Dana White to T.J. Grant: 'Heal up and relax, the lightweight title isn't going anywhere'

T.J. Grant was forced to bow out of his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title fight against division champion Anthony Pettis, which was set to go down on Dec. 14, 2013 at UFC on FOX 9 in Sacramento, California.

The reason?

Lingering effects of a concussion. The same injury that knocked Grant out of his first-ever title bout against Ben Henderson at UFC 164 last month.

While most would be in a hurry to get back into the cage to take advantage of a hard-to-come-by title shot, company president Dana White advises against it.

"The kid's just got to take his time, heal up, and relax and we'll see what happens," said White during a recent media scrum. "The belt's going to be there no matter who has the belt. It will be there and we'll figure the T.J. Grant thing out when T.J. Grant gets healthy."

As White points out, injuries are all-too common in any sport, specifically a contact sport which leaves you with plenty of bumps and bruises such as mixed martial arts (MMA). "It's one of those unfortunate things that can happen in a contact sport. We're not going anywhere," expressed the Las Vegas fight boss.

The only thing that may change upon Grant's return, however, is the owner of the strap if Josh Thomson -- T.J.'s replacement -- manages to upset "Showtime" when the two go toe-to-toe in "Sac-Town."

Any chance of that happening?

Latest From Our Partners

• Top 5 Richest MMA Fighters(BR)
• Greatest Staredowns in UFC History (BR)
• Top 10 Most Intimidating Fighters (BR)
• Worst MMA Fighter Commercials (BR)
• Seven Best Rides in the UFC (BR)
• Biggest Busts in UFC History (BR)
• Eight Fighters UFC Can't Live Without (BR)