About Da Spyder

Kendall Grove, AKA DaSpyder, was born November 12, 1982 in Wailuku, Maui.  He weighed two and a half pounds and was two months premature.  His first 24 hours on earth, Kendall’s heart stopped a few times with his dad there to rub his chest to get his heart started. Kendall stayed alive. I guess God had a purpose for that baby Hawaiian.
 
Where It All Started
 
My freshman year of high school I signed up at Brazilian Free Style in Wailuku, Maui.  After a year of training jiu jitsu, my family couldn’t keep up with payments so I stopped. Shortly after I stopped jiu jitsu, a friend of mine, Eddie Ferreira told me about wrestling, and that was it. I was hooked.  With one on one competition after three years of high school wrestling and a 6th place state title my senior year, what was next?
After high school I linked up with a good friend, John Kim (who was a blue belt at that time) and Eddie Ferreira.  We started training in gi jiu jitsu.  After about four months, I moved to Las Vegas to get away from Hawaii.  After being in Vegas for one week I was training at J-Sec with John Lewes and BJJ Black Belt Mare Laimon.
Soon after I was entering jiu jitsu competitions in California, Vegas and Arizona. Doing well winning competitions, I was asked by my jiu jitsu coach Mare Laimon to help UFC Fighter Phil Baroni prepare for his fight with Matt Linland.  I said yes. After a few training sessions Phil asked me if I had fought before. I said no and that I had never thought about it.  He told me I had potential and that I should start. For me, that was the green light to start fighting.  I had only been in Las Vegas for a year and I was going back to Maui to start my career as a professional fighter.
 
Going, Going, Back, Back to Maui, Maui
 
Warriors of Da Ring on Maui
My first fight was with Marvelous Tefaga, a Maui fighter who was making his debut as well.  This was my first fight and I was ready. I was thinking there is no way this guy hits harder than Phil or most of my Vegas boys. So I said let’s go! I knocked his tooth out in the second round with a knee.
 
Island Pride on Maui
 
My second fight was with Oahu’s Fight Factory Fighter Trepstin Kersiano who was a veteran in Icon Sports. Being an underdog in this fight, I walked away with a first round triangle.
Next up was a fight with Kona’s Palmer Fuga in rage in Da Cage (Sunny Westbrooks Show) on Da Big Island. I won with an arm bar (Kimura).  Now 3-0, next was Cory Daniels.  This fight was funny. To make a long story short, I had him in an arm bar and he got to his feet and started stomping my head, which was illegal. The referee yelled no stomps, so I tried to break his arm.  When I tried, he stomped and stuck his toe in my eye. The referee jumped in but Cory didn’t stop.  Things exploded with words being yelled back and forth. I got my first N/C.
After that fight I went up against rising Icon Star, Kipo Kalama. I was a 2 to 1 underdog because Kipo had just come out of a war with Pride Fighter Dennis Kang and almost won.  This was my first big fight with Icon and it was on Maui. I was not going to lose. I finished him in the second round R.N.C.
 
My next fight was in R.O.T.R. (JD Penn’s Show) vs. Jo Riggs. What can I say, I got messed up. I had no business in there with him at that time but I love to fight and I needed the money. I was moving back to Las Vegas. I had lost my first fight.
 
After my Riggs fight I moved back to Vegas. Most of the time I was fighting and living in Hawaii. I went to Vegas to train for four weeks and then came back to Hawaii to fight. I was back living in Las Vegas to follow my dream to be a UFC Fighter and put Maui boys on the map.
My first fight in the U.S…well, it was actually in TJ Mexico in total combat, was against previously released from San Quentin, Ricky Gunz. This fight was funny. The short story is that I took his back, and then he jumped out of the ring and didn’t fight because he said his arm was messed up from the fall.
 
Next up was Matt Hendricks. This boy came to fight back and forth.  I dropped him and finished him in the second.  It was my first TKO. For my ninth fight I went back to Hawaii and fought on Maui vs. IFL Star Savant Young. I lost. He put me to sleep with a guillotine.
 
Two weeks later I went back to TJ Mexico to fight for the total combat 185lb belt. I was fighting Matt Gidney. My jiu jitsu was too good for him. I finished him three minutes into the first round with a RNC. This was my first title and it felt good.
 
In my next fight I went up to 205. I had no business at 205.  This was in KOTC vs. Hector Ramirez. I looked like a tree falling. I got knocked out. After this fight I took some time off from fighting and trained in just jiu jitsu. After winning some jiu jitsu tournaments, I went back to fighting. I had to fight Hilo Boy Jay Carter. I knew he was a great striker so I took him down and got a triangle winning the fight.
 
And Then There was TUF
 
After the Carter fight I was going to fight to defend my total combat belt, but I also signed up for the UFC Show. Just my luck, I was picked to do the show. I made it on Team Ortiz and started training like a mad man. My first fight on the show was with England’s Ross Pointan.  I won with a R.N.C. standing. It felt good winning and fighting for the UFC. Next I fought the guy everyone thought was going to win the whole show, Kalb Starns. This was a good fight.  I broke his rib and he quit. On to the redhead Ed Herman. Going in to this fight I was game. I felt good. I went on to win the six figure contract and to have the third best fight in 2006 with the UFC.
My second fight in the UFC was with 7-0 Chris Price. I was in Big Bear training with Tito for this fight. I won the fight by tko strikes. I did however break my hand with the first combo. Next: Alan Belcher. I knew he was a game cause his last two fights were mean. The boy loves to fight.  After the first round I was like, this is too easy. So the next round started and I took the fight to him. It paid off. I won my third UFC fight and had the first Darce Choke in the UFC. Next was Patrick Cote. I thought I was doing well but it’s not how you start, but how you finish, and Cote finished me with a left hook. After that fight I was hungry to get back in there so UFC gave me Jorge Rivera. I had a good and hard training camp for this fight, but what can I say, but good job Jorge, you got me. I lost. I got KTFO. So now I had two losses and a lot of people gave up on Da Spyder. UFC told me to fight Evan Tanner. I said I could pound him, and I did.  It was a split decision but most people said it was unanimous.