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Team Kaobon teammates Jack Grundy and McKenzie Fisher are proud of their town and country in Abu Dhabi.
Read more: Track and field legend supports Keely Hodgkinson’s greatness.
Jack is the son of UFC fighter and former Commonwealth Games wrestling medalist Mike, who is ranked third in the world in his category.
He overtook his Ukrainian opponent with a D’Arce choke after securing decisions for fighters from Estonia and Kazakhstan.
A close loss to an American in the semifinals ended his challenge, but his father was greatly encouraged by his achievement.
“It was an experience of a lifetime for Jack,” Mike said. “To be third in the world at a legal weight with 26 in his category is an amazing achievement and we are very proud of him.
“He met some powerhouses in the group stage and handled it well.
“There’s a lot of positives to take away from this experience, and it’s about the bigger picture that we’re going to be involved in for the long term.”
Senior Grandi was also pleased with Fisher, who was fighting at this level for the first time.
After a first-round loss to opponents in Uzbekistan, Fisher comfortably overcame the Czech Republic’s grapplers.
Fisher then beat a Tajik fighter, only for the system to see him drop out in the group stage.
Oddly enough, the Tajik fighter advanced to the next stage and went on to become the world champion.
“It’s just how the system works in the group stage, Kenzi couldn’t make it to the semi-finals,” added Grundy.
“We’ve been coaching this lad since he was 4 years old and he’s always been loyal and does what he says and he’ll go further.
“It’s part of the learning curve, mainly starting to believe in yourself after beating the world champions in the group stage.
“I’m very proud of him for that and a deep ‘thank you’ to all the coaches involved.”
Grundy Senior has an excellent record in both amateur wrestling and professional mixed martial arts.
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