Grant vs Smith Preview: A 17-Year Age Gap at Bantamweight

Davey "Dangerous" Grant was already fighting in the octagon in December 2013. Elijah "Swift" Smith didn't debut there until February 2025. That's the backdrop for this bantamweight bout between a 40-year-old Englishman (18-8) and a 23-year-old American (10-1), neither of them ranked, whose stat lines point in opposite directions almost everywhere you look.

Grant is the busier striker. He lands 5.58 significant strikes per minute and absorbs 4.04, and 89% of that work comes on the feet. Smith lands fewer, 4.18 per minute, but takes far less punishment at 2.96. Smith is a touch more accurate (48% to 45%), while Grant is the harder target, avoiding 55% of incoming strikes to Smith's 47%. Knockdown averages are close, 0.32 for Grant and 0.37 for Smith. Smith also has the physical edge: he's 5-foot-9 to Grant's 5-foot-8, with a 71-inch reach to Grant's 69.

The wrestling is where Smith wants this to go. He averages 2.98 takedowns per 15 minutes to Grant's 0.95, lands 29% of his significant strikes on the ground (Grant: 5%), and attempts 1.12 submissions per 15 minutes against Grant's 0.16. Defensively, Grant stops 65% of takedown attempts to Smith's 53%. Here's the twist: for all his modest submission numbers in the UFC, nine of Grant's 18 pro wins have come by submission, exactly half, along with four knockouts, five decisions and seven first-round finishes. Smith's résumé runs the other way, with five knockouts in 10 wins, two submissions, three decisions and four first-round finishes. Smith's fights are also shorter on average, 10:04 to Grant's 11:54. So the key question: can Smith get the veteran down and keep him there, or does Grant drag him into a standing exchange where his volume takes over?

The card at Meta APEX gets underway at 2 p.m. local time on Saturday, Nov. 7, with the main card at 5 p.m., so plan to be in your seat from the start. Get your seats here: Grant vs Smith tickets for Nov. 7.