At 6’6”, Chuck “The Reverend” Grigsby is one of the tallest light heavyweight fighters you will find in combat sports. However, in August, Grigsby took one for his USA East teammates and moved up to compete as a heavyweight against Jessie Gibbs of Team Benelux.
To some, the decision was surprising being that Grigsby has competed almost exclusively at 205 lbs. for his entire career and because Gibbs is considered one of M-1′s best heavyweight fighters. Despite losing to Gibbs, Grigsby fought well and USA East was able to advance to the M-1 Challenge semifinals, to be held on Sept. 26 in Rostov, Russia.
During a recent interview with M-1Global.com, Grigsby confirmed that he will be on the playoff roster for USA East when it faces USA West and that he will be returning to light heavyweight. In addition to the upcoming semifinals, Grigsby also discussed life in the M-1 Challenge, his thoughts on his one-fight stint in the WEC, and more.
M-1Global.com: You moved up in weight and suffered a tough loss to Jessie Gibbs on Aug. 16 in Holland. Gibbs went on to win at “Breakthrough” against Rob Broughton later in the month. What was your motivation in moving up in weight to take on such a tough heavyweight?
Chuck Grigsby: Well, with all due respect, the light heavyweight fighter (Jason Jones) for Team Holland was on a three or four fight losing streak. I felt like it would not do anything for my career to get a win over him other than our team making it to the semi-finals.
Team USA East needed a fighter at heavyweight late in the game, and I told my manager I would take the tougher fight. I personally wanted and needed the challenge of fighting the best fighter on their team. I knew he was going to out-weigh me by 30 or 40 pounds. I knew that I was fighting in his home country. I also knew that the only way I would come out of the fight with a win was to finish him convincingly. To me, that’s what it is all about, trying to overcome adversity.
It turned out to be a war that I didn’t win. I had felt I had won the first round and he won the second round, and I was prepared that we would go to the bonus round to really see who the clear winner would be in the contest. Respectfully, the judges felt differently. At the end of the day, it was an entertaining fight for the fans, and after all is said and done, that is what really matters to the fans.
M-1Global.com: Following wins by John Doyle and Shamar Bailey, USA East was tied 2-2 heading into your fifth and decisive matchup vs. Benelux. Did you feel any added pressure going into the fight vs. Gibbs?
Chuck Grigsby: Not really. I have fought many times in my career, and I didn’t really focus on our team placement as the fights progressed. I had a very tough opponent in front of me and my only goal was to neutralize him. As far as Team USA East making it to the semi-finals, it was more of a wait and see what happens when the dust settled after the war.
M-1Global.com: USA East will be facing USA West in the semifinals on Sept. 26 in Russia. Will you be competing at light heavyweight or heavyweight?
Chuck Grigsby: I will be fighting at light heavyweight for sure. I had tried to put on weight for the Holland fight, but despite my efforts, I weighed in at 214 with my clothes on. That being said, I think it is fair to say that my heavyweight days are over for me — unless it’s an opportunity too good to pass up.
M-1Global.com: You were on the roster for two of USA East’s three regular season matchups. USA East has seen a lot of turnover during the course of the season. Has that helped or hurt the team?
Chuck Grigsby: That’s a good question. It’s hard to say, since we are one of the last four teams standing out of the 16 who participated. I think the answer to this question will reveal itself after the winner of this awesome challenge is revealed.
M-1Global.com: Some teams in the M-1 Challenge such as Russia Imperial and Team England have a tight bond because they train together for the most part. USA East pools its talent from a lot of different camps. Has team chemistry been an issue?
Chuck Grigsby: Yeah, I think so. It is such a huge challenge in itself to travel to a different county and compete under so much adversity. Things like time changes, travel, weight-cutting routine, language barriers, etc… So, yes. To have a group of guys that know you well and you train with regularly is really a clear advantage in the preparation and in your cornering of the actual fight.
M-1Global.com: Overall, what do you think of the M-1 Challenge’s team vs. team and nation vs. nation concept?
Chuck Grigsby: Simply put, I love it! To me this is the closet you can get to the Olympic Games. Fighting internationally is definitely underrated, and is a fun, unique challenge against different types of competitors, not just from the United States.
M-1Global.com: Tell us the backstory that goes with your nickname, “The Reverend”?
Chuck Grigsby: The short answer is that I practice what I preach. When I ran my own gym and team (Team Revolution), I never asked any of my fighters to do something that I wasn’t already doing with them in practice.
M-1Global.com: Prior to joining M-1 and USA East, you had fought previously in the WEC. You suffered a tough loss to Mark Munoz at WEC 34 in June of 2008 and were never given a chance to redeem yourself. Do you feel like that was a fair decision on the part of the WEC?
Chuck Grigsby: One thing that I have definitely learned from my time in the fight game is, at least for me, is nothing is fair. I feel like I’ve had to jump through more than one hoop and still sneak in the backdoor to get the opportunities I have had in my career, despite my record.
I publicly have avoided this question in the past, but it is time to state how I felt about the situation with the WEC. Basically, I was winning the fight against Munoz, until I made a tactical error, and got caught. It happens all the time, but in my case, I guess this fight was my only opportunity to showcase my skills, despite the five fight contract I had signed with them.
It was certainly difficult, since I would watch other fighters in my division get outclassed and/or dominated in fights, but still have several chances to fight for the organization. It is what it is, and I have certainly moved on from it, and have grown from the experience. Also, it didn’t help that the WEC dropped the light heavyweight division around that same time.
M-1Global.com: Were you able to learn anything from the Munoz loss that helped you become a better fighter?
Chuck Grigsby: I learned that in order for me to be successful at this level, I needed to really focus on myself exclusively. So, I shut down my gym and began focusing only on my training, versus leading and training Team Revolution.
M-1Global.com: You’re based in Iowa, one of the hotbeds for MMA training facilities in the U.S. With so many fighters in the Midwest competing for the same spots on the bigger shows, has Iowa been a help or hindrance to your career?
Chuck Grigsby: Iowa is definitely a good place to be a fighter. There are a lot of established fighters and organizations based in the Midwest. I have held two championship titles from two different top promotions here in the Midwest since 2007 that I have defended more than once, so I have fighters gunning for me which makes for good recipe for maintaining my motivation to stay the champ.
M-1Global.com: What are you expectations going into Sept. 26?
Chuck Grigsby: I haven’t seen USA West’s roster and don’t know who I will be fighting, but I expect a very tough fight. If I am not mistaken, they haven’t lost as a team so far in this M-1 challenge, so they will be more than ready. That being said… so will we! I can’t wait to bang it out and hopefully make it to the finals.
