Bellator MMA Releases Kendall Grove from Roster Following Loss at Bellator 193

Kendall Grove, who is coming off a split-decision loss to A.J. Matthews in the co-main event at Bellator 193, announced via Instagram that he has been released from the organisation. The loss to Matthews was Grove’s third consecutive defeat.

Grove (23-18) rose to fame as a professional fighter after winning Season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality TV show, which earned him a contract in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. After gaining a contract with the UFC, “Da Spyder” fought 13 times in the Octagon, with notable wins over former (middleweight) champion Evan Tanner as well as Ed Herman and Alan Belcher.

Since parting ways with the UFC in 2012, Grove fought in seven different mixed martial arts organizations before finally signing with Bellator MMA in 2013. On May 15, 2015, he earned a shot at the middleweight belt against American Brandon Halsey at Bellator 137, where he was finished at 2:25 of Round 4.

Grove posted his thoughts on the decision after being cut from Bellator and thanked his fans for their support:

“kendallgrovemma DA Spyder officially cut off the @bellatormma roster. I believe everything happens for a reason god works in mysterious ways some of the greatest things in my life have came from bad times. Gotta thank god for getting me thru all these years in the fight game injury free and blessing me with a beautiful family, my wife my kids my family.. and to all my fans for your support no matter what organization I was in. Moving foward, tough year of losing my brother, my grandpa, my dad, and last night my uncle, so going to use this time to love my kids, and my wife. Stay posted for whats ahead #itiswhatitis #blessingindisguise #freeagent”

DA Spyder officially cut off the @bellatormma roster. I believe everything happens for a reason god works in mysterious ways some of the greatest things in my life have came from bad times. Gotta thank god for getting me thru all these years in the fight game injury free and blessing me with a beautiful family, my wife my kids my family.. and to all my fans for your support no matter what organization I was in. Moving foward, tough year of losing my brother, my grandpa, my dad, and last night my uncle, so going to use this time to love my kids, and my wife. Stay posted for whats ahead #itiswhatitis #blessingindisguise #freeagent

A post shared by Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove (@kendallgrovemma) on Feb 6, 2018 at 5:03pm PST