According to a Jan. 27 report from MMA Junkie, UFC President Dana White thinks T.J. Grant became a top ten contender in the UFC's lightweight division with his UFC on FOX 6 win over Matt Wiman.
"After the weigh-ins, we had said to him and Wiman, 'Your fight's a big deal. This is a big deal not only for the night on FX – you guys are the main event – but it's also a big deal for you two for where you sit in the division,'" White told MMAjunkie.com. "They knew what this meant going into it, and this breaks that kid into the Top 10. He's got big fights ahead of him now."
Grant (20-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) picked up the biggest win of his UFC career by stopping Matt Wiman (15-7 MMA, 9-5 UFC) late in the first round at UFC on FOX 6 with a brutal series of elbows and fists.
"Just watching his previous fights, he likes to come forward – and I do, too," Grant said. "That's going to be the battle: Who can dictate and get in each other's face and control the ring? I felt like he leaves some holes and I could exploit them, and I did. I know he's a tough, durable guy, but I feel like I can knock people out.
"I don't try to punch to score points. Every punch I throw, I'm trying to do damage to the guy. That's just the way I fight, and that's the way I'm going to continue to do it."
Grant suffered barely any damage at UFC on FOX 6, and he expects to return to action soon.
"I just feel like going along early in my career, it was quiet and flying under the radar," Grant told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) after the fight. "I built up a lot of experience in the UFC and I've had 10 fights. I'm fortunate for that. It's really important, that octagon experience, and I feel like I'm putting it all together and I made a statement."
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