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What happened to Josh Grispi? Poirier’s First UFC Opponent

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Dustin Poirier jumped onto the scene when he inked a contract with WEC. After the company’s merger with the UFC, Poirier quickly looked to make a name for himself. His first UFC opponent and fellow WEC fighter, Josh Grispi, held an impressive 14-1 record. At UFC 125, Poirier defeated Grispi by unanimous decision. This began the fall of Josh Grispi.

What Happened to Josh Grispi?

Grispi’s Octagon Return

Due to injuries suffered from the Poirier fight, Grispi was sidelined for several months. Grispi’s next fight, held on June 4th, 2011, at TUF 13: Finale, was against George Roop. Roop was able to TKO Grispi in the third round.

Josh Grispi vs Rani Yahya

Grispi’s next fight was against fellow WEC vet, Rani Yahya. The fight took place more than a year later after his fight with Roop, on August 4th, 2012. Yahya quickly wrestled Grispi to the mat, and soon after found a North/South Choke that forced Grispi to tap. The Bay Stater, dropping his third straight loss, desperately needed a win.

Grispi’s Final Fight

Grispi returned to the Octagon for the last time at UFC on Fuel TV 7. His featherweight bout with Andy Ogle was held on the prelims. The fight went to decision, and the judges gave Ogle the unanimous decision nod. After the bout, Grispi was cut from the UFC.

Domestic Abuse Charges

In August 2014, Grispi fell into legal trouble. Grispi was convicted on 25 of 29 charges in 2017 in a Massachusetts court. Among the charges were domestic abuse and assault charges of his wife, Kaitlyn. Police Officer Richard Harvey, who worked the case, remarked, “(this is) the worst case of domestic abuse I’ve ever seen.” Subsequently, the pair divorced while Grispi was incarcerated.

Josh Grispi Makes MMA Return

Grispi was to make his return to MMA in January 2020 at a local MMA promotion, New England Fights. However, Grispi was pulled from the fight due to legal issues.

Did you enjoy this article? We have one about Conor McGregor’s first opponent, Marcus Brimage. Check it out here.

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Brian Knight is a contributing writer and active editor for MMASucka since November 2020. He is currently authoring his first book.

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