Athletes
Davey Grant Is Back In His Happy Place
After Battling Back From A Career-threatening Neck Injury, English Bantamweight Davey Grant Is Back, And Ready To Do What He Loves Best – Fight
Carving out a career in the world’s toughest sport is not for everyone. You need to have the mental aptitude to learn the skills of the trade, and the physical gifts to execute them on fight night. If you have a real passion for the sport and everything around it, that’s even better.
England’s Davey Grant has all three boxes ticked, but it’s his infectious passion for the sport that really makes him stand out on a packed UFC bantamweight roster.
Grant returns to action at UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Buckley in Tampa, Florida, this weekend, and the always-smiling Bishop Auckland native explained how someone in such a punishing, exposing sport can be so happy, so often.
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“Honestly, I just love the ride” he grinned.
"I feel absolutely blessed to be able to do this for a living, to go and see all these beautiful places.
“I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing. It’s a crazy life to go and live, but I just enjoy every second of it. I’m lucky that I’ve found my calling in life. It was definitely my destiny. I’m just built for it. I’m just enjoying life and I just do what I want every single day. I’m absolutely blessed.”
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But even those with sunny dispositions have to deal with the occasional cloud, and Grant’s came in the form of a neck injury that threatened to put a stop to the very thing he loved doing the most.
Thankfully, his surgery in March was a success and, after a lengthy rehabilitation program that included assistance from the UFC Performance Institute and Las Vegas gym Syndicate MMA, as well as his home team at SBG Bishop Auckland, Grant is back to 100 percent and raring to go again.
“I can't wait, honestly,” he said.
“It was a rough start to the year. I had a fight, got it pulled, had surgery. I’m back now, feeling great and looking forward to the fight.
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“It was a nightmare, but it is what it is. I don't mind when I have layoffs. I always think I'm going to be better by the time I get back. So you’ve just got to take it in your stride. But I'm pleased to be back, happy and healthy and fighting again.”
Grant used his time away from the cage to focus on his family and his gym before embarking on his recovery. In addition to his enforced absence due to injury, he was also smarting from the frustration of a split decision loss to Daniel Marcos at UFC London in July 2023.
“I was devastated,” he recalled.
“Looking back, there's a few other things I could have done. It was a very close fight, and I definitely thought I won. I think everyone in the building, except for a couple of the judges, thought I won.
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“It’s hard to take, but that's the game. Sometimes you're on the end of one of those decisions, so I'm gonna try my hardest not to let that happen again.”
The positivity of starting a new chapter in his career post-injury, coupled with the memory of that split decision loss, makes Grant a motivated, excited, determined individual heading into UFC Fight Night in Tampa this weekend.
Grant will take on Ramon Taveras, a Contender Series graduate whose lone UFC appearance saw him deliver one of the most exciting back-and-forth wars of 2024 in his bout with Serhiy Sidey.
“It’s going to be exciting, guaranteed,” said Grant.
“We're both coming looking to stand up, and I’m going in there trying to knock him out, and he’s going to be doing the same, so we’ll get after it. It’ll be a good one for the fans, for sure.
“Anything can happen, can’t it? But I’m going in there and throwing heat, so that’s the plan.
“I can’t see him doing any wrestling, but you never know. It’s a fight, so we’re prepared for all areas. But when you’re going in and you’re expecting a striking fight, it makes it a more fun camp.”
As far as Grant’s concerned, it’s the perfect way to put the pain and frustration of 2024 to bed and lay the groundwork for what he hopes will be a big year.
And, after enjoying the holidays with his family, the proud Englishman hopes his 2025 campaign will hit the ground running with a return to the scene of his last agonizing loss, The O2 Arena.
“It’s nice to be able to just enjoy some food over Christmas, spend a little time with the family, then get straight back into camp, hopefully for the London card in March.”
UFC Fight Night: Covington vs Buckley took place live from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on December 14, 2024. 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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