Islam Makhachev welcomed Arman Tsarukyan to the UFC in April 2019. Now, the two rematch for the title in the year’s first PPV (pay-per-view) event (UFC 311). Title fights get canceled all the time because of various reasons. As such, if the worst of the worst happens, teammate Grant Dawson is ready to pitch in on Tsarukyan’s behalf.
Grant Dawson (22-2-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) has a pivotal matchup against Diego Ferreira at UFC 311. But what bossman, including that of UFC, would not like the extra initiative to chase a snazzy KO? So, if the title challenger pulls a tripwire hazard aka the “Tony Ferguson“, the Team ATT lightweight will be ready as a stand-in.
I fought on the same card as Dustin when he fought Islam…and it was nice to kind of be in that championship camp, you know, and see kind of what…what guys do to prepare to win the belt and, uh, now I got to do it again with Arman. I get to kind of, see, um – I’ll… I’ll definitely be excited and I do plan on making championship weight just in case, you know…Nothing is wrong with Arman at all but you never know he might step on a chord and, …and and blow his ACL!
Grant Dawson to Inside Fighting’s Mike Owens (@inside.fighting)
The perils of physicality have already seen one great UFC 155-pound matchup go to the what-if columns. Talking of Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov; the duo were a pairing five times but never fought. Nobody is wishing the same fate on the No. 1 seed for gold Tsarukyan. However, it’s each man for himself when it comes to the title.
To that end, the American lightweight wants to get the momentum going. Dawson’s lone blemish was a 33-second knockout defeat to Bobby Green in an APEX headliner in October 2023. After that, he is 2-0. Dawson even fought on the same card as Islam Makhachev’s third title defense, at UFC 302 PPV. Subsequently, he sees some holes in the champion’s game.
UFC lightweight star finds Islam Makhachev’s greatest weakness in his weight-cut issues
A 22-year-old Arman Tsarukyan gave Islam Makhachev a run for his money. The dominant Dagestani still logged a UD win, which was a tough pill to swallow. Tsarukyan is doing all the right things and even secured top contender spot with a hard battle over Charles Oliveira. Now, he’ll be looking to settle things in the UFC 311 PPV headliner.
UFC 311’s Grant Dawson has grand plans for Islam Makhachev and his natural bulk (Source: IG/boxemag.com)All Islam Makhachev has done before and after is just win and put on a fight 14-fight winning streak. Per DraftKings Sportbooks, he opened a big prop to win at -265 favorite to underdog Tsarukyan. However, some chose the improved “Ahalkalakets” to win it given how good he was in 2019. Team ATT’s lightweight peer Grant Dawson though, has other ideas about the champion folly.
I think he cuts too much weight, I don’t think he cuts weight the proper way. He is still amazing. I definitely think the biggest thing is staying off the cage and being able to wrestle with him and wrestle first…
Grant Dawson further said to Inside Fighting’s Mike Owens (@inside.fighting)
Grant Dawson thought he’s found the biggest chink in Islam Makhachev’s armor – and it’s his natural hydration. The champion walks around at 190lbs away from camp and is eyeing a move to welterweight. His last camp, arguably, also had problems. However, that can be accredited to a hush-hush staph.
Dawson also touted he feels pretty confident matching up to the champion. The lightweight is eyeing ranked opponents or even title cracks after his TKO win at UFC Fight Night 244. The ATT gym fighter also had two camps with challengers gunning for Makhachev’s gold and is hydrating at championship weight. Should he secure a takedown and get Makhachev to the ground, Dawson promises unique things.
Stay Updated!
Join our newsletter to receive exclusive updates and curated insights directly to your inbox.
