Dana White: TJ Grant Will Get Next Crack at UFC Lightweight Title

Although new UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis‘ health is currently in question, his first title defense is not.

UFC president Dana White told Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports – an official MMAWeekly.com content partner – that TJ Grant will get the next shot at the lightweight title. Although Iole added that Pettis is still undergoing tests on the knee he injured when taking the belt from Benson Henderson at UFC 164 on Saturday night.

Update: @danawhite says @TJ_Grant will get next shot at lightweight title. @Showtimepettis still undergoing tests. MRI results unclear

— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) September 3, 2013

Pettis had been slated to drop down to featherweight and challenge UFC champion Jose Aldo at UFC 163 in early August, but a minor injury forced him out of the fight. His recovery time allowed him to step into the fight with Henderson after TJ Grant fell out of that fight.

As soon as Pettis defeated Henderson, chatter started up about whether he would again try to make the fight with Aldo happen or if he would be asked to remain at lightweight and put his belt up against Grant.

Pettis and Aldo each made public comments that they still wanted to fight each other. Although there is always some wiggle room to make a fight between champions happen, it appears that the first defense of Pettis’ newly minted UFC lightweight championship belt will be against Grant.

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