| Neil Grove | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 18, 1971 Klerksdorp, South Africa |
| Other names | Goliath |
| Nationality | South African English |
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Weight | 264.6 lb (120.0 kg; 18.9 st) |
| Division | Heavyweight (265 lb) Super Heavyweight (265+ lb) |
| Reach | 78 in (198 cm) |
| Style | Boxing, Gōjū-ryū Karate |
| Fighting out of | London, England |
| Rank | black belt in Gōjū-ryū |
| Years active | 2006 - present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 17 |
| Wins | 11 |
| By knockout | 11 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Neil Grove (born January 18, 1971) is a South African-born English heavyweight mixed martial artist currently signed with Bellator Fighting Championships. He holds a black belt rank of shodan in Gōjū-ryū karate. He holds notable victories over UFC veterans James McSweeney, and Eddie Sanchez TUF alumni Zak Jensen and Pride veteran James Thompson.
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Grove made his MMA debut at UKMMAC 17: Iron Circle on November 16, 2006, beating Anthony Okorie by TKO. He next fought at UKMMAC 18: Fists of Fury against Denniston Sutherland, who was 30 kg lighter than Grove at the time. Grove won by TKO in the second round. The fight caused some controversy due to a delay between rounds 1 and 2 caused by a problem with the cage.
On July 14, 2007, Grove made his Cage Rage debut at Cage Rage 22: Hard as Hell, stepping in on two days notice to fight PRIDE veteran James Thompson. Grove knocked out the heavily favored Thompson in just 10 seconds of the first round. Grove followed up with two more stoppages in Cage Rage before facing former Cage Rage heavyweight champion Rob Broughton. Grove lost the bout by majority decision.
Grove fought in a re-match against Robert Berry at Cage Rage 27: Step Up on July 12, 2008. He won via TKO in the second round. After the fight, Grove called out both Mostapha Al-turk and Kimbo Slice. Grove and Al-turk were scheduled for a heavyweight title fight before Cage Rage closed down.
On December 16, 2008, Grove announced that he was signing a four fight deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Grove expressed interest in fighting fellow European standout Mostapha al-Turk, who has also signed with the UFC.[1]
He lost his long awaited UFC debut UFC 95 in London, England, to Mike Ciesnolevicz via Heel hook submission early in the first round. Grove was released from his UFC contract in May.
Afterwards he returned to UCMMA at the The Troxy in London, he defeated brawler Martin Thompson to retain his UCMMA Heavyweight title.
He then fought to a draw with Stav Economou at Ultimate Challenge MMA - Never Back Down.
Grove made his Bellator and US debut against Eddie Sanchez, winning via TKO (Punches) at 1:32 of round 1.
He next faced Alexey Oleinik at Bellator 29. He won via TKO at 0:45 in the first round. This win earned Graove a spot in the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Tournament, where he faced undefeated wrestler Cole Konrad. Grove lost the fight via submission in the first round.
Grove was scheduled to make his return to the promotion at Bellator 43 where he would face The Ultimate Fighter 10 alumnus Zak Jensen. However, Grove pulled out of the bout due to an injury.[2] Grove instead fought Jensen at Bellator 47.[3] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.
Grove entered the second heavyweight tournament in Bellator's fifth season. He faced Mike Hayes at Bellator 52[4] and lost the back-and-forth bout via split decision.
Grove faced Thiago Santos at Bellator 56 in the semi-finals of the heavyweight tournament after Blagoi Ivanov pulled out of the bout due to an injury.[5] He lost the fight via submission in the first round.
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 17 matches | 11 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 11 | 0 |
| By submission | 0 | 3 |
| By decision | 0 | 2 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 11-5-1 | Thiago Santos | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 56 | October 29, 2011 | 1 | 0:38 | Kansas City, Kansas, United States | Bellator Season 5 Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal; Replaced an injured Blagoi Ivanov |
| Loss | 11–4–1 | Mike Hayes | Decision (split) | Bellator 52 | October 1, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States | Bellator Season 5 Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal |
| Win | 11–3–1 | Zak Jensen | TKO (punches) | Bellator 47 | July 23, 2011 | 1 | 2:00 | Rama, Ontario, Canada | |
| Loss | 10–3–1 | Cole Konrad | Submission (keylock) | Bellator 32 | October 14, 2010 | 1 | 4:45 | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | Bellator Season 3 Heavyweight Tournament Final |
| Win | 10–2–1 | Alexey Oleinik | TKO (punches) | Bellator 29 | September 16, 2010 | 1 | 0:45 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | Bellator Season 3 Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal |
| Win | 9–2–1 | Eddie Sanchez | TKO (punches) | Bellator 24 | August 12, 2010 | 1 | 1:32 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Bellator Season 3 Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal |
| Draw | 8–2–1 | Stav Economou | Draw | UCMMA 12: Never Back Down | May 8, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | For the Ultimate Challenge MMA Heavyweight title |
| Win | 8–2 | Martin Thompson | TKO (punches) | UCMMA 8: Dynamite | October 25, 2009 | 1 | 0:53 | London, England | |
| Loss | 7–2 | Mike Ciesnolevicz | Submission (heel hook) | UFC 95 | February 21, 2009 | 1 | 1:03 | London, England | |
| Win | 7–1 | James McSweeney | TKO (punches) | UCMMA 1: Bad Breed | December 7, 2008 | 2 | 1:38 | London, England | Won Ultimate Challenge MMA Heavyweight title |
| Win | 6–1 | Robert Berry | TKO (punches) | Cage Rage 27 | July 12, 2008 | 2 | 1:29 | London, England | |
| Loss | 5–1 | Rob Broughton | Decision (majority) | Cage Rage 25 | March 8, 2008 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 5–0 | Robert Berry | TKO (corner stoppage) | Cage Rage 24 | December 1, 2007 | 1 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 4–0 | Domagoj Ostojić | TKO (punches) | Cage Rage 23 | September 22, 2007 | 1 | 0:34 | London, England | |
| Win | 3–0 | James Thompson | KO (punch) | Cage Rage 22 | July 14, 2007 | 1 | 0:10 | London, England | |
| Win | 2–0 | Denniston Sutherland | TKO (punches) | UKMMAC 18: Fists of Fury | February 25, 2007 | 1 | 3:05 | Purfleet, England | |
| Win | 1–0 | Anthony Okorie | TKO (punches) | UKMMAC 17: Iron Circle | November 26, 2006 | 1 | 0:54 | England |