THE ULTIMATE INSIDER EXCLUSIVE: As British bantamweight Davey prepares for his 17th fight in the Octagon, he opens up on the decision to uproot and live the American dream

Moving to Las Vegas was a gamble that is paying off handsomely for Davey Grant and his family.

The veteran UFC bantamweight star rolled the dice on relocating from Bishop Auckland to the bright lights of Sin City this year, looking to further his own career and give his wife, Sherrie, and children, Jay, Nate and Heidi, a taste of the American dream.

While County Durham has many historic and picturesque places, it is hard to compete with Vegas when you can see a who’s who of singers on The Strip, then go skiing on Mount Charleston, cruise on a boat on Lake Mead, before taking a helicopter to gaze at the awe-inspiring Grand Canyon.

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Grant, 40, who will make his 17th trip to the Octagon on November 7 to take on Elijah Smith at the Apex in his new home city, said: “We’re loving it. I’ve got the whole family here now. I used to come over and do (fight) camps in Vegas for around eight weeks.

“I enjoyed them so much, but there was some guilt because I wanted to share these experiences with them.

“When you live in Vegas and you’ve got the sunny weather all the time and there’s a pool on your front doorstep, it’s nice.

“People who’ve come from warmer climates or big cities probably take it a little bit for granted. But when you’re from where I’m from, you really, really learn to appreciate it.

“There’s so much stuff to do. You don’t realise because Vegas is a very, very, big city, but it's not all concrete and casinos.

“An hour’s drive from Vegas you have the mountains. It will be 25 degrees in Vegas, but drive an hour into the mountains and you can go snowboarding.”

Having run his own gym back in Bishop Auckland, Grant has found a home from home at Syndicate MMA in Vegas, which was founded by John Wood, the husband of retired Scottish UFC star Joanne Wood.

Having taken up a position as head striking coach, Grant added: “As a family, we wanted to see what else was out there. We wanted to try to move to a nice, warm country, a better climate, and Dubai was going to be the plan.

“Then John Wood ended up talking me into coming over, saying, ‘Look, I really want you to work in the gym’. It all worked out fantastic.

“My training’s here and I already have a great network of friends over in Vegas.

“It has just worked out brilliantly. Two of my kids are coaching in the gym and doing the classes, while my little girl is just doing the classes. It’s exactly like my gym was back home – a real family gym.”

Follow the adventures of Davey and his family on Instagram @thegrantsinvegas

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