TJ Grant will get his lightweight title shot after all.
UFC president Dana White confirmed to MMAFighting.com on Tuesday that Grant (21-5) will meet newly-minted 155-pound champion Anthony Pettis (17-2) in Pettis’ next fight. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole first tweeted the news.
White said a superfight between Pettis and Jose Aldo was never seriously considered because Grant “was next.”
No word just yet when Pettis’ first title defense will take place. That largely depends on the the results of an MRI he had on Tuesday on his left knee, however, those are unavailable at this time. Pettis said he thought he might have injured his knee before submitting Benson Henderson on Saturday night to win the lightweight title in his hometown of Milwaukee, WI.
The Canadian Grant was scheduled to meet then-champion Henderson at UFC 164, however, he pulled out of the fight due to a concussion suffered in training. He is 5-0 since dropping down to lightweight two years ago.
“I didn’t expect to hear that so soon,” Grant told MMAFighting.com. “What can I say? I am a happy man. It’s gonna be a hell of a fight.”
Grant said he found out the news via Twitter on Tuesday but doesn’t know when the fight will take place. He won’t be available to fight before late-December, he said.