Grant Dawson
American mixed martial arts fighter
Grant Michael Dawson [ 8] (born February 20, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of November 19, 2024, he is #15 in the UFC lightweight rankings .[ 9]
Background
Dawson was born in Cambria, Wisconsin , but grew up mostly in Stromsburg, Nebraska .[ 1] [ 10] Initially dreaming of a career in American Football, Dawson started wrestling to aid his primary sport.[ 11] After realizing he wasn't good enough at American football, he dropped the sport and concentrated solely in wrestling.[ 11] He was homeschooled until his teens, and attended Cross County Community School where he competed in high school wrestling , finishing his senior season with a record of 40–8.[ 1] After graduating from high school but skipping college due to dyslexia , Dawson decided to pursue a career in mixed martial arts.[ 3]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
After compiling an amateur record of 8–1, Dawson started his professional MMA career in 2014. He amassed a professional record of 11–1 prior to participating in Dana White's Contender Series .[ 12]
Dana White's Contender Series
Dawson appeared on the first season of the program Dana White's Contender Series 6 .[ 13] He faced Adrian Diaz on August 17, 2017[ 14] and won the fight by submission due to a rear-naked choke in round two.[ 15] With the win, Dawson was offered a UFC contract.[ 16]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Dawson made his UFC debut on March 9, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos against Julian Erosa .[ 17] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[ 18]
His next fight came on May 18, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Lee against Michael Trizano .[ 19] He won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round two.[ 20] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[ 21]
Dawson was scheduled to meet Chas Skelly on January 18, 2020, at UFC 246 .[ 22] However, Dawson was flagged by USADA the second times where the initial flagging was in November 2017 for a residual metabolite of the steroid Turinabol which it was subsequent cleared by USDADA for not able to determine when Dawson had ingested the banned substance, and that resulted in the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) pulling bout from UFC 246 . The subsequent finding from USADA found no evidence of performance enhancement of a re-ingestion of a banned drug. However, NSAC would revisit the matter in July, 2020 to determine to issue Nevada fighter licence Dawson and Dawson would have to undergo testing twice a month.[ 23] [ 24] [ 25] The bout was rescheduled on February 29, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo at Norfolk, Virginia .[ 26] On February 7, 2020, it was reported that Skelly was injured during one of his training session and was forced to withdraw from the event,[ 27] and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Darrick Minner .[ 28] At the weigh-ins, Dawson also failed to make weight, coming in at 149.5 pounds, 3.5 pounds over the featherweight non-title limit of 146 pounds. He was fined 30% of his fight purse, which went to Minner and the bout proceeded at a catchweight.[ 29] Dawson won the fight via a submission in round two.[ 30]
Dawson faced Nad Narimani on July 19, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 .[ 31] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[ 32]
Dawson faced Leonardo Santos on March 20, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 21 .[ 33] He won the fight via knockout in round three.[ 34] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[ 35]
Grant was scheduled to face Carlos Diego Ferreira on October 2, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 193 .[ 36] However, Ferreira pulled out of the fight in early-September citing an injury.[ 37] Instead Dawson faced Ricky Glenn on October 23, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 196 .[ 38] The fight ended in majority draw.[ 39] 8 out of 11 media outlets scored the bout for Dawson.[ 40]
Grant, replacing Rafael Alves, faced Jared Gordon on April 30, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 35 .[ 41] He won the bout via rear-naked choke late into the third round.[ 42]
Grant faced Mark Madsen , replacing Drakkar Klose , November 5, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 214 .[ 43] At the weigh-ins, Dawson weighed in at 157.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the lightweight non-title fight limit. His bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 30% of his individual purse, which went to his opponent Madsen.[ 44] He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the third round.[ 45]
Grant faced Damir Ismagulov on July 1, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 48 .[ 46] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[ 47]
Dawson faced Bobby Green on October 7, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 229 .[ 48] He lost via knockout in the first round.[ 49]
Dawson faced Joe Solecki on June 1, 2024, at UFC 302 .[ 50] With over thirteen minutes of ground control time, Dawson won the fight by unanimous decision.[ 51]
Dawson faced Rafa García on October 12, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 244 .[ 52] He won the fight by technical knockout via ground elbows and punches in the second round.[ 53]
Dawson is scheduled to face Carlos Diego Ferreira on January 18, 2025, at UFC 311 .[ 54]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
25 matches
22 wins
2 losses
By knockout
5
2
By submission
13
0
By decision
4
0
Draws
1
Res.
