what is going on junkie Nation Gorgeous
George our and goes are back with
another Superstar from the sport of
mixed martial arts UFC lightweight Grant
Dawson joins us here on the program he
is ranked number six in the USA Today
sports and MMA junkie rankings he’s
facing Bobby green at the fight night
coming up here October 7th welcome back
Grant how are you sir I’m good man
thanks for having me on all right uh
thank you for joining us so it’s the
Apex for you on the 7th and coming off
those big crowds in Paris
in Singapore
Australia even that T-Mobile was a fight
night here in Las Vegas for Noche UFC
back at the Apex you know how do you
feel about that you’re you’re at the top
you know you guys will get a lot of
shine but you know was part of you
watching fights recently kind of going
ah man a nice crowd would have been nice
big crowd
um I mean I would say I I go back and
forth on it honestly right now I’m just
considering considering myself this apex
predator because my last uh my last like
five have all been in the Apex I’ve Come
Away with wins in the Apex I’m very
comfortable in the Apex so uh it only
makes sense that my first main event is
going to be in the Apex but uh I I would
like to get in front of a crowd I’ll
tell you what though I was in Paris
with Thiago Moises when he fought uh
Benoit and that crowd was insane it was
so loud you you couldn’t coach you you
couldn’t yeah you couldn’t say we
couldn’t hear each other like it was it
was so crazy loud
it was absolutely insane and there was a
part of me that was like man I want to
feel this again in a fight but there’s
another part of me that was like man
this is crazy and I don’t know if I’d be
able to hear anything so I I go back and
forth on it
so what would you do if you were
presented with the choice would you
sacrifice to maybe hearing your coaches
but getting lifted by the crowd let’s
just say you had a choice and you had to
make it what would you do because you
had put in your time at the Apex
um it it really doesn’t matter to me if
we’re talking same opponent and I can
choose either you know it really doesn’t
matter to me if we’re going off of
purely just would I rather fight in the
Apex or in front of a crowd I’d rather
fight in the Apex
really wow yeah man yeah look look the
crowd is great I love it and and they
definitely have their place I’ll get
more followers fighting in front of a
crowd I’ll get more hyped up fighting in
front of a crowd but when you’re
fighting guys at this level being able
to hear your coach and being able to
have them coach you through things is
such a cheat code I I absolutely think
it’s a huge Advantage for me to fight in
the Apex
you’re 20 and one and one or something
like that like you kind of have this
dial down it’s not like you’re one one
and twenty
um what is it that you’re capturing from
the coaches because it looks like you’re
handling business perfectly
um I mean I think we go in with pretty
much the same game plan but each coach
brings something unique where you know
Mike has really been helping me not get
hit you know he’s helping me move my
feet set up my takedowns the way that I
need to set them up with with very
minimal risk to them and then and Alves
is just he’s getting my feet right he’s
getting my hands right he’s getting my
elbows right uh both coaches bring bring
absolute great stuff to my game and just
being able to hear them and and
reassuring me through the game plan and
and
um what should I say having them help me
adjust to the fly is such a big cheat
code
mm-hmm well you know what when you
explain it like that I side with you
because at the end of the day this is a
very difficult sport it’s very Cutthroat
one loss can send you tumbling down the
rankings and if you have something down
and it’s working then I suppose that is
uh that trumps the that great feeling
you might get from some sort of a
Coliseum type setting
um I wanted to ask you this grant Bobby
green he’s not ranked ahead of you but
he’s pretty damn popular he’s an OG he’s
been around for a long time is that kind
of like your type of match-up where
maybe you had to you had to uh go down
in the rankings but at the same time
this guy he like I say he brings a lot
to the table with his popularity his
style his name
yeah um rankings other than Champion
rankings are really just made up it it
really doesn’t matter uh we we just saw
at 125 a debut guy come in and fight the
top 10 in the world and and win so
rankings to me doesn’t make any
difference I’m not fighting backwards in
this fight I’m not fighting forward I’m
just fighting that’s what it is Islam
makashev uh got a title shot off of
beating Bobby green so anything can
happen in this sport Bobby green you
know if I’m not on my game and if I
don’t respect him like he deserves to be
respected I’m going to be looking up at
him off of my back getting woken up by
the by the referee I know how dangerous
he is I know how much experience he has
I know what a big following he has I am
ready for a very very competitive and a
very very strong fight I I don’t like it
when people are like oh you’re fighting
