After his recent decision win over lightweight champion Yutaka Saito in a non-title main event at Shooto Japan in January, British fighter Mike Grundy (9-1) now boasts a six fight win streak, and after his dominating performance caught the attention of promoters and fans alike, there is no shortage of options in terms of what the future holds for the talented Wigan grappler.
Grundy on his trip to Japan and the contrasting audiences
Talking to MMA Plus on his arrival back home at Team Kaobon, Grundy spoke fondly of his experience in Japan and revealed that it was a country he always had intentions of visiting whether it had been for business or pleasure.
“Going to Japan was brilliant. I’ve always wanted to go to Japan since I went to Beijing, China for the World Championships as a Junior,” explained Grundy. “A lot of people were telling me it’s a similar culture but better so I wanted to see there after seeing China. So when I got the opportunity to fight in Japan, I jumped at it and obviously with Mixed Martial Arts, the Japanese love it.”
The change of atmosphere between Western and Eastern audiences is well known with the Japanese notorious for their reserved demeanor and respectful behaviour towards the performers even during sporting events. This is in direct contrast with the rowdy crowds we are used to, however the lack of home support would not prove a distraction to Grundy.
“First of all, when I was fighting, I could hear everything my coach was saying,” he added. “That’s quite unique as usually they’re trying to shout louder, however I enjoyed the Japanese applauding every transition.
“I’m used to a big crowd and I’ve always got people behind me, even when I’m in London I have like 100 people with me. It was a bit different but I was just focused and concentrating on what was going on.”
Will Grundy return to Japan or continue career domestically?
Immediately after the fight, there were calls for the 29-year-old to be given a title shot after such a dominating performance. Despite an invite back to the promotion, it does not come with a chance at the lightweight belt but Grundy did reveal there are other offers from home and overseas on the table.
“I don’t know whether to do it or not, but they have invited me back to fight Shooto again because they said the fans like me and they like me but we will see what happens next year.
“I’ve had a few offers that I can’t talk about from both inside and outside of the UK. You’ll just need to see what happens next as I’m an active fighter and plan on staying that way.”
Asked if the decision would be made easier if a shot at Saito’s 155lb title was on offer, the former BAMMA fighter was a lot more enthusiastic about the prospect of a return to Shooto.
“I would definitely go back for it and fight for the title. It was a bit different winning against the world champion and not coming back with any title. It’s kind of what you weigh up with organisations to get your title shot but it’s nice to know for my peace of mind that I beat the two-time Shooto World Champion.”
Grundy “over” BAMMA 19 defeat to Damien Stasiak
On a domestic note, the only defeat in Grundy’s MMA career so far came at the hands of Damian Stasiak at BAMMA 19 back in March 2015. When asked if this was something he would like a chance of avenging, Grundy discussed the possibility of a big fight down the line while saying it wasn’t something he pondered too much on.
“I got over it quite quick because I’ve lost in wrestling before, and it’s tough, but you just get back on your arse and crack on really… I mean I don’t know if you saw, but I was winning that fight. I obviously wasn’t as dominant as I was against Saito, but I can leave that behind me.
“If it comes around it’s a big fight but you know I’ve gotten over that and I’m just as happy to move on.”
Juggling coaching and training at Team Kaobon
With most of his spare time spent coaching over at Team Kaobon Wigan as well as sticking to his own training regime, Grundy explained that the quality of the coaches and staff at the gym help him to improve and work on his game daily.
“I do work in the gym as a coach. We’ve got a kids wrestling club that’s very successful and I’m currently coaching a pair of British champions right now on a regular basis,” said Grundy.
“We have some excellent coaches in the gym so I can leave it to them as well, so leading up to a fight, I can take a few sessions a week and concentrate on recovering really.”
Asked about the future and when we are likely to see him back in the cage, Grundy again insisted on how active a fighter he was and that he has ambitions of making it to the big time by the end of the year.
“I’ve had four or five fights in the past eight months, so I don’t mind being out in March, but in April, I’ll definitely be straight back to work. UFC is really where I want to be and by the end of the year, I’m hoping that’s where I’ll be.”