Record
Opponent
Method
Event
Date
Round
Time
Location
Notes
Win
22–2–1
Rafa García
TKO (elbows and punches)
UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira
October 12, 2024
2
1:42
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Win
21–2–1
Joe Solecki
Decision (unanimous)
UFC 302
June 1, 2024
3
5:00
Newark, New Jersey , United States
Loss
20–2–1
Bobby Green
KO (punches)
UFC Fight Night: Dawson vs. Green
October 7, 2023
1
0:33
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Win
20–1–1
Damir Ismagulov
Decision (unanimous)
UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov
July 1, 2023
3
5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Win
19–1–1
Mark Madsen
Submission (rear-naked choke)
UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos
November 5, 2022
3
2:05
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Catchweight (157.5 lb) bout; Dawson missed weight.
Win
18–1–1
Jared Gordon
Submission (rear-naked choke)
UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Vera
April 30, 2022
3
4:11
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Draw
17–1–1
Ricky Glenn
Draw (majority)
UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori
October 23, 2021
3
5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Win
17–1
Leonardo Santos
KO (punches)
UFC on ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland
March 20, 2021
3
4:59
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Return to Lightweight. Performance of the Night.
Win
16–1
Nad Narimani
Decision (unanimous)
UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2
July 19, 2020
3
5:00
Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates
Catchweight (150 lb) bout.
Win
15–1
Darrick Minner
Submission (rear-naked choke)
UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo
February 29, 2020
2
1:38
Norfolk, Virginia , United States
Catchweight (149.5 lb) bout; Dawson missed weight.
Win
14–1
Michael Trizano
Submission (rear-naked choke)
UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Lee
May 18, 2019
2
2:27
Rochester, New York , United States
Performance of the Night.
Win
13–1
Julian Erosa
Decision (unanimous)
UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos
March 9, 2019
3
5:00
Wichita, Kansas , United States
Win
12–1
Adrian Diaz
Submission (rear-naked choke)
Dana White's Contender Series 1
August 17, 2017
2
1:15
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Win
11–1
Mike Plazola
Submission (triangle choke)
Kansas City Fighting Alliance 20
October 1, 2016
1
3:49
Independence, Missouri , United States
Return to Featherweight.
Win
10–1
Christian Camp
TKO (elbows and punches)
Victory FC 52
July 16, 2016
2
1:43
Omaha, Nebraska , United States
Loss
9–1
Hugh Pulley
TKO (elbows)
Kansas City Fighting Alliance 18
April 30, 2016
1
0:35
Independence, Missouri , United States
Win
9–0
Robert Washington
TKO (punches)
Titan FC 37
March 4, 2016
2
2:08
Ridgefield, Washington , United States
Win
8–0
Bryce Logan
TKO (punches)
Victory FC 47
January 29, 2016
2
3:12
Omaha, Nebraska , United States
Win
7–0
Andrew Carrillo
Submission (rear-naked choke)
Kansas City Fighting Alliance 15
August 15, 2015
1
3:21
Grandview, Missouri , United States
Featherweight bout.
Win
6–0
Danny Tims
Submission (rear-naked choke)
1
4:15
Featherweight bout.
Win
5–0
Chris McDaniel
Submission (rear-naked choke)
ShoFight: Branson Brawl
May 9, 2015
1
4:07
Branson, Missouri , United States
Win
4–0
James Smith
Submission (rear-naked choke)
Victory FC 45
April 4, 2015
1
2:30
Ralston, Nebraska , United States
Return to Lightweight.
Win
3–0
Adam Rider
Submission (rear-naked choke)
Shamrock FC: Heavy Artillery
March 7, 2015
1
1:45
Kansas City, Missouri , United States
Featherweight debut; Dawson missed weight (149 lb).
Win
2–0
Matt Williams
Submission (armbar)
DCS 12: Seasons Beatings 2014
December 5, 2014
1
2:29
Lincoln, Nebraska , United States
Win
1–0
Jeremiah Denson
Submission (rear-naked choke)
Omaha Fight Club 100
August 24, 2014
2
2:29
Omaha, Nebraska , United States
Lightweight debut.
[ 12]
See also
References
^ a b c d Rogers, Nathan (August 21, 2014). "Grey Hat Spotlight - Grant Dawson" . MMA Futures . Retrieved March 4, 2020 .
^ "UFC Fight Night | UFC" . www.ufc.com . December 17, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2020 .
^ a b c Brendan Fitzgerald (March 17, 2021). "For me, it's UFC CHAMPION OR BUST" | Grant Dawson & Brendan Fitzgerald – via YouTube.
