Matt Grice's return to police department, UFC dependent on doctor's prognosis

During the darkest time of UFC veteran Matt Grice‘s recovery from a horrific car accident, one of his daughters turned down his pictures around the house so she wouldn’t have to see them.

It was then that Grice’s wife, Caroline, wouldn’t let the girls see their father in the hospital. She didn’t want their last memory to be of him lying in bed, fixed to tubes.

“It’s crazy to know what they’ve been through through this whole thing,” Grice, 32, recently told MMAjunkie Radio.

The outlook is much brighter now for Grice, who continues to recover from a traumatic brain injury that left him in a monthlong coma. The fighter, who’s also an Oklahoma City police officer, is walking now and had a piece of his skull reattached after it was removed to alleviate swelling in his brain.

Doctors tell him he is well ahead of where he should be. His physical therapist tells him it doesn’t make sense he’s even as far as he is. But it makes sense to Grice, a four-time state wrestling champ whose fight in February 2013 against Dennis Bermudez earned “Fight of the Year” consideration.

Although he lost time when a driver going 65 mph hit him while he was stopped at an intersection, one thing that never changed for Grice is his outlook on life.

“If you’re content with where you’re at, you’re not going to be any better,” he said. “The way I’ve been my whole life, I’ve strived to be better. You’ve got to keep wanting something more than what you’ve got, or you ain’t going to get any better.”

And so, Grice works toward the goal of healing, supported by friends, family and an MMA community that reacted with overwhelming support upon his injury.

“It makes you want to push on because you see people that don’t even know you that will say, ‘You’re an inspiration,’ and they’re praying for you or thinking about you,” Grice said.

Grice (15-5 MMA, 2-5 UFC), who was scheduled to fight Jeremy Larsen at UFC 166 before the accident, said he doesn’t bear any grudge toward the driver, who was treated and released.

Grice could have died, but as he said, “God had different plans.”

“I’m here with my wife and kids, and I’m thankful for that,” he added. “I’ll get better. I have no focus on the people that hit me. Whatever. Their life is theirs, and I hope they go on and do good with their life. Mine is just getting my full recovery and being back to normal.”

His first task is to return to work as a patrol officer in Oklahoma City. Then, he wants to get back in the cage. Doctors will have the final say on whether he does either.

“I believe I’ll be able to go back,” he said. “I don’t see any reason I can’t. It’s obviously up to the doctors, because when you’re a patrol officer, things can happen. But I don’t see any reason I can’t, and I want to get back to work as soon as possible.

“It’s something I enjoy doing, and the police department throughout this whole thing has been amazing. So I just hope I can get back as soon as possible and continue my job and continue fighting.”

The process of rebuilding his relationship with his daughters is ongoing.

“That part has probably been the hardest,” Grice said. “But it’s getting there, and they see my improvement every day. I don’t have the huge dent in my head any more, so it’s not such a reminder to them every day. They see me now, and I look more normal, and it’s getting better every day.”

Grice, a seven-time octagon vet with a 2-5 UFC record, has yet to speak to the promotion about a possible return but he thanked them for their support.

“(UFC President) Dana White contacted my wife right after, and (UFC matchmaker) Sean Shelby has been amazing,” he said. “They’ve been nothing but helpful to us. They’ve always been very fair to me. It’s been pretty amazing.”

That’s certainly the word most would use if Grice were somehow able to recover from a brain injury to fight in one of the world’s most brutal and unforgiving sports. There’s no certainty it will happen, and though he wants to be able to compete again, he won’t put himself at undue risk.

He’s seen what he has to lose.

“Like I told my wife, if I can return to fighting, and if I’m normal and there’s no risk as there was before, I would love to fight,” Grice said. “But if there’s more danger from me fighting, I’m not going to put myself in that situation so I can’t be there for my wife and kids, because ultimately, that’s what matters to me. I love them more than anything.”

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.