Davey Grant is set for another notable test at UFC Vegas 124, and the 40-year-old bantamweight has a rare age mark within reach when he meets 24-year-old Elijah Smith. Grant is 16 years older than Smith, and the matchup gives the United Kingdom's Davey Grant a chance to add to a long UFC run while keeping a unique piece of history intact.
The key detail is simple: Grant is already the second-oldest bantamweight fighter to win a UFC contest. If he gets another victory, he would preserve that standing in a division where age gaps like this are unusual. The betting market also sees him as a moderate underdog, which only adds to the sense that this is a meaningful spot rather than a routine appearance.
A rare record in a young man’s division
The oldest bantamweight UFC winner on record remains Guido Cannetti, who was 42 years and nine months old when he submitted Randy Costa in 2022. Cannetti also knocked out Kris Moutinho in 2022, so Grant is chasing a mark that sits just below a fairly unusual standard for the division.
There is also a broader age trend worth noting. In 2026, bantamweight fighters who are 10 years or older than their opponent are winless in five fights. That does not decide what happens in Las Vegas, but it does show how difficult it can be for an older fighter to overcome speed, timing and volume against a much younger opponent.
Grant’s own quote around the matchup has pointed in the same direction: dangerous. That is a fair way to describe the assignment, especially with Elijah Smith entering at 24 and looking to make the most of a sizable age edge. For Grant, the challenge is less about proving he belongs and more about showing that experience can still travel in a division that tends to favor fresher legs.
The fight also fits into the larger arc of Grant’s UFC tenure. A separate look at his path, Davey Grant's 13-year UFC run leads to Elijah Smith fight — the long road to Las Vegas, helps explain why this spot matters so much. At this stage, every appearance can affect how his career is remembered, and a win here would keep his place in the bantamweight age record conversation a little longer.
