Lightweights
Grant Dawson (21-2-1, 9-1-1 UFC) vs. Rafa Garcia (16-3, 4-3 UFC)Any hopes for a massive evolution from Dawson were seemingly dashed in his last fight, so now it’s just a matter of seeing if he can continue to do Grant Dawson things. Initially a featherweight, Dawson’s gameplan at 145 pounds was fairly simple—go for takedowns and hunt for rear-naked chokes—though he had a tendency to tire badly by the third round. Dawson eventually moved up to lightweight and showed a bit sharper striking in the process, but the main change has been that “KGD” now has the cardio to wrestle his opponents for three straight rounds. That’s exactly what he does, though there have been some third-round submission wins along the way. There was some intrigue heading into his first UFC main event against Bobby Green, mostly centered around how Dawson’s gas tank would handle a five-round fight. That wound up being a non-factor after Green knocked Dawson out in just 33 seconds. If there were any takeaways from the loss, they didn’t come through in Dawson’s rebound win over Joe Solecki in June, as that fight served as a return to his grinding ways over three rounds. As such, the game plan against Garcia becomes fairly clear.
Garcia has been a solid midcard lightweight during his time in the UFC and always a tough out, as he’s durable and capable of doing a bit of everything. With that said, the double-edged sword is that everything needs to be clicking for Garcia in order for him to put together a truly great performance. There’s a chance he can work enough to tire Dawson late and take the fight over, but dedicated wrestlers have found success against Garcia in the past—including the under-athletic Chris Gruetzemacher—so it seems likely that Dawson can dedicate himself to the grind and once again walk away with a win. The pick is Dawson via decision.
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Royval vs. Taira
Park vs. Tavares
Dawson vs. Garcia
Polastri vs. McKenna
Rodriguez vs. Morono
Alhassan vs. Fremd
The Prelims