Dwight Grant is in action later this month at UFC Fight Night Prague, facing Carlo Pedersoli in a welterweight division clash.
The welterweight prospect was supposed to face Chance Rencountre at UFC Fight Night Brooklyn, but the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) wouldn’t let Grant compete due to a previous eye injury.
“Not much (happened there), at first I heard there was an opportunity to fight. It was on short notice and I was a little skeptical because I went back up in weight, once I said that I could make the weight…I started doing it by the commission said because I had an eye injury, they wouldn’t let me fight there. I was ten pounds away (from making the weight limit), so I was upset,” says Grant in an exclusive interview with Fightful’s James Lynch.
Kyle Stewart wound up getting the short notice opportunity and he suffered a first round submission loss to Rencountre.
Grant has trained with former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez at AKA, whom Grant says is ready for his comeback bout at UFC Fight Night Phoenix.
“He looks great, I don’t train with him that often right now. When I first came into AKA, I had to (train with him). Right now I don’t train with him as much, but he is looking good. I think for fighters, as far as time…as far getting getting older, it doesn’t really make a difference. The most important thing is that you have the passion for it and you want to fight, as long as you want to fight…as long as you have a passion for it, you’re going to be a dangerous fighter for a long time. Cain, as everybody can see, has a passion for it…he’s a former champion. He’s always dangerous…no matter what,” says Grant.
UFC Fight Night Prague takes place on Saturday, February 23 from the 02 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic with Jan Blachowicz and Thiago Santos headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which streams live on ESPN+.
