In my experience, SW combat is as easy to do with the grid as without. Especially if you ignore the term "adjacent" in some of the combat rules and use the term "engaged" instead, specifically for free attacks from withdrawing and gang-up bonuses (so, to get the bonus or free attack, you must be in combat with the opponent, not merely adjacent to them). That makes it much less dependent on the mat, and more dependent on player description of their actions. (And even when we use the grid, I use those substitutions now anyways.)
BTW, Rippers rocks. Do you have the Rippers Companion?