Garrett Gross Record: 12-11-0

Finding his footing

The turnaround took shape in 2013. Gross scored a second-round knockout of Dustin Pape, then took a hard-fought decision loss to a 3-0 prospect named Belal Muhammad – the future UFC welterweight champion – at HFC 18, a result that looks far better in hindsight than it did at the time. Gross kept grinding, avenging an earlier loss to Sal Woods with a third-round stoppage and rattling off wins that earned him a call from Bellator. In June 2015 he stepped onto the big stage at Bellator 138 against the experienced Chris Heatherly, dropping a decision, before bouncing back with a decision win over Jeff Crotty at Bellator 145 later that year.

The Shamrock years and a Contender Series shot

Gross's most productive stretch came on the Shamrock FC circuit, where he reeled off a run of first-round finishes between 2016 and 2017 – a rear-naked choke of Malcolm Smith and knockout wins over Deron Carlis and Garrett Mueller among them – that reestablished him as a dangerous regional finisher. The hot streak earned him a 2018 appearance on Dana White's Contender Series against unbeaten prospect Roosevelt Roberts, who submitted Gross with a rear-naked choke in the second round. It proved to be the high-water mark of his career; subsequent losses to Sean Connor Fallon and Yemi Oduwole made the back half of his run a struggle, though he still flashed his finishing power with a 2021 knockout of Aaron Highfill.

Fighting style

Gross is a finisher at heart, with a 92% finish rate and nine of his 12 wins coming by knockout. He fights with pressure and power, hunting the stoppage early – many of his wins came in the first round – and his two submission victories, both rear-naked chokes, show he can capitalize when an opponent breaks. The candid read on his record is that the step-ups exposed his ceiling: five of his 11 losses came by decision and four by submission, including chokes from elite prospects like Roberts. Against the very best he faced, Gross was outpointed or outgrappled, but his ability to end fights when he found his range kept him competitive across a long, eventful career.

Career highlights

• Redemption story — overcame addiction and incarceration to build a 12-fight professional career, fighting under the banner “Glory to God.”
• Shared the cage with a future UFC champion — went the distance with Belal Muhammad in 2013, before Muhammad's rise to the welterweight title.
• 92% finish rate — a true knockout artist, with nine of his 12 wins by KO/TKO, many in the opening round.