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T.J. Grant won't be ready for December title shot, UFC going with Josh Thomson

After a week of rumors that T.J. Grant may not be ready in time for a December title shot the UFC confirmed it today with the announcement that Josh Thomson would be getting the next crack at the 155 lb belt.

By Zane Simon
USA TODAY Sports

You can't keep the champ on the shelf, that's the lesson of T.J. Grant's injury. Despite earning a legitimate shot at the 155 lb title a concussion suffered in early July has left the no. 1 contender on the shelf indefinitely. The news was announced on Fox Sports:

For his part T.J. Grant teased the news, stating that there was just no way he'd be ready on the UFC's schedule.

It's a harsh reality, but ultimately the right choice as the UFC has a potential hot property in Anthony Pettis and it makes little sense to shelve him for a match that most people just aren't clamoring for. Josh Thompson was one of three likely choices, the others being Rafael dos Anjos and Gilbert Melendez (if he got by Diego Sanchez). Thomson is coming off a surprising KO win over Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 7 back in April. Pettis of course is coming off his title claiming victory over Benson Henderson at UFC 164.

What do you think? Did the UFC get it right? Is the best potential challenger getting the shot? Or should they have waited until Grant was back from injury?

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