Gaël Grimaud, the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter from Reunion, will defend his world belt in -84 kilos against the Ivorian Aymard Guih, next Saturday February 26 in Reims, during the Octagon MMA 3, one of the biggest French competitions of discipline.
“Physically, I feel very good. To defend a title, you need resources. I am at least lucky to be well supported by a competent and high-level staff“, says Gaël Grimaud. To meet this challenge, the Reunionese relies on the best coaches on the island. A team made up of Rachid Pandor in Thai boxing, Ruddy Damour in wrestling as well as his wife Elodie Grimaud, a former French international. judo and physical trainer for many years. A preparation that takes place at the Boxing Club of Saint-Denis town center where he is licensed. Aware of being the favorite against the Ivorian Aymard Guih, in the category -84 kilos, Gaël remains cautious and expects to meet “a determined and committed adversary“.
In Reunion, Gaël has a small name: Coq Bataille. Beyond the fact that it is his former sportswear brand, this little gallinaceae nickname reflects his state of mind: “resistant, valiant, strong, proud, tough on evil, moving forward with determination and never letting go, the rooster suits me perfectly. In addition, it is a very popular animal here in Reunion.“One meter 82 for 82 kilos, the perfect body mass index for Gaël Grimaud who has to date 28 fights for 21 wins and 7 losses. A pure product of judo, very comfortable in wrestling, in clusterling and in Ju -jitsu, Gaël is obviously very strong on the ground. But not only that. He has a perfect command of English boxing and Thai boxing. But his main advantage remains his “instinct because I didn’t have a complete MMA training at the start. My instinct will always look for what is deepest in me during fights“.
At 42, Gaël Grimaud belongs to the second generation of MMA fighters in France. The one that comes after the legendary David Baron, Nordine Taleb, Anthony Rea, Cheick Kongo, Cyril Diabaté, Jess Liaudin or Karl Amoussou. “The pioneers were extraordinary men who sometimes even evolved completely outside the sporting context. Personal development had a lot of place in the approach of these fighters capable of meeting immense challenges. My generation has seen MMA grow and become a sport of the future. The news, that of Cyril Gane and Francis Ngannou for example, sees MMA more as a profession like football with outlets where you can make a career. A sports discipline that can lead to development, social and economic evolution“, he continues.
In 2019, after a defeat against a Chechen fighter during the 100/100 fight, Gaël Grimaud seems to have reached the end of the road. He assures that hecouldn’t sign for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and maybe I didn’t have too many desires, opportunities“It was at this precise moment that this father of two daughters and his wife decided to drop everything and embark on another adventure: a world tour.”With my wife, we wanted to learn and know the world, to understand ourselves. The objective was to find out what we were made of. My wife and I were trading MMA coaching, training for hospitality. An incredible experience. Finally, we realize that we all have the same human conditions but what will change in some compared to others is determination. We thought for example that we had opportunities through our travels but in reality it is ourselves who create our own possibilities and opportunities. Our family motto is either you dream your life or you live your dream. we live it” he says.
It is for the same reasons that he returned to competition for the Octagon MMA3 because he wanted to fight in this new era where Mixed Martial Art (MMA) has been legalized in France since January 2020. From the first Frenchman to win the welterweight belt of Cage Warrior, in England in 2011, First fighter from Reunion Island to win a world title among professionals in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Gaël Grimaud is more than ever motivated to retain his title.
It was in the city of Saint-Denis on the island of Reunion that Gaël Grimaud was born in 1979, into a modest family. His parents separated when he was young. Sonia Infante, her mother, will raise four children alone, including three boys and a girl in the Chaudron district. One of the most populated popular neighborhoods on the island with around 40,000 inhabitants. A place where unemployment has a strong impact on the population, a district qualified as sensitive after the violent riots of the 90s.It wasn’t Baghdad either. Let’s say there weren’t too many opportunities and the success stories weren’t numerous or obvious. My mother fought for us to escape fate and she worked to find solutions for us to move away from ease and temptations. She wanted to keep us on the straight and narrow. She had seen it right by enrolling us in a judo club located outside the neighborhood, in the city center. Judo was considered a somewhat bourgeois sport because you had to be able to afford a kimono. The children of the Judo Club du Centre-ville de Saint-Denis were often of a higher social level than ours and most of the teachers came from France.“, he explains.
Gaël Grimaud discovered judo at the age of 7 with Alain Gauvin as his first coach. The lover of Jordan’s American Dream Team, Magic Johnson and co’, Olympic champion in 1992, would rather have liked to play basketball. But without success, his intransigent mother watches over the grain. He is therefore following in the footsteps of his big brother Thierry, the most talented of the siblings. The latter is known in Reunion as one of the first Reunionese to make the trip to the Pôle Espoirs d’Orléans and then the National Institute of Sport and Performance (INSEP).
Once launched into judo, Gaël finally takes a liking to it. In turn, high-level sport becomes a goal. “At the time it was very difficult to leave our island. We were landlocked and we wanted to travel, to go to France as they say, the ultimate goal for me was travel and there was only one way to become a champion. That’s how I started getting serious about my practice and having goals. Be number one or nothing“, he explains. He in turn joined the Pôle France d’Orléans at the age of 16/17 for a sport-study. At the end of his studies, at the age of 23, he returned to work in Reunion as a teacher at the Judo Club of Saint-Denis thanks to the state certificate of sports educator that he won.
Gaël Grimaud is curious and tries all sports when he returns to Orléans in France. He even joined the French Ji-jitsu Fight team and became European Champion in 2007. Between coaching athletes and personal training, it’s not easy, especially since he has to work as a neighborhood educator to feed his family. A move to Toulouse will change his career. In a renowned sports hall, he met luminaries of Martial Arts and MMA such as Anthony Réa and Fabrice Aurieng. “I benefit from the contact and the experience of immense champions and it is at this moment that I see the opportunity to progress, to train myself and to pass a milestone.“, he confides. This is how he embarked with his first MMA coach Jean-Marie Merchet on the assault of competitions around the world.
This enthusiast of white water swimming, hiking and philosophy has set up an MMA Academy in the popular district of Camélias in the city of Saint-Denis in Reunion. The structure, initially initiated by young leaders of the district, collaborates with neighboring colleges and high schools. “We are in the cultural proposal, training, integration, health – with nutrition advice but also results. The aim above all is to educate and to make accomplished men“, he specifies. We are far from the clichés surrounding MMA fighters and Gaël Grimaud who is preparing to enter the Octagon of Hexagon MMA3 in Reims at the end of the month is no exception.
Zamir Popat
