Davey Grant has revealed he suffered a horrific series of injuries that saw him nearly drop a figure before winning at UFC Tampa.
The veteran British bantamweight had been out of the octagon for more than a year when he began training for a fight with Ramon Taveras at the final UFC event of the year. He was supposed to face Cody Gibson in March but had to withdraw.
And on Saturday night he rolled back the years in the Amalie Arena. The 38-year-old showed impressive cardio and ability to withstand adversity against Taveras, handing him his first loss since joining from the Contender Series last year.
Davey Grant defeated Ramon Taveras on Saturday night at UFC Tampa
There will have been a sense of urgency heading into Saturday's preliminary round for Davey Grant. Just a few days after his 39th birthday, a second straight defeat after a year of inactivity would have taken his promotion record to 6–7 in the losing streak.
However, he overcame the challenge and looked impressive in his meeting with Taveras, who was competing for the second time since signing with the Contender Series. Grant was almost ten years older than his opponent and was able to outsmart a very difficult challenger and get through every round.
In the end, he only lost one round on one judge's scorecard, with Derek Cleary giving the second to Taveras. And it now appears he will get further opportunities in the stacked bantamweight division as he approaches his 40th birthday next year, once he recovers from a litany of injuries.
Davey Grant almost had a toe amputated before Ramon Tavera's fight
What makes Grant's victory all the more impressive is the news that he suffered a horrific injury to one of his toes and broke another during camp. There were even fears he might lose one while seeking medical attention.
It comes after he underwent neck surgery, prompting his doctor to insist on ending his career altogether. “Kicking was a big part of the game plan as always,” he wrote on Instagram alongside a series of gruesome photos.
“The problem is that six weeks ago I broke the second toe on my right foot and then three weeks later damn near severed my left little toe, requiring five stitches underneath, so deep that the risk of loss or infection was a distinct possibility . Both injuries sustained during rounds of sparring in the cage.
This made training very difficult wearing a lot of extra protection and taking many different precautions, but with the support and treatment I received at @ufcpi was fantastic, as well as the care and attention from the coaches and training partners at @syndicatemma, we came there healthy and firing on all cylinders.”
Davey Grant insists fighting isn't the most important job
After undergoing that neck surgery, Grant was able to put his fighting career into perspective. He has children and a wife, and took them all to Florida for the fight, with plans to visit Disneyland afterwards.
“It's nice to be able to go and deal with my family and stuff like that,” he told the media after the fight. “That's why I managed to get them all to Florida and go to Disneyland and stuff like that, because that's why I do it, I do it for them.
“Fighting, it's not my main job. My most important job is to be a good father, and a good husband, and then fighting is the third. But the money I make from fighting helps me do a lot of things with my family, and that's why I do it.
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