As he entered Fight Week, Dawson also learned that he and his wife had lost their first child due to a miscarriage.

“My wife and I were expecting our first baby, and we found out on Monday that we lost the baby. So it’s been a rough week,” Dawson revealed during his UFC 328 post-fight appearance with the media. “My amazing wife soldiered through it, toughed it out, no emotion, got me through this, and I promised her a little vacation for us to go and do our thing.”

And so, after the win, Dawson (24-3-1) admitted to media outlets that “physically, I feel terrible. Emotionally, also a little terrible.”

The fight was a back-and-forth one, with Dawson hurt at points before he submitted former training partner Mateusz Rebecki. The adversity he overcame is a point of pride for Dawson, it seems.

“I’m happy with this one, because like I said in the cage, I think a lot of people think of me as skilled, I don’t think a lot of people think of me as tough, and I hope that that has answered that question to night.”

He’d go on to add that “I’ll never turn my nose to a win. We got the win, that’s what matters. Obviously I would like to knock everybody out in the first 10 seconds.”

When Dawson landed a head kick early in the first, he thought “this is going to be a good night.” After being knocked down in the second, the thought was “this is not a great night. And then third round, I was like ‘this is a great night.’ So I’m happy.”

As for fighting a former training partner, Grant Dawson suggested that there were only certain names he’d ever decline, including Mateusz Gamrot. Unless a title was on the line. Otherwise, “if you say yes, I’mma say yes,” he stated. “And he [Rebecki] said yes, so I said yes.”

Watch the full UFC 328 post-fight press conference with Grant Dawson above.

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Both men were looking to shake off recent losses, Dawson to Manuel Torres in December, Rebecki to L’udovit Klein and Chris Duncan before that.

The opening round saw Dawson land a solid head kick early that stunned Rebecki. A hurt Rebecki then shot for a takedown and was reversed with Dawson ending up in top position. Dawson would then expertly transition to back control where he threatened a rear-naked choke submission. Rebecki would find a reversal himself with a minute left to go in the round, looking for a takedown of his own. A glancing elbow from Dawson was able to open a significant cut above the eye of Rebecki.

The second round Rebecki would come out swinging landing a flush right hook that floored Dawson. Rebecki then pressured forward looking to land a takedown but was unsuccessful, as Dawson began circling to the center of the cage. Rebecki was trying to draw Dawson into a brawl as the fight began picking up with each throwing wild overhand shots in the pocket. A head kick from Dawson was grabbed by Rebecki who landed a trip takedown off the counter. Likely a score of 1-1 entering the third after the big knockdown from Rebecki early in the round.

Early in the third round Grant Dawson was able to gain back control on Rebecki, putting him in a terrible position with four minutes remaining. Rebecki would be unable to escape the position and with twenty two seconds left in the fight tapped out to the rear naked choke submission from Dawson. A dominant win for Dawson who silenced many critics with this gutsy performance. This was Dawson’s fourteenth career submission win.

Official Result: Grant Dawson def. Mateusz Rebecki by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 4:42

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On a three-fight win streak, Dawson had found his footing at 155lbs after a brief run at featherweight in the late 2010s. Torres meanwhile was coming off a win against Drew Dober.

Dawson short in from too far out almost immediately, a rather sloppy effort that did not pay off. Torres worked his hands, and his kicks, taking some heavy swings with the latter. Punching his way in to close the distance, Torres forced Dawson to retreat more than once.

Torres was taking a patient approach despite that success, and it paid off in short order. Dawson missed on his own attack, and Torres countered. About four punches landed, with Dawson moving and off-balance. A left hand did the most damage, dropping Grant Dawson. Torres pounced, landing hammer fist after hammer fist as Dawson covered up. That was enough for the ref to call it, giving Manuel Torres his second straight win, and fifth finish in six UFC fights.

In 17 career wins, Torres has 16 first round stoppages, a statistic highlighted by Joe Rogan in Torres’ post-fight interview on Saturday. “I’m so happy. I’m happy with the opportunity,” stated Torres, thanking his team and fans.

Official Result: Manuel Torres def. Grant Dawson by TKO, Round 1, 2:25

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Known for fast starts and ruthless finishing instincts, Torres now gets the biggest test, and biggest opportunity, of his career.

“I came here looking for the knockout. I’m ready to wrestle all three rounds if necessary. I’m ready for everything,” Torres told reporters on Wednesday.

“I come prepared, I want to show that I belong in the top 15 in the world, and I come for the bonus, you know it.”

Torres (16-3) enters UFC 323 with a reputation as a dangerous finisher, yet he insists fans have only seen a fraction of what he’s capable of. He believes this matchup is his chance to reveal the deeper layers of his game, if Dawson can survive long enough to see them.

“I don’t think anybody really knows my style. All of my fights end in the first round. So I guess expect a surprise on Saturday night. You’ll see plenty of my weapons. If the fight goes longer than the first round, you’ll get to see all that. If not, then I’ll get a quick finish,” he said.

Torres knows that Dawson represents a step up in competition, but it’s the kind of challenge he has been waiting for. Rather than shy away from Dawson’s elite grappling pedigree, the Mexican lightweight embraces it.

