Grispi: 'I can't be stupid like I usually am.'

Remember Josh Grispi? The featherweight out of Plympton, Mass., used a guillotine choke to shock MMA legend Jens Pulver in 33 seconds at WEC 41 on June 7. Until recently, it was thought that the loss sent Pulver into retirement.

We haven't seen Grispi since. Two days before meeting Pulver he was hitting mitts and went for a high kick when he fell backwards and turned his right ankle to where it was severely swollen on fight night, but you had no idea seeing how he wiped out a pioneer of the sport and someone he's considered a role model since adolescence. Pulver was one of the first fighters Grispi saw and became his favorite after watching his lightweight title win over B.J. Penn at UFC 35, when he was blown away by Little Evil's "ridiculous" hand speed.

I spoke with Grispi Tuesday afternoon for a feature on Pulver I'm penning for TapouT Magazine and he provided an update since he underwent surgery in September. The cast was removed the middle of this month and he's followed an intense rehabilitation program at the Rockland, Mass.-based South Shore Sportfighting that includes aqua therapy.

Grispi (13-1, 3-0 WEC) said he's healing "quicker than I thought," but there remains no timetable for a return to the cage and he's not yet been cleared by his doctor to resume training. Before his WEC debut, Grispi's first 10 fights took place over a span of 15 months, and just when his career was set to take off, the surgery could keep him inactive for up to a year.

"I wanna get back soon," Grispi said. "I've never gone this long without training. It's crazy, but the doctor cautioned it's not fully healed. I can't be stupid like I usually am. I'm so young and can go so far. I don't want a permanent injury."

Grispi turned 21 in October, so there's absolutely no rush to return. Each of his three WEC wins have come in the first round, his last two in under a minute, so expect "The Fluke" to resume his rapid ascension up the ranks of WEC's deepest division.