Neil arrived from South Africa in 1996. Because of his size he soon found himself 'on the door' and due to his (then) temperament, soon found himself in trouble with his employers. On pain of being sacked, he was required to attend a course in control and restraint. Gavin Mulholland was the instructor and shortly afterwards Neil showed up at the dojo.

"My first session started with Sensei Gavin saying, 'It's good to have you here but I'm not going to spend time any time with you, until you show me that you're truly interested in learning'. I wasn't fazed. Here was this 6' 13st man telling me, a 6' 7" 22st man, how things were going to be! It wasn't until later that I realised I wasn't dealing with an ordinary man. We were practising thigh kicks but I wasn't convinced so I asked Sensei to demonstrate. He agreed. The next thing I was on the floor in pain I can't describe and still don't fully understand. He just told me to join the class once I was ready and walked off! He earned all my respect from that first kick. Through Goju Ryu, Sensei Gavin has taught me how to channel my aggression, how to stay focused in a dangerous situation, how to protect myself and my family in case of danger. I have learnt about respect, discipline, honour, humility and about empathy for others and I consider myself lucky to have found DKK and Goju Ryu."

Neil achieved the rank of Shodan in June 2005. In 2006 he began a highly successful career in MMA as Neil 'Goliath' Grove, winning the Ultimate Challenge World Heavyweight title in 2008.