On Saturday night at UFC 160, TJ Grant faced Gray Maynard in the biggest fight of his career. The stakes were high, with the winner receiving a shot at the lightweight title against Benson Henderson.
Somewhat surprisingly, Grant knocked out Maynard in the first round. Producing the greatest performance of his career and also earning himself a knockout of the night bonus, worth $50,000. A bonus that was originally destined for Junior Dos Santos until Mike Tyson urged Dana White to award it to Grant.
Interestingly, Grant's victory over Maynard at UFC 160 was his first ever appearance on the main card of a UFC event. His previous ten fights in the UFC have all been conducted on the prelims. A low profile career for a low profile man.
Arguably, Grant's lightweight title shot was the most captivating story to come out of UFC 160. This is a fighter who has fought the majority of his career at welterweight, it's where he fought the first six of his fights in the UFC. During his time as a welterweight in the UFC, Grant managed a 3-3 record. His three wins in that period came to fighters who were immediately released following the loss. He was a fighter whose career was going largely unnoticed.
Then came the pivotal moment in his career, following his loss to Ricardo Almeida in 2010, Grant decided to move down to lightweight. A decision that rejuvenated his career. Since his transition into the 155 pound division, Grant has won five in a row and his next fight will be for the world title.
TJ Grant is now the poster boy for changing weight classes.
A fighter moving weight classes is relatively common in MMA. What isn't common is when a fighter's career is significantly improved because of that change. Typically, a fighter will move into another division as a last resort. It's usually a desperation move when a career is in its death throes. A ploy to prolong their career, at least with the UFC. Lost a couple a fights in a row? Hey, why not seek a fresh start in another weight class. The problem is, if you are a mediocre fighter struggling for a win, changing the division you fight in isn't likely to change that. You will just be a mediocre fighter in a different division. This is the reason why TJ Grant's story is so interesting.
Grant was a .500 fighter at welterweight who became a wrecking machine once he moved down to lightweight. Rarely, if ever, has there been such a disparity in a fighter's performance between weight classes. There are many examples to compare. Rich Franklin, Wanderlei Silva, Brian Stann and Kenny Florian have all fought in different divisions. However, there was not a stark contrast in their performances immediately before and after the move. If they were a top 10/15 fighter in one division they became a top 10/15 fighter in their new division. So why is Grant so different?
Maybe it was simply a case of fighting in the wrong division for the majority of his career. All of his three losses at welterweight in the UFC came against big strong grapplers (Dong Hyun Kim, Johny Hendricks and Ricardo Almeida). So the theory that the reason for his deficiencies at welterweight was due to him being undersized holds some weight. It's also possible that the move to lightweight gave his career a new lease of life which reinvigorated him. Who knows. It doesn't really matter anyway. However it happened, it is one hell of a story.
The fact is that later in the year, TJ Grant will fight Benson Henderson for the lightweight title. In doing so, he will be one of the unlikeliest title challengers in a long time. He doesn't have a big name, a charismatic personality or a flashy fighting style. Following the recent title shots given to Nick Diaz and Chael Sonnen though, this is just what we needed. A deserving gritty contender who has risen up the rankings to earn his shot. For that reason, plus we all love an underdog, a lot of MMA fans will be in the corner of the Nova Scotian come fight night.
Over the past few days, the adequacy of the gloves used by the UFC have been called into question.
The debate was obviously ignited following the peculiar events of UFC 159, in which, among other things, two of the fights were stopped due to eye pokes. Although this event and it's oddities were certainly an outlier, it seems that the eye pokes at UFC 159 were the last straw for many. And it is the gloves that have taken the brunt of the criticism.
Following the controversy, the UFC has decided to design a new glove. On Tuesday Dana White explained, "we have started to work on a new glove that actually curves your hand," adding that "the glove is curved like a 'U' so you can still open your hand, but your fingers don't point straight out."
Social media has been set ablaze with images of how the apparent new gloves will look, an example being this monstrosity. Many, however, are suggesting that the new gloves will be very similar to the ones used in Pride.
But are the gloves the real issue? Well, they certainly aren't the primary reason fighters are getting poked in the eye. That is the fault of their opponents. This is the issue that needs to be addressed. Instead of wasting time and money partaking in research and development into new gloves, why not stop the problem at its source. The fighters.
Eye pokes are a workplace hazard in MMA, the same as low blows and headbutts. However, because eye pokes are a phenomenon based mainly in MMA they seem to have slipped under the radar of the ABC (Association of Boxing Commissions). Which is the reason the St. Preux vs Villante debacle was able to occur. Marc Ratner (UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs) is aiming to change this, he plans to request changes to the unified rules at the ABC's summer convention.
