Grispi: Aldo Can Be Knocked Out, Choked Out

Josh Grispi was playing a videogame at his cousin’s house when he got the call. His WEC 52 bout against Erik Koch was being cancelled because he was needed to fight Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight title instead.

“Sure,” he responded. “That’s fine.”

If Grispi’s initial reaction was somewhat subdued, it’s because he already knew he was going to fight Aldo at some point. The 22-year-old Massachusetts native has dominated in the WEC, winning all four of his bouts in the first round. Meanwhile the 24-year-old Brazilian is 8-0 in the promotion, having gone the distance just once.

Following a recent announcement that the WEC will be merging with the UFC, the matchup was made official Tuesday: Grispi will fight Aldo on Jan. 1 at UFC 125 in the UFC’s first featherweight title bout.

Grispi was not expecting a title shot quite this soon, much less in the UFC.

“I thought maybe some time next year I might be in a main event for the belt, but I didn’t think it was going to be for the UFC and definitely not in January,” Grispi said during an interview on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “It just happened very quick, but I think everything happens for a reason. I’m actually pretty pumped about this fight.”

Grispi started watching Aldo when a potential matchup against him was discussed during their climbs up the WEC ranks. The fight didn’t come together, but Grispi kept his eye on the man who would go on to take the title from Mike Thomas Brown last November. Aldo has defended his belt twice now, and Grispi has noticed the changes he’s made in becoming an increasingly seasoned champion.

“I seen him before, when he first started, being a little more wild with those flying knees, doing all those crazy acrobatics he does,” Grispi said. “But then I saw him calm down a little bit in the title fights to conserve energy, it looks like, because he has five five-minute rounds. Definitely a mature fighter. Definitely he has ring awareness and [knows] what’s going on time-wise and everything like that. He’s definitely a complete package.”

Aldo is Sherdog.com’s No. 3-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He has looked nearly invincible in the WEC, but Grispi believes he’ll find a way to beat him.

“Everyone’s human,” Grispi said. “No matter how you look at it, everyone’s human. They can be knocked out, they can be choked out. I’m going to find those weak points when I get in there.”

Listen to the full interview (beginning at 51:05) with Grispi, who also discusses how the WEC-UFC merger will benefit him and the early breakthrough win of his career.