John Brannigan/Sherdog illustration
Bantamweights
Martin Day (8-3) vs. Davey Grant (11-4)ODDS: Day (-175), Grant (+155)
In a pleasant surprise, Fight Island kicks off with two oft-injured bantamweights making a rare appearance. England’s Grant made it to the final of “The Ultimate Fighter 18” back in 2013 and promptly vanished after losing to Chris Holdsworth; it would be nearly two and a half years until Grant made his way back inside the Octagon, and this will mark only the fifth fight of his post-“Ultimate Fighter” tenure. At the very least, Grant brings some excitement when he actually fights, as he tends to disregard what his opponent is doing in favor of implementing his own offense. Grant takes on Hawaii’s Day, a Dana White’s Contender Series alum who made his UFC debut against Pingyuan Liu in late 2018 and has been injured ever since. Day is a strange fighter, as he is tall for the division and may rely on kicks more than any other fighter in the UFC. Grant’s aggression will either get him knocked out by one of those wild kicks or allow him to rush Day and get things to the mat, where the Englishman should be able to take over without little issue. The pick is for Grant to control his way to a decision victory.