At UFC on FOX 7 the UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson defended his title in a very close match against the Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez.
Many questioned who would be next for Henderson in the lightweight division. Well, UFC President Dana White confirmed at the post-fight press conference that the winner of the UFC 160 match-up between Gray Maynard and TJ Grant would become the next number one contender in the UFC’s lightweight divison.
Maynard (11-1-1) hasn’t fought since his split decision win against Clay Guida at UFC on FX 4. He was expected to take on Joe Lauzon at UFC 155, but was forced to withdraw from the fight due to a knee injury.
The divisional standout will look to get back in contender status with a win over Grant. Prior to his victory at UFC on FX 4, he fought two wars against the lightweight champ Frankie Edgar. The first bout at UFC 125 won ‘Fight of the Night’ and ‘Fight of the Year’ however it ended in a draw, the next meeting “The Bully” dropped Edgar early, but after weathering the storm Edgar was able to turn up the pace and land a clean uppercut which finished Maynard in the fourth round.
Grant (20-5) moved down to the lightweight division late in 2011 and since his debut has gone 4-0. He has picked up victories over Shane Roller, Carlo Prater, Evan Dunham and most recently at UFC on FOX 6 a vicious KO against Matt Wiman.
Beating a lightweight like Maynard will definitely push Grant up that ranking ladder and inch him ever so close to a title shot at 155-pounds.
UFC 160 will go down on May 25 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event will be for the UFC heavyweight championship as Cain Velasquez will take on Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Also announced for the UFC 160 card is former heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt.
