Athletes
Fighting Is Now A Family Business For Davey Grant
Now Based In Las Vegas, England’s Davey Grant Is Looking To Show His Very Best Self, Thanks In No Small Part To His New Cornerman – His Son
Davey Grant is all set for the 16th fight of his veteran UFC career, but this fight will be a little bit more special than those that preceded it, for one reason.
Grant takes on UFC debutant Adrian Luna Martinetti in a bantamweight bout at Meta APEX on Saturday night at UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs Zalal, and he’ll do so with a new addition to his corner team – his son Jay.
Grant has been keen to involve his children in his martial arts journey by introducing them to the gym environment, and now they’ve become regulars on the mats at his new home at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas. It’s a conscious move by Grant to help build positive habits and encourage them to move around and get fit along the way.
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“Jay has always been my little sidekick. He’s been in the gym since he was this big. And, in all honesty, it’s probably one of the best gifts I feel I could have ever give all my kids,” he explained.
“It's been bred into them that they just think everybody goes to the gym every single day. So hopefully they go and take that on into their life, and that will make my career worth it. If my kids go and train and exercise for the rest of their lives, that will make my career 100 percent worth it.”
But Grant said that having his son in the gym has turned into something more than just a learning experience, as he revealed that Jay will actually be part of his corner team on fight night.
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“In my downtime, I've been getting pads off my son Jay, because, like I say, he knows all my combinations,” he explained.
“He's been side-by-side with me, coaching, and he helps out coaching all the classes that I coach. He's always done it. So he's turning into a great little coach himself.
“I've been practicing all my combinations, using him for pads, so he's earned his way into my corner on Saturday. He’s going to be in my corner, and it's a massive moment for me. It makes me super-proud to have him there, and that's because I want him there (and) because I know what good he's going to bring to the corner.”
Grant, who has a gym back home in Bishop Auckland, England, is now part of the coaching setup at Syndicate, where, as well as his pro training, he teaches classes, with a little help from his kids. MMA has become more than just Grant’s job. It’s become the family business, and he couldn’t be happier.
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“It’s been fantastic,” he enthused.
“Syndicate is exactly how I used to promote my gym back at home – a great culture. Everybody in there looks after each other. It's a real family feel to the gym.
“I feel so lucky and grateful to have a job where my kids can go and enjoy it with me. Most guys, I'm sure, are at work all day long, and they don't get to see the kids. So for me, it's an absolute bonus. Not only am I doing what I love, but I get to see my kids doing what they love. Honestly, sometimes I just have to pinch myself. It's like a dream come true, and, as much as I've worked really hard for it, I still feel so lucky and so grateful that all this is happening.
“We’re in there every night. Jay helps out coaching the classes. My youngest son, Nate, he helps out coaching the classes, as well. He started coaching the little kids. And my daughter, Heidi, she trains every single night, as well. So it's absolutely fantastic.”
Grant faces Martinetti on Saturday night in a bout that, on paper, should bring plenty of fast-paced, crowd-pleasing action, and that’s exactly how he likes it. Having watched Martinetti’s contract-sealing victory over Mark Vologdin in a three-round thriller on Dana White’s Contender Series last October, Grant is excited for the matchup and ready to bring his high-energy opponent everything he can handle.
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“It was a great fight, great scrap. Yeah! Let's go and have one of those!” he grinned.
“I'm there for exciting fights – that's what I want. As much as I'm going in there to try and knock him out as quick as possible, whatever happens, happens. It looks like it's going to be a fantastic fight with the way he fights and with the way I fight.
“I just do everything every training camp, because you never know what's going to happen. People come in there with come in there with something new. I can come in there with something new. Things can change mid-fight, you know? Sometimes the gameplan changes. So I focus on everything, try and let them worry about me, really concentrate on my strengths, but then still looking for like path of least resistance to victory.”
Grant may be in the veteran stage of his career, but that hasn’t meant his development as a fighter has plateaued. He said he’s still improving from fight to fight, and always looking for ways to arrive in the Octagon a better version of himself each time. That said, his improvement has largely come from keeping the same approach, though he did mention one non-performance-related improvement he’s made recently.
“Just the hair transplant, because now I'm looking younger as well!” he laughed.
“No, I'm still doing the exact same thing. I'm training smarter. My nutrition’s on point, and I'll leave no stone unturned. I'm very meticulous when it comes to fighting, you know? So, yeah, everything, every single possible advantage I can get, I'm trying, you know? I'm tortured for watching an Instagram reel and being like, ‘Right, I need that supplement!’ I’m very easily led, so many supplements! But I’ll do anything I possibly can on top of the recovery, the training, and the guys that I use.”
Davey Grant | Fighter Focus
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Davey Grant | Fighter Focus
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The always-smiling Grant might just be happier than we’ve ever seen him ahead of a fight. But don’t let that grin fool you. When the Octagon door shuts, he’ll be doing everything he can to add to his win tally when he faces Martinetti on Saturday night, when he feels his experience and Octagon savvy will help him to career victory number 16.
WATCH: Davey Grant Fight Week Interview
“I just think it's levels, in all honesty,” he said.
“I've been here a long time, and I'm still performing at my best and, and every time I've ever lost, I've learned a lot. I lost my last fight, and I've learned so much from it, and I'm still learning, and I always will be learning, and it's going to be the best me you've ever seen in the Octagon.”
UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs Zalal took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 25, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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