Like it or not, weight-cutting is deeply rooted in mixed martial arts. MMA adopted its weight-cutting from the sport of wrestling, where it is presumed to be very advantageous to be the biggest and strongest in your weight class. Known as the ‘fight before the fight,’ most UFC fighters cut anywhere from 5-25 pounds, with some fighters even in excess of 30 pounds.
Weight-cutting is the ultimate test of discipline and willpower. Many fighters in the sport consider it very unprofessional to miss weight. In this series, we will shine a light on fighters who cut a massive amount of weight, who have missed weight multiple times in the past, who have made weight-class changes, along with how the weight-cut and weigh-in could affect possible upcoming match-ups. Basically, every aspect of weight-cutting and how it affects the fight game.
Grant “KGD” Dawson (16-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC)
Featherweight (145lbs): 3-0 (MMA), 3-0 (UFC), Missed weight 2 times
Catchweight (150lbs): 1-0 (UFC)
Lightweight (155lbs): 9-1 (MMA), 0-0 (UFC), Making UFC Debut at UFC Vegas 22
Grant Dawson has been fighting in pro MMA since 2014. From then until he competed on the first season of the Contender Series back in 2017, he competed in the lightweight division, with a couple of featherweight appearances — including one bout that saw him miss weight. That one bout came back in early 2015 when Dawson missed weight coming in at 149.8lbs. for the featherweight fight.
Fast forward a few years and Dawson had dropped down to featherweight full time when he entered to UFC, dropped a weight class (as many fighters do) and rattling off a two-fight win streak against great opponents. Unfortunately, Dawson missed weight ahead of his next fight against Darrick Minner early last year. Dawson won the bout, finishing his opponent in the second round via submission. But weighing in at 149.5lbs the day prior really put a damper on things. In Dawson’s most recent fight, in July of 2020, he competed against Nad Narimani at a catchweight of 150lbs.
Dawson is now 27 years old and at 5’10” with a 72″ reach and a very muscular build, it seems like the right move to bump up to the lightweight divison. Dawson will undoubtedly be a fighter to watch on fight night to see if he can make the transfer over to the shark infested waters of the UFC’s lightweight division.
