Davey Grant

Overview

Davey Grant has lost four UFC fights by submission, and he has never once been submitted in the first half of a fight he carried to the end. His UFC record is 9-8, and his 18-9-0 professional record across all promotions includes fights outside the UFC. The English bantamweight from Bishop Auckland fights out of SBG Manchester and has been in the UFC since late 2013.

The pattern is easy to read: a striker who lands plenty and is hard to take down, but who has been caught on the mat when it went wrong. Nine wins, eight losses, and a fight list that swings between both.

Four submission losses, one submission win. That is the whole ground story.

UFC Career

Grant debuted on the Team Rousey vs. Team Tate Finale card in November 2013 and was submitted by Chris Holdsworth in the second round. His next UFC appearance did not come until February 2016, when he beat Marlon Vera by unanimous decision.

The early years were rough. Damian Stasiak submitted him in the third round at UFC 204, and Manny Bermudez did it in 59 seconds in July 2018. That stretch left him at 1-3 in the UFC.

The turnaround came in 2019. A split decision over Grigory Popov started a three-fight winning streak, his longest in the UFC, and the next two ended in knockouts: Martin Day at 2:38 of round 3 at UFC 251, then Jonathan Martinez at 3:03 of round 2.

Then came a run of tight losses. Vera got his revenge by unanimous decision in 2021, and Adrian Yanez won a split decision that November. Our model rates both as strong opponents.

He rebuilt with a third-round TKO of Louis Smolka and a third-round submission of Raphael Assuncao at 4:43. Another split-decision loss, to Daniel Marcos, followed in 2023.

Since December 2024 the results have alternated. He beat Ramon Taveras and Da'Mon Blackshear by unanimous decision, lost to Charles Jourdain by first-round submission, beat Adrián Luna Martinetti by unanimous decision, then lost to Elijah Smith by first-round TKO after just a minute. Smith is another opponent our model rates as strong.

He carries a one-fight losing streak into his next bout.

Fighting Style

Davey Grant is a busy striker who is hard to take down. He lands more strikes per minute than most fighters in the UFC, and his takedown defense is among the best on the roster. Accuracy, defense and strikes absorbed all sit around the UFC average, so he trades without being especially hard or easy to hit.

He rarely shoots for takedowns and seldom hunts submissions, which makes his one submission win an outlier.

His finishes come late. All four came in rounds 2 and 3, none in the first, and five of his nine UFC wins went the distance.

His losses tell a different story. Four of his eight defeats came by submission, so he has been caught on the mat despite his strong takedown defense.

Notable Wins

• Raphael Assuncao — submission, round 3 (4:43), UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili (2023)
• Jonathan Martinez — KO/TKO, round 2 (3:03), UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad (2021)
• Martin Day — KO/TKO, round 3 (2:38), UFC 251 (2020)
• Louis Smolka — KO/TKO, round 3 (0:49), UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs. Rakic (2022)

Quick Facts

• Division: Bantamweight
• UFC record: 9-8
• Professional record (all promotions): 18-9-0
• UFC debut: 2013
• Wins in the UFC: 3 by KO/TKO, 1 by submission, 5 by decision
• Reach: 69"
• Height: 5'8"
• Team: SBG Manchester
• Born: Bishop Auckland, England