Issue 028
August 2007
The TV series The Ultimate Fighter has produced some remarkable fighters, and few are as remarkable as the 6’6” Hawaiian Kendall Grove.
Lighting at middleweight, Grove now lives in Las Vegas and trains out of the Xtreme Couture and Cobra Kai gyms. A regular training partner of Tito Ortiz at the former light heavyweight champ’s training camps in Big Bear, his distinctive tattoos speak much about his personal life and philosophies. With artists from Hawaii, Samoa and Las Vegas all contributing to his growing collection of ink, Grove is still collecting tattoos and plans to have a full sleeve on his right arm in the future.
Chest: The words ‘Waleno koaike ke loka’ are from the Hawaiian language, and roughly translate as ‘only a warrior understands’. As Kendall tells it, “I get a lot of people ask me, ‘what’s it like being a fighter?’ I can’t explain it, so I just point at my chest and say, ‘only a warrior understands’.”
Lower right arm: The Hawaiian flag covers his right forearm but has been done in red, gold and green because, as Kendall says, “I’m a Rasta, haha!” Above the flag are the names of his god children.
Left bicep: This may look like the well-known sign welcoming you to Las Vegas, the city where Kendall lives, but look closer and you’ll see that he has had the words ‘Welcome to Hatersville’ inscribed upon the sign.
Right arm: The tribal work covers his upper arm, but below that is half a Tiki face, which is to be expanded and will eventually cover his entire arm.
Left forearm and hand: This traditional Polynesian tattoo is actually something of a family tree. The triangles on his first two knuckles actually represent his mother and himself and his siblings, and the ones that are behind it are his grandparents. This tattoo was actually performed by a Samoan priest.
Upper left arm: The dream catcher represents Kendall’s Native American half (from his father’s side) but if you look closely you can see the island of Maui inside it, which is where Kendall comes from.
Back: This impressive tattoo is of the former King of Hawaii, who died hundreds of years ago. Above him is Kendall’s Hawaiian name, Kekoa, which is also a warrior ranking, symbolising his role as a fighter.
