Report: TJ Grant Hasn’t Officially Retired But Former Contender Isn’t Committed to Fighting Again
By FCF Staff
TJ Grant hasn’t said he’ll never fight again, but the former lightweight contender isn’t taking steps to return to the UFC either.
The 31 year-old Canadian hasn’t fought now since May, 2013, when he stopped Gray Maynard. The victory was Grant’s fifth straight and he was expected to challenge for the title next, but a serious concussion shelved those plans. Follow up symptoms from the injury kept Grant on the sidelines, and eventually, the fighter took on full time work outside of MMA.
Recently Grant appeared on “The MMA Hour”, and although he’s now symptom free, the Fitplus fighter has no plans to fight again (quotes via MMA Fighting.com):
“Who knows, man? I did [this sport] a long time. I won’t say I’m still doing it currently. I’m not going to close the door on ever coming back to fight, but at this point I’m just taking care of myself and my family, first and foremost,” Grant said.
“I did well in UFC. I wouldn’t say I made a lot of money. I was able to buy a house, buy another one. But at this point for me, where did the sport really leave me? It kinda left me injured and a little over a year where I basically accumulated debt, like most fighters do between fights. So, basically, I was hurt for a while and I decided to go back to work, just be a regular guy for a bit.”
Grant currently carries a record of 21-5, and the Nova Scotia resident has gone 8-3 in the UFC.