UFC alum Grispi sentenced to 5.5 years in prison for assault, gun charges
UFC and WEC alum Josh Grispi was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail on a total of 25 gun- and assault-related charges by a Brockton Superior Court jury in Massachusetts on Friday, MMA Fighting's Marc Raimondi reports, citing a release from the Plymouth County District Attorney's office.
Grispi, 28, will have to serve five years' probation as soon as he's released from jail.
The former fighter was found guilty of the following charges, per Raimondi:
- seven counts of improper storage of a firearm
- five counts of assault and battery
- two counts of threat to commit a crime
- eight counts of intimidating a witness
- one count of malicious damage to a motor vehicle
- one count of attempt to procure perjury
- one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute
The charges stem from two incidents that occurred three days apart in August 2014. On Aug. 4, Grispi assaulted his wife, Kaitlyn, pulling her by the hair and striking her multiple times. She managed to flee to a neighbor's house - from which the police were called - and was later treated for a concussion and a sprained wrist.
On Aug. 1, Middleboro Police reported to Grispi's home under the suspicion he'd been abusing his wife. They discovered seven improperly stored and secured firearms, for which Grispi's license had reportedly expired. After posting bail on gun charges and one count of domestic assault and battery, he returned home.
Grispi had been accused of training his dog to attack his wife, but was cleared of the charge. Responding officer Richard Harvey had previously told the the Taunton Daily Gazette Kaitlyn Grispi had been "chewed up" by the dog in what he described as the worst case of domestic abuse he's ever seen. She testified on Grispi's behalf during the trial.
The UFC alum was ultimately found not guilty of three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and one count of unlawful possession of ammunition.
In 2011, Grispi was tapped to challenge then-featherweight champion Jose Aldo in his UFC debut after stopping four straight foes in the first round under the WEC banner. An injury to Aldo scrapped the date, and Grispi ultimately went winless in four trips to the Octagon. He hasn't fought since February 2013.