^ SJ Munoz (May 26, 2012). "York MMA fighters in action this weekend" . York News-Times .
^ MMAjunkie.com (April 27, 2022). Grant Dawson says move to ATT will make him champion | UFC on ESPN 35 – via YouTube.
^ Cageside Press (April 14, 2022). Grant Dawson Explains His Move To American Top Team, Planning To Make A Statement At UFC Vegas 53 – via YouTube.
^ @grantdawsonkgd (February 9, 2022). " "Couple of things going on. First I received my black belt from my long time coach and friend @thejameskrause which absolutely means the world to me. (...)" " . Retrieved November 7, 2022 – via Instagram .
^ "Grant Dawson ("KGD") | MMA Fighter Page" . Tapology . Retrieved November 9, 2024 .
^ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com" . www.ufc.com . Retrieved November 19, 2024 .
^ Ken Kush (April 30, 2015). "MMA became Dawson's savior" . York News-Times .
^ a b Darren Potts (March 9, 2021). "The Pottscast, with UFC's Grant Dawson" (Podcast).
^ a b Sherdog.com. "Grant" . Sherdog . Retrieved March 2, 2020 .
^ " 'Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series' debuts July 11 on UFC Fight Pass with 5 live fights a week" . MMA Junkie . May 13, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2020 .
^ "Dana White's Contender Series 6 lineup set with Charles Byrd-Gabriel Checco, first women's bout" . MMA Junkie . August 7, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2020 .
^ "Grant Dawson Took Out Adrian Diaz, Earned UFC Contract (Free Fight Video) | MMAWeekly.com" . October 15, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2020 .
^ Segura, Danny (August 15, 2017). "DWTNCS 6 results: Grant Dawson, Charles Byrd earn UFC contracts" . MMA Fighting . Retrieved March 2, 2020 .
^ Bennett, Matt (March 8, 2019). "Grant Dawson: "The Prophet" makes his debut at UFC Wichita" . The Body Lock . Retrieved March 2, 2020 .
^ Harshman, Heath (May 18, 2019). "UFC Rochester Results: Relentless Grant Dawson Earns Submission Win Over Mike Trizano" . Cageside Press . Retrieved March 2, 2020 .
^ admin (March 18, 2019). "TUF 27 winner Mike Trizano to fight Grant Dawson at UFC Rochester" . Just Fight Me . Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2020 .
^ Hiergesell, Dan (May 18, 2019). "UFC Rochester Highlights! Grant Dawson Continues Momentum, Chokes Out Trizano" . MMAmania.com . Retrieved March 2, 2020 .
^ a b Dave Doyle (May 19, 2019). "UFC on ESPN+ 10 bonuses: Aspen Ladd-Sijara Eubanks barnburner earns 'Fight of the Night' " . mmajunkie.com. Retrieved May 19, 2019 .
^ Marcel Dorff (October 29, 2019). "Chas Skelly vs. Grant Dawson toegevoegd aan UFC evenement in 2020" . mmadna.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved May 29, 2022 .
^ "Sources: Dawson faces NSAC issue, off UFC card" . ESPN.com . January 16, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020 .
^ Sherdog.com. "Grant Dawson Cleared for UFC Norfolk, Needs Additional Drug Testing for Nevada License" . Sherdog . Retrieved March 2, 2020 .
^ Lee, Alexander K. (December 11, 2018). "Grant Dawson sees USADA case dismissed" . MMA Fighting . Retrieved March 2, 2020 .
^ Marcel Dorff (January 22, 2020). "Chas Skelly vs. Grant Dawson opnieuw ingepland, ditmaal voor UFC Norfolk" . Mma DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved May 29, 2022 .
^ Alexander K. Lee (February 6, 2020). "Chas Skelly announces injury withdrawal from UFC Norfolk" . MMA Fighting . Retrieved March 3, 2020 .
^ Nolan King and Farah Hannoun (February 20, 2020). "34-fight veteran Darrick Minner to fight Grant Dawson at UFC on ESPN+ 27 on short notice" . mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved March 3, 2020 .
^ Staff (February 28, 2020). "UFC on ESPN+ 27 weigh-in results: Two fighters overweight, including a headliner" . mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved March 1, 2020 .
^ Bitter, Shawn (February 29, 2020). "UFC Norfolk Results: Grant Dawson Chokes Out Darrick Minner" . Cageside Press . Retrieved March 2, 2020 .
^ Farah Hannoun (June 15, 2020). "UFC adds Grant Dawson vs. Nad Narimani to July 18 event in Abu Dhabi" . mmajunkie.usatoday.com.
