Josh Grispi, a veteran of the UFC and several other professional MMA promotions, is currently in jail awaiting trial on allegations of domestic abuse and a raft of other charges.
But that didn't prevent Grispi and his wife, Kaitlyn, the alleged victim of that abuse, from appearing Thursday on the Dr. Phil television program to defend Grispi's actions and deny malfeasance (h/t MMAJunkie).
“It takes two,” Grispi said of the abuse. “Me and my wife have known each other for our whole lives. We’ve been dating since we were 13, and maybe we got too comfortable.”
Grispi declined to go into detail about the abuse or his wife's injuries. However, when show host Phil McGraw asked Grispi's wife, Kaitlyn, whether Josh Grispi inflicted her injuries, Kaitlyn answered "Yeah, I guess."
Also during the show, Kaitlyn Grispi exchanged angry words with her mother, Karen Fava, who she said is trying to "steal" her children. Kaitlyn Grispi's mother says she is trying to protect the children from Josh.
"Kaitlyn is totally obsessed with Josh, like a Charlie Manson woman," said Fava.
The Grispis' downplaying of the problems would appear to conflict with law enforcement accounts, which depict a chronic history of serious abuse. Among the multiple allegations: Josh Grispi commanded his dog to attack his own wife.
“It’s the worst case of domestic abuse I’ve ever seen,” Middleboro, Massachusetts, police officer Richard Harvey said in an August article in the local Taunton Gazette shortly after Grispi's arrest, adding that Kaitlyn Grispi had been “chewed up” by the dog.
Grispi is currently in jail awaiting trial on 36 different counts, including domestic violence. When police searched his home following one of his arrests, they also found marijuana plants, cocaine and guns.
Grispi (14-5) fought four times in the UFC, losing all four contests. He last fought professionally in February 2013, when he lost a decision to Andy Ogle.