“I’m excited to test myself against a guy like Grant Dawson. He’s a very good wrestler, and I’m ready to wrestle with him” he said.

“I want to get to Saturday already. I’m ready to find the holes in his game and take advantage of it at any moment.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Manuel Torres above. He faces Grant Dawson at UFC 323 on Saturday night.

* Translated by Cageside Press

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As luck would have it his target happens to be the one man who was left out in the cold after the matchup shuffle at the top of the card. Beneil Dariush was the odd man out after Renato Moicano stepped into the main event on short notice.

Dawson (23-2-1) would have loved to take a fight with Dariush on short notice.

“If they (the UFC) had came to me and said will you step up and fight Beneil I would have said yes,” Dawson told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“They didn’t ask. Better case scenario I get to fight Diego, who I was preparing for, and now I get to fight Beneil with a camp.”

Dariush said, after losing out on his fight, that the UFC paid him his show and win money for his troubles. Dawson still hopes the fight materializes for him sooner than later. Dariush said he was told the UFC had ‘something big’ for him.

“I didn’t hear that about the something big, but good for him. I hope he gets something big man he’s a vet and he’s fought everybody, anytime, anywhere. I’m one of the anybodies,” he said.

“Maybe it’s me, maybe he gets something bigger with a big name, I’m super happy for him. There’s enough wealth and riches to go around for everybody. If I get somebody else, I get somebody else.”

Maybe Dawson needs to change his callout strategy.

“What I need to do is just start calling out people that I’m afraid of, that I don’t want to fight, because I never get anybody I call out,” he said with a laugh.

“The next person I call out I’m probably afraid of that dude because I’m not going to get him.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Grant Dawson above.

The post Grant Dawson Would Have Fought Dariush At UFC 311 appeared first on Cageside Press.

At 40, Diego Ferreira was still finding success in the cage, with the Brazilian coming off back-to-back wins over Michael Johnson and Mateusz Rebecki. Dawson, a decade younger, had also won two straight to start the night.

Both fighters came out in the orthodox stance with Dawson throwing a wheel kick that partially connected. Dawson pressed forward and shot in for a takedown around the three minute mark of the opening round. Ferreira tried to stand but Dawson was in full control with a bodylock against the fence. Dawson threw a head kick while holding Ferreira’s leg, landing a clean shot while attempting another takedown. Dawson landed three takedowns on five attempts through the first five minutes.

Ferreira showed little to no offense in the first round, but looked to turn the tide in the second. Immediately Ferreira charged forward throwing wild hooks to the head of Dawson. Both fighters exchanged against the fence before Ferreira was able to get the fight to the ground momentarily. Dawson reversed position and ended up on top in full guard. Remaining in top control Dawson was able to land short elbows and light punches to sway the round in his favor.

In the opening moments of the third both fighters collided going for takedowns, getting into a brief grappling exchange before Dawson found his way on top. Again the fight hit the mat in the full guard position with Dawson landing small hammer fists. Referee Frank Trigg stood the fight up and Dawson scored a knockdown with a big right hand. Ferreira popped back up to his feet and returned fire with each fighter landing significant punches. Dawson dug deep and again found a takedown, dumping the longtime UFC veteran on his back. Showing impressive control throughout the contest, Dawson remained on top until the final bell.

With the fight going the distance Dawson was awarded a unanimous decision victory on all three judges scorecards. With Dawson’s only loss coming against Bobby Green in 2023, the young prospect has since rallied with three consecutive wins. Dawson respectfully called for a fight against another UFC veteran in Beneil Dariush, after Dariush was pulled from the UFC 311 card due to the main event change. Asking for a contest in Florida later this spring, Dawson may see himself inside the top fifteen in short order.

Official Result: Grant Dawson def. Carlos Diego Ferreira by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Brandon Royval

Brandon Royval turned in an excellent performance against Tatsuro Taira to snag a split decision victory. Royval entered the fight as the #1 ranked flyweight while his opponent came in ranked at #5.

Royval is in a tough spot thanks to all the upcoming fights in the 125lbs. weight class including the upcoming title fight between champ, Alexandre Pantoja, and UFC newcomer and RIZIN Fighting Federation bantamweight champion, Kai Asakura.  With that in mind, although Royval was calling for a title shot in his post-fight speech, he might not get what he wants. At least not right away. While a title shot could definitely happen, a rematch against Kai Kara France seems a bit more likely. Kai is coming off a first-round destruction of the last man to challenge Pantoja for his belt, Steve Erceg, at UFC 305. Kara France effortlessly sliced through Erceg, while Erceg took the champ to the score cards in the fight prior.

Royval submitted Kai Kara France in 2020, but enough time has passed to justify running this fight back.

Brandon’s next fight: Kai Kara France

Jun Yong Park

Jun Yong Park turned in a hard-fought split decision victory against the veteran, Brad Tavares, in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 98.  Park is now 8-3 in the UFC and has won five of his last six fights. His most recent loss was split decision to Andre Muniz in December of last year.

