Grant earns lightweight title shot with first round KO of Maynard
Going into UFC 160 the stakes couldn’t be higher for lightweights TJ Grant and Gray Maynard as UFC President Dana…
Going into UFC 160 the stakes couldn’t be higher for lightweights TJ Grant and Gray Maynard as UFC President Dana White had previously announced the winner would earn a title shot. Both men came out of the gate firing, but it was ultimately Grant who landed the hardest shots first and finished the former title contender to earn his own shot at Benson Henderson:
Grant and Maynard wasted no time going toe-to-toe, trading big punches as the first round got underway. Although two-time lightweight title challenger Maynard got the better of early exchanges, it was Grant who landed the first telling blow, staggering “The Bully” with a left hand.
Grant then landed a straight right that dropped Maynard, who tried in vain to survive. He made it to his feet, but Grant kept the pressure on and landed another punch that dropped the American and forced referee Chris Tognoni to intervene at the 2:07 mark of the first.
“This is like a dream come true, but the dream isn’t over yet,” Grant said. “There is still work to do. I knew if I left it all out there, the fans would love it. Gray is not a guy I wanted to go to the ground with and I saw he didn’t move his feet too well, so I knew there were openings. I wasn’t necessarily looking for the knockout, I was just looking to connect to the face. I felt good things would come from that.”