Amongst a bunch of names surging up the UFC’s light-weight ladder sits Grant Dawson, a contender who has remained unbeaten by means of 9 appearances contained in the Octagon.
Dawson, who trains out of the famend American Prime Group facility in Coconut Creek, earned the largest victory of his profession to this point this previous July at UFC Struggle Night time: Strickland vs. Magomedov.
On that card, “KGD” outpointed the extremely regarded Damir Ismagulov, a end result that adopted a pair of submissions wins over Jared Gordon and Mark O. Madsen in 2022.
However whereas his victory over the Russian noticed him climb into the ultimate spot of the highest 10 at 155 kilos, Dawson is not getting the higher-ranked opponent he’d initially hoped for.
The truth is, he isn’t getting a reputation with a quantity in any respect.
In the principle occasion of subsequent weekend’s UFC Struggle Night time, Dawson will share the Octagon with the unranked Bobby Inexperienced. Though not an opponent whom the ATT standout will anticipate to stand up the ranks on the expense of, “KGD” is not disappointment by the matchup.
Dawson Expects Win Over Inexperienced To ‘Blow Him Up’
Throughout a current interview with UFC broadcaster Karyn Bryant, Dawson regarded forward to his newest Octagon project.
Regardless of combating an athlete additional down the pecking order than his most up-to-date opponent, the #10-ranked contender defined why he sees a date within the cage with “King” as a serious alternative for his profession on MMA’s largest stage.
“I have never actually been getting the respect I deserve. I really feel like I am sort of the actually good fighter that no person is aware of about in light-weight, and a part of that’s as a result of I have never gotten that Tony Ferguson, that Bobby Inexperienced, that veteran identify underneath my belt but,” Dawson mentioned. “I knew that when I did get that sort of struggle, all the things’s gonna blow up. And it being in the principle occasion is simply a fair larger stamp on getting that spotlight that I feel I deserve.
‘I feel {that a} actually good efficiency over Bobby Inexperienced in the principle occasion in two weeks simply blows me up,” Dawson continued. “I like the matchup. It isn’t simply because it is a grappler vs. striker-type model. I do assume he is any individual who has sufficient expertise. He isn’t afraid of me. He does not care who I’m… He is gonna come out and he is gonna struggle me a hundred percent of the time. He isn’t gonna lose to me strolling to the cage, which is what I like. I would like him to return struggle me… It is a huge struggle alternative for me. There is a bunch of strain on my shoulders to carry out, and I completely love that.”
Like Dawson, Inexperienced may even enter subsequent Saturday’s headliner on the again of a triumph contained in the cage. This previous July at UFC 291, the 37-year-old veteran choked out former interim champion Tony Ferguson.
That end result marked a rebound for “King,” who suffered setbacks towards Islam Makhachev and Drew Dober in 2022. However Dawson will likely be seeking to remind him of that dropping feeling with an emphatic, statement-making efficiency on October 7.
𝐊𝐆𝐃 𝐯𝐬 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 🚨 @DawsonGrant20y1 and @BobbyKGreen headline to kick issues off in October, of us! Sat. Oct 7 | #UFCVegas80 pic.twitter.com/vW8Wm8psS7
— UFC (@ufc) September 12, 2023
Learn Additionally: MMA Information Right now: Dean Presents Justification For 10-8 Rating In Shut Rounds, UFC Warned About ‘Capturing Themselves In The Foot’ With UFC 296 Matchup, & Extra
Please present transcription credit score with a hyperlink to this text in the event you use any of those quotes.