Getting back to the root of the problem, it is either poor technique or malicious intention that will cause an eye poke. An emphasis needs to be placed on keeping the fist closed when striking. Fighters who repeatedly paw out at their opponent should be penalized accordingly. Knowing that points will be taken away if they do this should be enough to deter the frequency of these types of incidents. There is absolutely no need for outstretched fingers to be anywhere near your opponents face when you are striking. This common flaw in technique is what needs to be addressed and altered, not the gloves.
Other than wasting time and money, redesigning the gloves could present different problems. Ever since UFC 14: Showdown in 1997, wearing the current type of UFC glove has been mandatory. Therefore, the majority of the fighters in the UFC today have spent their entire career fighting and training in these gloves. Changing the gloves in any significant way may be difficult to adapt to, at least initially.
Another concern, perhaps the main concern, is how will the new gloves affect performance. We know why these new gloves are being developed, to avoid eye pokes. However, if too great of an emphasis is placed upon it's function in the striking realm then the grappling aspect of the sport may suffer. Movement of the hand and it's digits is essential for grappling in MMA, restricting that too much would hamper a grappler's effectiveness. Designing the gloves incorrectly may turn MMA into a striking biased sport.
Rules and regulations are what is needed, not redesign.
Daniel Cormier is in a peculiar position. The division in which his fighting future lies is still undecided.
The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion is currently in career limbo until he decides which title it is he wants to make a run at.
There are two clear paths for Cormier to take, both of which have their own respective roadblocks.
The first one is to stay at heavyweight. This seems like it would be the most logical option, it certainly makes the most sense from a purely fighting perspective. He has fought his entire career at heavyweight, he was/is the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion, he hold wins over two former UFC Heavyweight Champions and he owns a knockout victory over the the man about to fight for the title. Oh yeah, he is also undefeated at the weight.
The only problem with staying at heavyweight is that, his good friend, Cain Velasquez is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. The pair, who train together at AKA, have stated numerous times that they would be unwilling to fight one other. So, like any job, why stick around when there is no chance of progression.
Ok, so Cormier should move down to the light heavyweight division then? Well that too has its issues.
Cormier has spent his entire career at heavyweight, usually weighing between 235 and 250 pounds. Not since his wrestling days, at 211 pounds, has he weighed anywhere near the 205 pound light heavyweight limit. When you consider he has consistently made 211 pounds in the past, only 6 pounds above the light heavyweight limit, moving down a weight class seems very plausible. The issue is that the last time he attempted to make this weight, at the 2008 Olympic Games, his kidneys failed and he could not compete. If that's how your body reacts to making 211 pounds, maybe trying to make 205 pounds isn't such a good idea.
Cormier has admitted that he lost the weight incorrectly, nevertheless any future attempts to do something similar must be met with serious consideration. When participating in a sport like this, the last thing you need is an extra health risk.
A definitive decision has not been made regarding which of these paths he is going to take. Ideally this decision would have been made before his UFC debut, that way he could have focused his efforts on getting a title shot in that particular division. Instead, he is stalling slightly. Lacking purpose.
He recently fought and defeated Frank Mir, a fight that didn't really get him any closer to a title. It felt more like a stop-gap fight. In fact, because of this current indecision, he isn't really mentioned in the heavyweight title picture at all.
This is evident in the matchmaking too. Joe Silva and Sean Shelby can't second guess what Cormier's intentions are, so he is being matched up with the top gatekeepers of the division. It is difficult to put a fighter in a number one contender bout if he isn't willing to face the champion.
Following Roy Nelson's impressive TKO victory over Cheick Kongo, Dana White announced that he liked a potential match up with Cormier. A proposition that he promptly agreed to on Twitter;
Does this mean that he is staying at heavyweight? Possibly. Why else would you continue to take fights in a division that you plan to leave. Perhaps the strategy is to continue to take fights at heavyweight until Velasquez relinquishes his title. Or maybe they have decided that if the time should come, they will fight one another for the title. Logically, those are the only two reasons for sticking around at heavyweight. Otherwise, he is an undersized (at 5'10") fighter in a weight class with no real prospects.
We know Dana White's opinion on the matter, he would like to see Cormier move down to light heavyweight. He believes his power will be much more effective at 205 pounds. At this stage it is largely unclear what Cormier's intentions are, I'm not sure even he knows. It's possible he is waiting to let the chips fall where they may and then going from there. A risky strategy, he is behind a growing number of men in the queue for title shots. Until he comes out and dedicates himself to a division, his career is lacking impetus. He is a fighter without a home.
