Grant Dawson got the tasked of headlining his first fight night and he cannot wait for it.
Dawson is set to headline UFC Vegas 80 on Saturday the 7th as he faces Bobby Green. This fight was announced on short notice as both men has five weeks to prepare. However, Grant Dawson stayed ready as the UFC told him he would be fighting around this time. The initial rumor was Jalin Turner, another ranked opponent.
“There was like a three-way tie between me, Bobby Green, and Jalin Turner,” Dawson spoke on Just Scrap Radio. “I think it was supposed to be me and Jalin Turner, I’m assuming Jalin couldn’t make the weight on short notice. So they handed it down to me and Bobby Green. I’m super happy about the matchup. I’m super excited, I think both Jalin Turner and Bobby Green bring something unique and value to me. Jalien Turner is a ranked opponent, but Bobby Green is a much more popular a much more veteran opponent.”
Grant Dawson on the Short Notice Fight Announcement
Taking this fight on a relatively short notice came to a surprise to some people. Grant Dawson missed weight his last timeout versus Mark O. Madsen. Dawson previously mentioned he would not fight on short notice to never miss weight again. He promised he is in shape since he’s been helping out teammate Tiago Moises.
“It worked out perfectly. One it was five weeks, which I don’t consider short notice. When I say short notice, I really mean anything under three weeks,” Dawson said. “But, I was helping Thiago Moises in his camp so I was already in good shape and the weight was low because I was training twice a day. I got back from Paris, took a couple of days off and got this message so jumped right into camp.”
Grant Dawson will not be surprised by anything Bobby Green does in the octagon and has a simple game plan for him. The game plan is to take Green down, wrestle him. Either to a decision or by stoppage. Keeping Bobby Green off his feet.
“We all know what Bobby is going to try and do. He’s going to come out and try and knock me out. We all know what I’m going to try and do, I’m going to try and take him down and submit him or ground-and-pound him. It really comes down to who implements their game better,”
Dawson Has His Eyes Set on Dan Hooker
If Grant Dawson gets his hand raised this Saturday, he is eyeing a return in December with the always game Dan Hooker.
“The rumor I heard is he’s ready to go in December. I’ll be ready to go in December barring no major injuries in this fight. Bobby Green is the only person on my mind right now. I have to beat Bobby Green or nothing else comes to fruition. However, I would like to fight Dan Hooker sometime in the future. If I could get one more in this year, that would be amazing, but I’m not going to hold my breath,”
Both top 10 ranked lightweights, this would be an ideal situation for Dawson if he gets passed Bobby Green at UFC Vegas 80.
Quotes taken from Just Scrap Radio.
What do you think? Will Grant Dawson get his hand raised this Saturday? Does the matchmaking make sense? And would you like to see him face Dan Hooker next? Let us know in the comments.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
