UFC
T.J. Grant drops to lightweight, meets Shane Roller at UFC on Versus 6
Jul 30, 2011 - 12:45:56 PM T.J. Grant drops to lightweight, meets Shane Roller at UFC on Versus 6

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

After alternating wins and losses through six fights in the UFC's welterweight division, Canadian T.J. Grant will be dropping to the lightweight division for his next fight, as he will meet Shane Roller at UFC on Versus 6 this October.

The UFC announced the fight on Saturday, and it will take place as part of the event's preliminary card on Oct. 1.

Grant debuted at UFC 97 in 2009, earning a decision win over Ryo Chonan. Since that win, he's posted losses against Dong Hyun Kim, Johny Hendricks and, most recently, Ricardo Almeida - all by decision - while picking up wins over Kevin Burns and Julio Paulino.

Roller made a successful UFC debut in March, knocking out Thiago Tavares in impressive fashion, but his second appearance didn't go as well. Taking on Melvin Guillard at UFC 132 earlier this month, Roller was knocked out cold by a ground and pound attack from Guillard in the first round.

UFC on Versus 6 takes place from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., headlined by a Bantamweight Championship bout between Dominick Cruz and Demetrious Johnson.

Penick's Analysis: If the weight cut doesn't hurt him, Grant can definitely be effective in the lightweight division. He'll be a larger guy in the division at 5'11", and when his losses in the UFC have come against larger guys that are all grapplers, a change in scenery may be very beneficial. Roller is another good grappler, but he won't be as large or as strong necessarily as the guys that have defeated Grant. This makes for an interesting matchup in the division, and it should be a very good fight on the preliminary card.