“After hearing Luke Riley’s name, I said it couldn’t get any better than this,” he admitted.
“Because Luke is coming from Paddy Pimblett’s team. He has a lot of hype behind him; he’s unbeaten, coming from Cage Warriors. And all of this hype is pushing our fight. But, at the end of the day, there will be just two bodies fighting, and that’s it.”
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Grad heads into his bout with Riley in a great place in his life. He’s had two fights in the UFC, including a bonus-winning victory on his debut, and he’s had some landmark moments in his personal life, too.
“This year was one of the best years ever. In Austria, we say ‘after the work, you get the fruits,’ so it feels like that,” he said.
“I found the woman of my life. We got married. I made my UFC debut, (had) my second fight. Also got a bonus this year, and used it (well). I financed the house for me and my small family.