Grant Dawson wants to speak with anyone doubting his ability to win his sixth victory in the Octagon with a smooth submission that defeated Jared Gordon at UFC Vegas 53.
It was a grappling heavy performance from Dawson, who landed takedowns in every, single round before eventually locking on a rear-naked choke late in the fight to get the tap from Gordon while moving his overall record to 18-1-1. The official time for the stoppage came at 4:11 in the third round.
” A quick note to anyone I’m fighting. That’s always going be my strategy,” Dawson stated after the victory. “The last time I lost, Barack Obama was president. Give me some respect. My name is the UFC .”
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With Gordon snapping off calf kicks and hard punches on the feet, Dawson made it no secret that he was going to look to take this fight into his world on the ground. After grabbing a nasty choke from Gordon, Dawson was forced to scramble to his feet to escape the choke.
Dawson eventually did get the takedown he wanted and that’s where he really started making Gordon pay by quickly advancing his position to take the back while unloading some heavy punches with his body triangle locked on tight.
Finding success with his grappling led to Dawson dishing out more of the same with Gordon doing his best to break free and stay on his feet. Gordon tried his hardest to stop Dawson wrestling, but he was still unable to keep up with him. He kept trying for takedowns which were his best way towards victory.
With five minutes left, Gordon decided to empty his tank and put everything back in the octagon. This allowed him to tag Dawson and take some important shots. He slipped in for another takedown just as Dawson seemed to slow down. This was his last attempt to drag Dawson onto the mat.
Dawson quickly seized the position, moved to the back again and then snatched the rear-naked choke. This forced Gordon to quit for the first time in his 23-fighting career.
Dawson is still undefeated at the UFC and appears to be ready for an increase in competition. He also looks forward to continuing his growth as a fighter after joining American Top Team, a Florida-based team of coaches and fighters.
