Grant Dawson is the UFC Vegas 76 fighter to watch
The UFC returns to Las Vegas to kick off July with a middleweight main event. In the co-main event, two ranked lightweights will face off, one having just suffered his first loss in the UFC and one who has yet to lose since joining the promotion. In the super-tough lightweight division, Dawson is looking to climb the rankings against Damir Ismagulov.
Dawson fights out of American Top Team and is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under James Krause. Dawson fought for several promotions, including Titan Fighting Championships, going 11-1 with all wins coming by way of finish before appearing on Dane White's Contender Series. Dawson beat Adrian Diaz by submission but wouldn't debut for almost two years, going 5-0 with three finishes and wins over Julian Erosa, TUF winner Mike Trizano and Leonardo Santos. Dawson faced Rick Glenn at UFC Vegas 41 which resulted in a draw, but has since submitted Jared Gordon and most recently Mark O. Madsen by rear-naked choke in the third round.
Grant Dawson looks to keep his momentum up as he faces his toughest challenge yet in Damir Ismagulov
Dawson's opponent Ismagulov fights out of Kazakhstan and was M-1 Global's lightweight champion, defending it twice before signing with the UFC. Ismagulov was 19-1 with 13 finishes and won five straight to start off his UFC career. Ismagulov holds wins over Joel Alvarez, Thiago Moises and most recently beat Guram Kutateladze at UFC Austin. Ismagulov then fought and lost to the surging Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Vegas 66.
This will be both fighters second time in a co-main event after failing to pick up a win. Dawson holds the sleight-reach advantage and could have his way with Ismagulov if the fight finds the floor. Ismagulov is looking to avoid the first losing streak of his career while Dawson is looking to win three straight and get into the contender picture in a stacked lightweight division.
All of Dawson's last three wins came via a third round finish, so don't count him out if there's no finish in the first or the second, he always promises something special. He's got the momentum behind him and won't let that go without a fight ... literally.
UFC Vegas 76: Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov takes place on Saturday, July 1st, 2023, live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, NV. Follow along with FanSided MMA for all your news and highlights.
Top 10 knockouts that ended a UFC career. dark. Next