Kendall Grove has been a part of one of The Ultimate Fighter's earliest seasons and he has been impressed with how the show has evolved.
The former UFC fighter's career has catapulted after winning the third season of TUF, having 13 fights for the promotion and then a five-year run at Bellator MMA that ended earlier this year. Grove signed a deal with bare knuckle boxing promotion BKFC earlier this year and is ready to embark on a new journey into the world of bare knuckle boxing.
Grove spoke with Fightful on his time in TUF and how it has impacted his career. The show has grown in popularity and is happy that people get inspired to try out MMA after watching TUF just the same as Grove did.
“Yeah it’s crazy. It’s good to have been a part of the good old days. I’m very privileged and honored to be a part of that and paving the way for up-and-comers. Even to this day, young men come up to me and say, ‘Oh man I remember seeing you on TV with my dad when I was a kid and inspired me.’ It’s just crazy and what that show does to your career and to you as a person, putting you out there in the public and turning you into a role model for kids. They’re going through the same thing I went to and that show what it does is inspire people to try out MMA. I remember watching the first season and it inspired me. I loved watching Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian and thinking that I wanted to be a part of the Ultimate Fighter and be a part of that history," Grove said.
Although Grove's UFC career didn't result in title fights or pay-per-view main events, Groves said he has no regrets on how his career ended, especially since it started with a bang winning the third season of TUF.
“I always look back and it trip out over how that show changed my life. Thirteen fights in the UFC is all thanks to the Ultimate Fighter. I wouldn’t change anything for the world. It was a blast,” Grove said.
Grove competed in his second bare knuckle boxing fight at “BKFC 3: The Takeover” in Biloxi, Mississippi on October 20.
