“There was a shift where I was like, ‘I can feel that bug again’ where I want that energy again and that’s when I knew I was going to reach out and let the UFC know I’m ready to start a fight camp,” she said. “I think I just needed to soak in all the moments with Austin and realize that she’s okay now if I have to leave and take periods of time for myself.
“I thought it (being a mom) was going to take away from my training because before I would go to the gym, hang out all day, have lunch there, train kind of all day, but now I can’t do that, so my training has been so much more focused and so much more driven in the time that I have,” continued the former CFFC strawweight champion. “I’m trying to get my first workout done while she’s napping, so I’m busting through that really hard because I have a short amount of time, and then going to the gym and doing the same thing.
“What I would do in six hours, I’m now doing in two hours, but I feel like I’m getting so much more out of it, such better work. I’m having to be so focused and short and direct because I know that I need to get things done so I can be home, be a good mom, and be with my kid.
“Luckily, Kaden, my husband, is such an amazing dad and husband; he’s stepped up so much,” she added. “He brings her to the gym and they watch me train sometimes, and he stays home with her other days, and I definitely would not be able to do it without him, so I’m very thankful to have that support. I don’t know what I would do without him.”
Saturday night, Granger will finally make that walk again, returning to face McKenna at the UFC APEX, fully aware of what’s at stake, but also looking at her circumstances as a chance to get back to being the fighter that earned finishes in each of her first six appearances prior to touching down inside the Octagon for the first time.