With that being said, it’s time for Park to start working his way up and to draw another name. The perfect matchup would be against a guy like Joe Pyfer. Joe is 4-1 in the UFC since being signed as a result of his second appearance on the Contender Series in 2022. Joe’s only loss is to a ranked step up in competition, in Jack Hermansson, back in February. With Pyfer’s 85 second KO of Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 303, this could easily be a fight of the night contender and a solid stand-up battle with both fighter’s respective styles. The winner would likely have a ranking next to their name.

Jun Yong’s next fight: Joe Pyfer

Chidi Njokuani

Chidi Njokuani turned in one of his best performances as he cruised to a clear unanimous decision victory over his overweight opponent, Jared Gooden. Chidi is now 4-3 with the UFC since earning a UFC contract via the Contender Series in 2021.

Njokuani is now riding a two-fight winning streak off the heels of losing three in a row from 2022-2023.  With that being said, Chidi should take on a veteran, in a fighter like Court McGee. Court has 23 fights in the UFC and was last in action at UFC 307 with his first-round finish over Tim Means. That win halted a three-fight losing skid for McGee as well, so maybe timing makes sense for these two guys to scrap next.

Chidi’s next fight: Court McGee

Grant Dawson

Grant Dawson turned in a near perfect performance on Saturday night with his second round TKO over Rafa Garcia. Dawson has now won two fights in a row since his only UFC loss to Bobby Green in October of 2023.

Dawson should be just a fight from being ranked in the lightweight division. He has done more than enough with a 10-1-1 with the UFC. Grant should fight Joel Alvarez in his next fight. Alvarez in 6-2 with the UFC and has won three of his last four fights. His only loss in that time period was to Arman Tsarukyan in February of 2022. Alvarez was last in action back in August when he finished Elves Brener in the final round of their bout. He’s a dangerous fighter that has only heard the final bell just one time as a pro. And a tough matchup for a grappling heavy guy like Dawson.

Grant’s next fight: Joel Alvarez

Daniel Rodriguez

Daniel Rodriguez came back from behind to win a split decision against Alex Morono on the first fight of UFC Vegas 98’s main card. The win ended a three-fight losing skid for D-Rod which saw him slide out of the welterweight rankings.  This is his first win in over two years.

In his next fight, Rodriguez should take on Niko Price. Niko was on the undercard of UFC Vegas 98 and lost a unanimous decision to Themba Gorimbo. In the fight before that he won a unanimous decision over Alex Morono in June. Niko has only won two of his last five fights, similar to Daniel. Another reason to the timing works to book this bout.

Daniel’s next fight: Niko Price 

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Dawson was hoping to make it two in a row following a bounce-back win over Joe Solecki, while Garcia had back-to-back wins to start the night. Most recently, he earned a decision over veteran and fan fave Clay Guida. That, however, came over a year ago in April of 2023, adding the long layoff as a possible wrench in the works.

The fight began with a short feeling out period as both men tried to find range. Dawson flashed a few kicks and some hooks at his opponent before shooting in on a single about a minute into the round. Garcia was able to pop up momentarily, but Dawson dragged him back down seconds later. Once in the full guard of his opponent, Dawson rained down hammer fists and landed short strikes to the body. Midway thru the round and Grant started to land some powerful strikes to the head of his opponent in order sneak past his guard. With a minute left in the round, Dawson continued up his attack as Garcia was unable to return undoubtedly losing a lopsided round.

To begin the second round, Grant again went back to his kicks, mixing in teeps, spinning kicks and some knee attempts. As the two fighters exchanged punches, Dawson missed with a wild overhand but was able to use it to land another single leg takedown. Now back in his opponent’s full guard, Dawson again went to work landing ground ‘n pound. This time, Dawson started dropping elbows, with one cutting Rafa badly above his eye. As his opponent leaked blood and desperately tried to cover up by rolling to his stomach, Dawson continued his assault. The ref stepped in shortly after as Garcia was unable to get to his base and was taking a massive amount of sustained damage.

Dawson turned in a fiery post-fight interview after the fight which fired up the APEX crowd. Grant shouted out his team, his wife and boldly predicted that he will be a future UFC champion.

Official Result: Grant Dawson def. Rafa Garcia by TKO, Round 2, 1:42

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Garcia (16-3) had such a long layoff due to a knee injury he suffered, and required surgery.

“I had surgery last July. I tore my ACL, and my PCL so been gone for a little bit,” Garcia told reporters on Wednesday.

“The most difficult part of it was just the beginning. I couldn’t really move I was in bed the whole time. My wife was hiding my crutches because I was trying to get up. I’m like I’m good with crutches, she’s like no sit down. She’s a nurse.”

He returns to face a very tough fight in Dawson coming off a victory at UFC 302 last June

“I was excited. I feel like it’s a great opponent for me. Beating Grant Dawson is knocking on the top 15,” he said.

Dawson had said earlier in the week that he would rather dominate the fight than have a barn burner with Garcia. Garcia agreed, but with one difference.

“Everybody has their own way of thinking, but I like to go out there dominant,” he said.

“But in a violent fashion.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Rafa Garcia above. He takes on Grant Dawson at UFC Vegas 98 on Saturday night.

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