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Jake Grigson isn't ready to step into the ring against world-class mixed martial
arts bantamweights such as Dominick Cruz or Brian Bowles, but a guy can dream, can't he?
“I'm probably going to turn pro after one or two more fights,” said Grigson, a 2007 Northwood High School graduate who defended his bantamweight title at the Ohio Cage Combat VII event April 2 at the Lucas County Recreation Center.
Grigson, 22, who ran his amateur mixed martial arts (MMA) record to 6-0, is a three-time Ohio Cage Combat champion. A two-time state wrestling tournament qualifier during his prep career at Northwood, Grigson took up MMA in 2009.
“My buddy, P.J. McKibben, got me into it just a little over a year ago,” Grigson said. “He said, 'Hey, come to the gym with me.' After that, I stuck with it. It's fun. P.J. did it for about a year. He hurt his knee and hasn't been doing it since.”
Grigson said he feeds off the challenge of facing an opponent mano-a-mano.
“I always liked the one-on-one competitive sports,” said Grigson, an assistant wrestling coach at Northwood. “If you win, it's because of you. If you lose, it's because of you. I enjoy it. I enjoy training and stuff ...”
Ohio Cage Combat (OCC) events, which began in 2008, draws amateur and professional fighters from all over the region.
“I started a gym and it turned out to be more like a club, with the guys learning ju-jitsu,” said Joe Martinez, who trains local fighters and promotes OCC events. “Some of our wrestlers became good ju-jitsu guys, so we decided to come up with our own league and keep it in Toledo. We can train our amateurs and let them move up to the pros. They can move on to a bigger and better league.
Martinez said OCC events draw anywhere from 800-1,500 fans. More than 1,400 attended OCC VII at the LCRC.
“Our goal is to run about four shows a year,” Martinez said. “We fight at other places, it just depends on if the situation is right.”
OCC VII featured 15 pro and amateur fights in the flyweight, featherweight, bantamweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.
Northwood resident Mike Drake won his first amateur MMA title at OCC VII. Drake and Grigson train at Martinez's gym, 360 Mixed Martial Arts, on Sylvania Avenue in Toledo.
Drake, 37, a 1991 Clay High School graduate who normally fights as a middleweight, bumped up to light heavyweight for OCC VII and ran his amateur record to 4-0. Drake and Martinez, who both wrestled at the University of Toledo, are workout partners.
“His 'shot' is great for MMA,” Martinez said. “His double-leg is perfect. Some (wrestling) stuff does not transfer over for mixed martial arts, but Mike's does. His top game is very solid. Once he takes you down, it's hard to get off the bottom.”
Martinez also trains Grigson, who finished eighth at 140 pounds at the state wrestling tournament as a senior at Northwood. Grigson said his wrestling background has been a plus in the MMA ring.
“I've fought quite a few (former) wrestlers and it's helped me quite a bit getting out of things,” Grigson said. “I used to try to get takedowns, but I'm trying to work on my standup and my top game. I'm trying to get out of wrestling and working on my standup. I'm decent at submissions, but I still need some work on that. I've submitted three of the six (opponents), all by rear naked choke.”
Martinez said Grigson's body type makes him perfect for the bantamweight division (126-135 pounds).
“We're working on the ju-jitsu and wrestling part,” Martinez said. “We spar and do the ground and takedowns, which he has from wrestling. He's tall — 5-foot-9 fighting at 135 pounds — and he's lean, lanky and very explosive. He has explosive hands when he punches. The kid he beat to defend his belt (at OCC VII) was a former NCAA Division III wrestler.
“Jake is well-rounded, not just a pure wrestler. He has good standup skills and good ju-jitsu skills.”
Grigson, whose favorite fighter is UFC lightweight Clay Guida, won all three rounds to win by major decision at OCC VII.
“It went real good, but I didn't fight as well as I should have,” Grigson said. “He defended takedowns ... He was a wrestler, so all he wanted to do was wrestle. He didn't want to stand up with me. I came in and tried not to let him take me down.”
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