Grant Dawson won’t ‘give up being dominant to be a bit more exciting’

Grant Dawson takes umbrage with folks labelling him as boring.

Dawson (21-2-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) takes on Rafa Garcia (15-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) in a light-weight bout at UFC Struggle Night time 244 Oct. 12 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Exterior from a 33-second upset knockout loss to King Inexperienced within the UFC Struggle Night time 229 headliner final October, Dawson is unbeaten within the UFC. Not solely is he unbeaten, however he’s been ready to make use of his wrestling to dominate loads of his opposition – most lately Joe Solecki at UFC 302 in June.

Regardless of his prowess on the bottom, Dawson hasn’t gained the recognition as a surging light-weight like he would have wished.

“I’m making an attempt to be extra thrilling, I actually am,” Dawson informed MMA Junkie Radio. “It’s simply I’m so dominant on the bottom, it’s really easy for me to take folks down, journey them out, get the choke, land numerous punches, make my proportion of high time even farther away from everyone else within the division than it already is.

“It’s really easy for me to try this. It’s onerous for me to be, like, in a battle: Any individual’s throwing leather-based at my face, and me be like, ‘Nah, I’m not going to take them down, the followers need to see me knock him out.’ I’m preventing for my life in there. I’m preventing for my spouse to not have to return to work. It’s onerous for me to not take anyone down once I know I can do it.”

Dawson says if UFC light-weight champion Islam Makhachev can turn out to be a fan favourite with an elite wrestling fashion, then why can’t he get some love as effectively.

“The factor that upsets me probably the most about it’s in all probability, they’re so choosy on who they like and who they don’t, and what sort of fashion they’re,” Dawson continued. “Everyone thinks that Islam Makhachev is the best factor since sliced bread, however he’s doing the identical stuff I’m doing.

“However then once I go journey anyone out – actually in my final battle I had 13:45 of management time in a 15-minute battle. That’s madness. The place, precisely, do it’s important to hand over being dominant to be a bit extra thrilling? I don’t actually know what these guys need to see. I’m simply going to maintain profitable.”

For extra on the cardboard, go to MMA Junkie’s occasion hub for UFC Struggle Night time 244.