It’s a real shame that Davey Grant has not been more active throughout his UFC career. He lost in the TUF 18 Finale back in 2013, then took off 2.5 years, and has only competed 10 times since February 2016. 5 of his last 7 fights saw him earn either a performance or fight of the night bonus. Grant brings a dangerous and unorthodox power striking approach to the table which often takes place inside the pocket where he feels quite comfortable.
COLUMN: FIGHTER'S BLOCK
All of your mixed martial arts and full-contact combat sports news on the world's best fighters and the most intriguing matchups from your favorite MMA experts.
And just like that, the end of the 2024 UFC calendar is upon us. The promotion heads south, setting up shop in Tampa, Florida for their last event of the year. As of the writing of this article, 14 fights are scheduled to conclude a memorable year, culminating with a welterweight headliner that could volley a contender into title discussions.
After a stoppage loss to Bruno Silva, Durden took a short notice opportunity in September against Matt Schnell and got back to his winning ways. Durden is normally a relentless wrestler that loves to establish his dominant position to accumulate control time. He has started leaning on his hands more to set up his takedowns, but that has also left him open to being hit by better strikers.
Ending their PPV schedule at their home base in Las Vegas, the UFC brings a double-header of 5-round fights to the table for UFC 310. Originally scheduled to be headlined by a welterweight title fight between Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov, an injury to Muhammad has made way for Ian Machado Garry to step in. That fight will now serve as the co-headliner to a UFC flyweight title matchup.
Going to a decision in both of his RTU matchups, Sahota has shown tremendous improvements in his game. He is a lanky flyweight who maximizes his range with his striking, utilizing straight shots down the pipe and an active kicking game. Grappling has usually been where he struggles in the past, but he has made the correct improvements in his game to rectify that.
There are few things that get me hyped for a UFC card like an early morning or afternoon card. That is what we have this weekend as the UFC heads back to Macau for the first time in over 10 years. A 3 am ET start time for the prelims leads into a main card that starts at 6am ET. Road to UFC culminates this weekend too, but there are a pair of former champions headlining the card, hoping to get a step closer to recapturing former glory.
Coming up short in his main event slot back in August, Tybura looks to bounce back this weekend over a hot prospect. Tybura is 8-3 over his last 11 fights, showcasing that he can still perform and be successful against most outside of the top 5. He is one of the more complete heavyweights on the roster who can also go a hard 15 if required.
It’s time again, the UFC returns to Madison Square Garden for their annual trip to New York City. This PPV card is usually a sign of a big-time fight in the headlining spot and the UFC could not have asked for a better matchup. According to early trends, this is the second-highest gate in UFC history, behind only Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez back at UFC 205.
Not often do we see as many wide favorites on UFC cards as we have this weekend. Specifically, 10 of the 12 favorites are -220 or wider. Thus, some of the picks below may be chalkier than you’d like to play straight, so feel free to use them as parlay pieces instead.