Bishop Auckland mixed martial artist Davey Grant made history on Saturday night, becoming the first person to win a bout on UFC's Fight Island - doing it in style too!
Grant scored a huge third-round knockout over opponent Martin Day in what was the first bout to take place at UFC 251.
The event was the first of a number of shows the MMA giants will host on UFC Fight Island - a promotional tool used by the company after they rented a section of Yas Island located just off the Abu Dhabi coast.
The event was first mooted by UFC president Dana White as the global coronavirus pandemic spread. The UFC were one of the first sports events to get back up and running with behind-closed-doors events in the USA, but travel restrictions meant any competitors from outside of the USA were unable to compete.
Fight Island changed that and the Bishop Auckland fighter resumed his MMA career in style, scoring a huge knockout from the left-hook. The highlight-reel punch earned Grant a cool $50,000 on top of his fight purse as White gave him the Performance of the Night bonus.
But it did come at a cost. Grant's win came after he himself was knocked down in round one of a hellacious back-and-forth war inside the Octagon. Grant said he knew immediately he'd broken his jaw but carried on to get the win, with x-rays later revealing fractures to the jaw in two places.
Speaking post-fight, Grant said: "I knew what he was coming for and I knew what I wanted. I thought I’m going to try and be technical in the first two rounds. I thought if it was all working, I’d go to town and then have a war.
"I wanted the first fight on UFC Fight Island to be a good war. I think we gave them that.
"I knew that if I could get inside (I could knock him out). I knew he has really good kicks and good hands. He dropped me in the first and I didn’t know where I was at.
"I thought, I’m still going to stand and trade with him. I wanted a fight like this in the UFC. I feel like I’ve been a bit cautious. I wanted to stand in the pocket and bang – that’s how you get the knockout."
'Dangerous' Davey, a bantamweight who trains out of SBG and is a previous Ultimate Fighter contestant, improved his record to 12-4 with the victory.
