Red Deer's Jett Grande makes his pro MMA debut Friday, Aug. 6 at XFC 45. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

reaching for the top

Red Deer MMA fighter hoping for ‘Grande’ pro debut Aug. 6

Aug 4, 2021 | 12:31 PM

Ask Jett ‘Fighter’ Grande and there’s no doubt who the victor will be this Friday.

From The DeltaPlex in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that’s when Grande, a Red Deerian, will make his professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) debut during XFC 45 — and in the main event to boot.

With an amateur record of 15-1-0, the 23-year-old enters the XFC’s hexagon with lofty goals and having just signed a multi-year contract with the promotion.

He will fight American Damon Morosko, a 25-year-old also making his pro debut with an amateur record of 3-2-0.

“I’m not a trash-talker, and anything can happen, but I’ll tell you how the fight’s going to go. I see my hand getting raised, and I see myself dominating him, to be honest,” says Grande, a wrestling-style combatant who fights out of Arashi-Do Red Deer.

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“I can beat him in the first, second or third round, I can submit him, or dominate in a three-round decision. I’ve got lots of ways to win this fight. I’m a patient and disciplined fighter, but I’ll always go out there looking for the finish.”

Grande and Morosko’s bout is in the lightweight division (155 pounds), a weight the former’s only fought at five times, most recently in Aug. 2018.

It was November of that year when Grande — at welterweight (170 pounds) — won a gold medal at the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) – World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA) Unified World Championships in Bahrain.

In May 2019, Grande won the annually awarded IMMAF Pan American Championships in Nassau, Bahamas, again fighting at welterweight.

Despite his shiny amateur record, his most recent fight was a loss in June 2019, though he points out it was due to a shoulder injury, so not your typical defeat.

Grande trains with coach Gary Vig at Arashi-Do in Red Deer on July 29, 2021. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“I’m super excited. I’ve been waiting for a while to make my pro debut, which COVID kind of sidelined in 2020. I’m ready and I’m with a really good organization, so I’m really looking forward to it,” says Grande, who took up MMA at 13-years of age.

“I’d just finished downhill ski racing and wanted to try a different sport. A friend invited me to come out and try an MMA class at Pure Fitness under (former UFC fighter) Jason MacDonald, and after the first couple classes, I fell in love with it.”

When MacDonald made the switch to focusing on crossfit, Grande made the jump to Arashi-Do, and is now coached by Gary Vig. A former MMA fighter himself, Vig fought in three pro bouts (1-2) from 2001-2003.

“XFC is a great organization. I’m really honoured to sign with them, and I think XFC has a bright future,” Grande, a Lindsay Thurber and Red Deer College grad, adds.

“Right now, I’m not thinking too far ahead, but the XFC and I can build a brand together and reach for the top; that’s my goal right now. I do want to reach the very top of this sport.”

Thanks to his multitude of sponsors, Grande shares that XFC 45 starts at 5:30 mountain time on Aug. 6, with his fans able to attend a watch party at Tiffany’s Steakhouse in Red Deer. You can also stream the event from home.