Bantamweights Davey Grant and Ramon Taveras were the second fight in at UFC Tampa at the Amalie Arena on Saturday.
Grant, known for action-packed, bonus-winning affairs, was the second assignment for Taveras in the UFC. A 2023 Contender Series winner, Taveras was looking for his second win in the promotion; Grant was coming off a loss to Daniel Marcos, and fighting for the first time this year.
Round 1 began with Grant leading the dance with an assortment of kicks that made Taveras a bit hesitant early. Grant went in on attacking the body with hands and kicks. The body kicks definitely did some damage and Taveras began to have to guess a bit more than he’d like to.
Taveras began to use his power figuring that Grant would go for volume, but one of his shots got countered with an absolutely disgusting head kick that he ate like it was nothing. Not long after Grant landed a nut shot that gave Taveras time to recover and rest.
Taveras used the pressure to keep Grant on the outside, but Grant was just fine with that. The round ended with a solid right hand from Grant.
Round 2 the round began the same way as the first, but Taveras had something for Grant as he countered one of his kicks with a massive right hand. The shot dropped Grant, but Taveras refused to go to the ground with him and forced him to stand.
Grant recovered quickly and realized he better put his foot on the gas to match Taveras. Both men had their rhythm down and began to sit on their strikes for maximum damage.
Round 3 both men went in with a chance to win the fight by taking the third. Grant was throwing all his shots with as much power as possible. Taveras used his defense very well, and minimized the damage early, but Grant was scoring.
Taveras boxing style left him a bit limited as Grant continued to land pretty much any shots he wanted. The activity level was clear between both men as Grant nearly tripled the amount of strikes Taveras landed.
At the end of the fight both men emptied the tank and raised their arms to an appreciative UFC Tampa crowd.
Official Result: Davey Grant def. Ramon Taveras via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27×2)
