparative rarity in today’s era, which is dominated by Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. But despite cross-training in other arts, Grove is a karate man to the core, and is keen to stress that Goju Ryu should not be confused with some of the more ‘family friendly’ versions of no-contact karate styles that can be found throughout the land.
“It’s very similar to Kyokushin,” he explains, referring to the full-contact karate style that has spawned UFC welterweight champion Georges St Pierre and K-1 champion Semmy Schilt. “Its full-contact and we also specialise in grappling similar to the jiu-jitsu regimen, all the submission stuff. It is a combat style and as part of that there is a lot of contact, whereas in other karate styles there perhaps isn’t as much sparring or full-contact,” he says.
He took to training with a will and earned his black belt after several years of dedicated study, but at the back of his mind was an urge to test himself. “The dojo is a safe environment. Me being 6’6” and 21 stone at the time, I said I would like to test my abilities. Fighting in a cage, in MMA, seemed to be the best way of doing it. The first two or three times were just genuinely to see what I was capable of,” he recalls.
In eight professional contests he has been beaten only once. Aside from that sole decision loss, all of Grove’s fights have ended in a stoppage win, so it was no surprise when the UFC came calling. Heavyweight knockout artists are always a crowd-pleaser and the world’s top MMA organisation felt Grove deserved a slot on the big stage. He will make his debut at UFC 95 in February, and Grove couldn’t care less who he fights so long as he gets to step into the Octagon.
“Whoever the UFC want me to fight, I will fight,” says Grove flatly. “I don’t mind.” Though he does say that he wants to test himself and “fight the best heavyweights out there”, including the ferocious Brock Lesnar, who he says looked “sloppy” against Randy Couture.
But that is all in the future. For now, Grove is just looking forward to his debut and a chance to shine on a bigger platform. “I’m a newcomer, so they will test me,” he predicts. “Then hopefully, if I win four or five fights, there might be a chance of fighting some of the bigger names. We’ll see.”
Neil Grove spoke with John O’Regan
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