“To be honest, I was struggling with a couple injuries that had been ongoing for the last few years and they just kept getting worse,” said Grant of his latest stay on the sidelines. For a talented fighter who owns a win over current bantamweight contender Marlon Vera, it was a crushing stretch. Of course, you wouldn’t hear any complaints out of the affable Brit, but I had no problem pointing out that few fighters have had worse luck than him.
“That’s one way to put it,” he laughs. “It’s been a nightmare. Don’t get it wrong, I’m blessed to have got this opportunity anyway in the grand scale of things to be able to follow my dreams. But there haven’t been ideal circumstances.”
That’s putting it lightly, but he never stopped believing that one day the injuries would be gone, everything would click, and he could consistently show what he could do in the Octagon. And it’s that faith that kept him moving.
“I’m doing what I love,” he said. “Fighting has always sort of been my life and I feel as if I’ve just got so much more to give. I’m nowhere near done yet. It’s the little things, the little setbacks that you overcome that make you who you are, and you see the people who shine through after all that. Everyone’s going through their own problems; I don’t think I’m much worse off than anyone else. I haven’t gotten fights as consistently as what I’ve liked, but it’s all good. I understand everyone’s got things going on, so I’ll keep going and keep trying to reach my goals.”
