TJ Grant has struck out once again in his bid to make his sophomore effort inside the Octagon at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9 Finale at "The Pearl" at the Palms Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 20.

His rumored opponent, Rory Markham, sustained an injury during training and was forced withdraw from the welterweight bout with just five days until fight night. This latest setback comes on the heels of top 170-pound contender, Martin Kampmann, refusing to sign a bout agreement to face the Canadian grappler because a match against the up-and-comer Grant "didn’t make sense" for him.

It is uncertain at this time if a replacement can be found on such short notice; however, Grant's camp is hopeful that a worthy challenger can be booked in time.

Grant made his UFC debut with a split decision victory over PRIDE veteran Ryo Chonan on April 18 at UFC 97 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Fit Plus standout has won 14 of his 16 professional fights - with a staggering 12 of those 14 by submission.

In addition to winning matches, he’s been winning over audiences in Canada for quite some time and holds convincing victories over UFC veterans like Forrest Petz.

TUF 9 Finale features a lightweight match between Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida, as well as a co main event that pits and Joe Stevenson against Nate Diaz in another fantastic 155-pound showdown.

Naturally, the Spike TV special will also host the lightweight and welterweight finales for the ninth season of TUF, which is currently in progress. Coach Dan Henderson is leading a U.S. team against coach Michael Bisping and his British squad.

For more on TUF 9 Finale check out our complete event archive right here.