Bleacher Report’s Danny Acosta:
UFC middleweight Kendall Grove likes to practice what he preaches.
He tells his students at Straight Rootless Jiu-Jitsu in Wailuku, Hawaii that every opponent is a Rubik’s cube—a puzzle to be solved. The Ultimate Fighter season three winner meets Tim Boetsch on a Spike TV broadcast bout this Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC 130, where he’ll attempt to break down “The Barbarian” problem in front of him.
“That’s the only tape I have on him when he’s a big 205-pounder. Who knows, we’ll find out [Saturday] if he’s big, but that’s who I’m training for is a 205 Tim Boetsch—well, he looks 235,” the Hawaiian told Bleacher Report of his opponent making his debut at 185-pounds. “A strong, brawler-wrestler that doesn’t hold anything back. We fight. We put it on the line. Stylistically, I think it’s a good match up.”
Since arriving in the Octagon nearly five years ago, Grove has posted a 7-5 record, alternating wins and losses for his last six bouts, most recently dropping a unanimous decision to former title challenger Demian Maia last December. Grove jokes in mixed martial arts, only UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre sticks to game plans, so once he and Boestch begin trading leather, it’s anybody’s (read: his) fight.