T.J. Grant-Gray Maynard winner at UFC 160 gets title shot vs. Benson Henderson

In a bit of a surprise announcement, UFC President Dana White booked the next lightweight title fight shortly after the most recent one.

T.J. Grant (20-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Gray Maynard (11-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) will meet as part of the main card of UFC 160 next month, and the winner will be next in line to fight Benson Henderson. Henderson on Saturday beat Gilbert Melendez by split decision in the main event of UFC on FOX 7.

UFC on FOX 7 took place at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. The main card aired on FOX following prelims on FX and Facebook. UFC 160 takes place May 25 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

White announced the UFC’s intentions for the lightweight title fight as the post-event news conference for UFC on FOX 7 came to a close, responding to the media’s near-constant attempts to get him to reveal bout bookings.

Henderson (19-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) beat Melendez (21-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with a pair of 48-47 scores, while a third judge scored the fight 48-47 for Melendez. Henderson went five rounds in a title fight for the fourth straight time to defend his belt for the third time. After going 11-1 in Strikeforce, Melendez lost for the first time in nearly five years.

Maynard, of course, is no stranger to lightweight title fights. He fought to a now-legendary draw with Frankie Edgar at UFC 125, then lost for the first time in his career when the two rematched at UFC 136, when Edgar stopped him with a fourth-round TKO.

Maynard will fight for the first time in nearly a year. In his most recent outing, the two-time UFC lightweight title challenger took a split decision from Clay Guida in the main event of UFC on FX 4 in Atlantic City, N.J. He was scheduled to meet Joe Lauzon this past December at UFC 155, but a knee injury and subsequent surgery knocked him from the card.

Maynard challenged then-champ Frankie Edgar for the 155-pound title at UFC 125, and the two fought to a now-famous draw. In the rematch at UFC 136, Maynard suffered the first loss of his pro career when Edgar stopped him with a fourth-round TKO.

Grant has been on a tear, winning four straight fights and five of his past six. The four consecutive victories have all been since he dropped from welterweight to lightweight, making him 4-0 in the division.

In January, Grant stopped Matt Wiman with just nine seconds left in the first round, leveling down with massive elbows for the knockout at UFC on FOX 6 in Chicago. That followed a “Fight of the Night” win over Evan Dunham at UFC 152 and wins over Carlo Prater and Shane Roller.

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 7, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site. and for the latest on UFC 160, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Gray Maynard)