In the second main card bout at UFC 160, T.J. Grant (21-5, 8-3 UFC) continued his assault on the lightweight division by stopping Gray Maynard (11-2-1, 1 NC, 9-2-1, 1 NC UFC) with strikes in the first round. Both men landed hard rights to start the fight, but Grant was the first one to land a truly damaging one. Maynard was stunned, the dropped by a followup. He managed to get back up, but was dropped once again and eventually put out. The finish came at 2:07 of the opening round.
The win was Grant's fifth in a row since dropping to 155 and earned him a UFC lightweight title shot against Ben Henderson later in the year. Maynard picked up just the second loss of his career, but it was a huge setback for his hopes of remaining in title contention.
What was the high point of the fight?
Undoubtedly the finishing sequence. Grant was all over Maynard, just battering him with shots until he finally couldn't take any more.
Where do they go from here?
Grant's path is pretty clear - he gets Bendo next. The only real question is whether it will take place on the first UFC on FS1 event, at UFC 165 in Toronto, or on some other card.
Maynard will have to go back to the drawing board. Retirement is a possibility. If not, he'll have to work his way back up by taking out a few contenders. I think he'll get someone like Evan Dunham or Matt Wiman next.
Watch now, later, or never?
Now. It's only two minutes long, and you will get to witness the birth of a new lightweight contender.