From a great MMA Madness interview conducted just hours ago:
Kendall Grove: Yeah, well um...I'm still with Couture and Punishment, you know? Everyone has their own lives. Tito is doing his reality show or whatever and I've just found guys who can come up and help me, you know what I'm saying? The majority of guys over at Xtreme Couture have to stay there because they teach classes and other things and it's really hard to get guys to come up to camp, especially in Big Bear. A lot of those guys have families and obligations and teaching. It can be really hard to get the same camp all the time. I would still be training there but I had to get out of Vegas. I had to come out here and clear my head--that town tears you apart. Especially coming off a reality show, you got these bandwagon guys who just want to kick it with you for WHAT you are, not WHO you are, you know what I'm saying? I just had to get out and clear my head and I've been up here since December 8th. I started my training about 3 or 4 weeks before I came up to Big Bear with Xtreme Couture back in Vegas; which by far is the best camp I have ever been a part of. Those guys have been so great to me but I just had to get out of Vegas, because that place was tearing me apart. I'm just happy I have a team that supports me and allows me to do what is best for me.
MMA Madness: You just said Vegas was tearing you apart, could you elaborate?
Kendall Grove: It was just getting too comfortable, you know? I was just too comfortable there, my home is there, my roommates are there; my training is great there but I just had to change it up. I had been there since the Chris Price fight, you know, some people like to stay in one spot for a while; but I like to change things up. Maybe I'll train for this fight up in Big Bear and then train for the next one in Vegas; I just have to change it up, that's me. There's certain things in my life I had to change too, I train hard but sometimes I get too comfortable. You know, I'm at home and sometimes I get a lazy attitude, whereas I'm up here and I have nothing to do BUT train; it's all I can do! I don't know nobody up here, so basically all you do is train and get your head right and I kind of lost sight of that in Vegas. You know, if you want to go out and clear your head, there's so much bad stuff in Vegas that can get you into trouble.
MMA Madness: Yeah, and like you said, everyone's trying to be your friend for the wrong reasons.
Kendall Grove: Yeah, for sure. After the loss to Patrick Cote, you know, I learned so much in my personal life than I did in my career with fighting. I mean, YEAH, I learned to keep my hands up off of a clinch (laughs) but more than that I learned who my true friends were and who stayed behind me and who left me because I lost. That was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.
The success of the UFC and especially The Ultimate Fighter show has definitely exposed fighters to new pressures and risks -- fame, fortune and all that comes with it. It'll eat you up. Glad Kendall took a step back and is re-focused on fighting.