Matt Grice: Life goes on

On September 8, 2013 Oklahoma City police officer and UFC featherweight Matt Grice was off duty, idling at a red light, when he was hit from behind by a distracted driver going 65 MPH. The then 32-year-old underwent brain surgery that night; the procedure included the removal of part of his skull to relieve pressure.

Grice is a highly respected both for his profession and for his exciting fighting style. UFC president Dana White said following Grice’s final fight – a Fight-of-the-Night winning split-decision loss to Dennis Bermudez at UFC 157 – that the way to not get cut in the UFC is to fight like Grice.

Grice brought that warrior spirit to his recovery. For weeks Grice showed no movement, but he finally began to respond to verbal cues. After nearly two months of hospitalization, Grice returned home and began a long rehabilitation process.

Grice has been called the miracle patient by his doctors. Before and after images from the reattachment of his skull in December show the dramatic improvement.

His recovery was charted on the GriceStrong Facebook page as well as his wife’s Facebook page.

Matt working with his Physical therapist. Once his boxing was incorporated into his therapy “the lights came on”. He was more determined than ever.

Because Matt was unable to walk and a fall risk he spent a lot of time in a vail (tent) bed.

This picture brings back hard but happy memories. The week prior to this picture the girls’ had their first visit with Matt since the accident. During that visit Matt did not realize that the girls visiting him were his children. Tough day, so happy that was short lived.

Matt worked daily on puzzles to work on his cognitive functioning.

He’s back! Wow, what a ride. After over a year Matt is back to work at the Oklahoma City Police Department! He’s been working hard to be able to return to work. Bittersweet day!
“For the time being, he is doing office work to ease back in to police work until they can find a permanent spot for him in the next few months,” said Grice’s wife Caroline in an email to Dave Doyle for MMAFighting, late in 2014.

Grice is now back on patrol as a law enforcement officer, and coaches fighters at his R1-MMA Training Center in Choctaw, Oklahoma. He appeared recently on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour and talked about life.

“God blessed me and I’m very healthy,” said Grice, as transcribed by Luke Thomas for MMA Fighting. “I’m back in the gym, working out and all that. Unfortunately, I’m probably never going to be able to fight again, but it is what it is. I get to be here at my gym. We have a bunch of young, up and coming fighters who do a great job. I get to help and teach them and still stay in touch with it and be a part of it.”

“At first, I kinda stayed away from the gym for a while because it was hard. I still wanted to fight, I still wanted to compete and it kinda was depressing. Part of me wanted to be in there. I like training, but then it was also depressing knowing that I was in here and I’d never be able to go compete again in something that I love and enjoyed doing.

“I’ve come to terms with it. I love seeing the guys and girls in the gym when they go compete and knowing that I helped them get to where they’re at. It’s a good deal.”

“For a year or two after the accident, I wouldn’t even watch fights. It was depressing. My oldest daughter, she always wanted to watch fights with me. It was about a year and a half or so after the accident, fights were coming on. She goes, ‘Daddy, can we watch the fights?’ She would ask me numerous time and I’d be like, ‘Nah, I don’t want to.’ It depressed me.

“Now, we’re all good. We watch the fights and help these guys and girls and I love it as much as I did before.”

“Life goes on.”