^ McClory, Mike (July 18, 2020). "UFC Fight Island 2 Results: Grant Dawson Earns Dominant Win Over Nad Narimani" . Cageside Press . Retrieved July 19, 2020 .
^ Farah Hannoun (January 20, 2021). "Leonardo Santos vs. Grant Dawson targeted for UFC Fight Night on March 20" . mmajunkie.com. Retrieved January 20, 2021 .
^ Behunin, Alex (March 20, 2021). "UFC Vegas 22 Results: Grant Dawson KO's Leonardo Santos With One Second Left In Fight" . Cageside Press . Retrieved March 21, 2021 .
^ a b Sherdog.com. "UFC on ESPN 21 Bonuses: Griffin, Yanez, Dawson, Silva Earn Performance Checks" . Sherdog . Retrieved March 21, 2021 .
^ Marcel Dorff (July 2, 2021). "Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Grant Dawson toegevoegd aan UFC evenement op 2 oktober" . MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved May 29, 2022 .
^ Matthew Wells (September 8, 2021). "Diego Ferreira injured, out of Oct. 2 bout against Grant Dawson" . MMA Junkie . Retrieved September 8, 2021 .
^ Marcel Dorff (September 25, 2021). "BREAKING: Ricky Glenn vervangt Carlos Diego Ferreira op 23 oktober tegen Grant Dawson" . MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved May 29, 2022 .
^ Law, Eddie (October 23, 2021). "UFC Vegas 41 Results: Grant Dawson and Ricky Glenn Fight To A Draw" . Cageside Press . Retrieved October 23, 2021 .
^ MMA Decisions (October 23, 2021). "MMA Decisions - Grant Dawson vs Ricky Glenn" . mmadecisions.com. Retrieved August 18, 2024 .
^ Lee, Alexander K. (March 27, 2022). "Grant Dawson replaces Rafael Alves to fight Jared Gordon at UFC Vegas 53" . MMA Fighting . Retrieved March 28, 2022 .
^ Anderson, Jay (April 30, 2022). "UFC Vegas 53: Grant Dawson Secures Late Submission on Jared Gordon, Extends Unbeaten Streak" . Cageside Press . Retrieved May 1, 2022 .
^ Farah Hannoun (October 26, 2022). "With Drakkar Klose out, Mark Madsen meets Grant Dawson at UFC Fight Night 214 on Nov. 5" . mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved October 28, 2022 .
^ Staff (November 4, 2022). "UFC Fight Night 214 weigh-in results: A record-tying four weight misses" . mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved November 4, 2022 .
^ Val Dewar (November 5, 2022). "UFC Vegas 64: Grant Dawson Submits Olympian Mark Madsen" . Cageside Press. Retrieved November 5, 2022 .
^ Martin, Damon (May 11, 2023). "Grant Dawson vs. Damir Ismagulov booked for UFC event on July 1" . MMA Fighting . Retrieved May 12, 2023 .
^ Martin, Damon (July 1, 2023). "UFC Vegas 76 results: Grant Dawson puts on suffocating performance to win lopsided decision over Damir Ismagulov" . MMA Fighting . Retrieved July 2, 2023 .
^ Newswire and Mike Heck (September 6, 2023). "Bobby Green vs. Grant Dawson headlines UFC Vegas 80 on Oct. 7" . mmafighting.com. Retrieved September 6, 2023 .
^ Hiergesell, Dan (October 7, 2023). "Highlights! 'King' Stuns Dawson With 33-Second KO" . MMAmania.com . Retrieved October 8, 2023 .
^ Martin, Damon (March 12, 2024). "Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki booked for UFC 302, card targeted for Newark" . MMA Fighting . Retrieved March 13, 2024 .
^ Dewar, Val (June 2, 2024). "UFC 302: Grant Dawson Smothers Joe Solecki in Wrestling vs BJJ Duel" . Cageside Press . Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
^ Bryson Hester (July 17, 2024). "UFC: Grant Dawson to Fight Rafa Garcia on October 12" . cagesidepress.com. Retrieved July 17, 2024 .
^ Bryson Hester (October 12, 2024). "Grant Dawson Fired Up After Rafa Garcia Stoppage Win at UFC Vegas 98" . cagesidepress.com. Retrieved October 12, 2024 .
^ Sherdog.com. "Grant Dawson to Collide With Diego Ferreira at UFC 311 in California on Jan. 18" . Sherdog . Retrieved November 21, 2024 .
^ a b "UFC Lightweight Stats - Record Book" . statleaders.ufc.com . Retrieved June 2, 2024 .
External links