It’s really strange how the UFC orchestrates their title shots sometimes. I think that we’ll all admit that. The UFC does their best to do the “pure sport” approach which means through rankings and win/loss records, but the reality of the UFC is that they are an entertainment company who are trying to sell tickets and PPVs, which means that they often times make decisions based around that.
So Anthony Pettis, an exciting fighter who lost his title shot upon entering the UFC, has been granted a few title shots coming up, bouncing around between divisions before TJ Grant was injured and Pettis will get his rematch with Benson Henderson. What that means for TJ Grant, though, a man who is not a PPV draw and won’t be selling tickets, is that he is on the back burner and that his recent concussion will push him down the ladder a bit.
To the conspiracy theorists, Grant would like them to know that he wouldn’t sell out for anything. And besides, he wasn’t even guaranteed a title shot by matchmaker Joe Silva upon withdrawing. Sure, Grant hopes to fight the winner of Henderson-Pettis, but the only thing Silva told him is that if he has to take a step back, it will only be one, minor step; in other words, another likely title eliminator.