behind there is no fighting behind we’re
just fighting that’s it the only spot
that matters is who’s champion that is
really the only thing that matters
well I I guess I kind of partially
disagree I see a lot of Fighters really
take making their stance and digging
their heels that they only want to fight
up because they already fought back so I
don’t know if it has to do with just
getting getting them closer to the title
or if there’s something monetary about
it
um I mean you’re right it’s just a fight
and handling businesses the important
thing staying on win streaks but I do
see a lot of Fighters kind of taking
that stance and I guess that’s why I
asked but I’m even more curious about
something else who was the 125er that
just beat a ranked guy
I can’t remember his name
um
are you thinking about Felipe del Santos
who gave a hell of a fight to Manila cop
no no no no this one
L do you know who I’m talking about that
you know you know what I mean though
right he’s he looked like um
ursic is his last name and and he came
in on short notice and fought who did he
fight do you remember
sure maybe it was top 15 maybe it wasn’t
tough
Steve ursic
number yeah that’s right Steve Steve
ursic fought David gorak or however you
say his name again Dvorak and won a
decision against him and now he’s in the
rankings right
that
and now he’s fighting Matt Chanel so
like that that’s what I mean where it’s
like if if Bobby beats me he’s number 10
in the world
you know that there’s there’s no there
is no fighting backwards in my opinion I
do see what you’re saying though where
guys are like I want to fight forward so
I can fight for the title
it’s just fighting to me well that’s a
good attitude to have because a lot of
them I think they dig their heels in
they take their stance and the next
thing you know they’re getting passed
over and the sword just moves on like
you you know I’m sure you know this and
sometimes you just have to take these
opportunities you’ll reach a point at
some point where you do have leverage
usually that comes when you’re like a
contender or a champion but heck you
even see the Champions going through
this aljo is begging for an immediate
rematch you know Israel he wants one too
but might he get it might he not I don’t
know it’s up to the brass and that part
can be very very frustrating I’m sure
for Fighters for fans
um another big thing about it too is
I’ve been in a situation before where I
fought Mark Madsen and then it was a
nine month layoff in between fights and
I was begging for a fight I was I was
asking right that was like last November
after you had gotten married right you
got to married a week after yeah yeah I
got I got married on the 20th I fought
him on the fifth and then on the 21st
literally on the plane I texted my
manager I was like look let’s let’s find
a fight man like let’s get this going I
want to win and then go on our honeymoon
and it was nine months later and so I
just fought damir they offered me a main
event spot for way more money like
there’s no way I’m turning down a fight
like this I don’t care if it’s in front
of me behind me left to me up to me like
I’m fighting I’m gonna take the fight
I’m gonna I’m gonna take this main event
take this opportunity I I absolutely
love the situation that I’m in right now
all right let me turn it over to goes
goes what do you have for Grant Dawson
who’s got that big fight coming up
against Bobby green on October 7th UFC
Fight Night here in Vegas Grant so a
fighter like Bobby green that can throw
from so many different angles still with
power how do you prepare for somebody
like that is that a thing where you
bring somebody in and try and mimic that
style I know you mentioned Mike Brown
and what he’s trying to do with you to
not get hit as much how do you approach
a guy that’s so unconventional
um I think we I think we have guys that
can mimic him uh I I do think it’s a
little bit more awkward and you’re never
gonna quite get the exact replica of
what you’re trying to get but I think we
have a couple of guys that that do a
really good job mimicking him mimicking
him uh one of my very close friends
Dakota bush has has been up here for
this whole Camp
um has been been helping me get ready
and he’s he’s a world-class training
partner because he’s somebody that can
go really really hard and you’re never
worried about him hurting you he can
mimic guys really well he’s fighting
with his hands down and and still not
getting hit well so I I think we got the
guys that can mimic him you’re never
gonna get it spot on and I think a big
part of it is just knowing who I am and
knowing what my game plan is going to be
and knowing that he can bring in as many
wrestlers as he wants they’re not the
same as me you know uh it’s really hard
to mimic what I’m doing on top because
until you feel what I’m doing on top
it’s so hard to understand what’s
actually going on
I’m gonna use a basketball analogy for
this next question when you would play
one-on-one with a buddy at first you’re
pretty technical
and then somehow you just kind of end up
playing off of what your other friend is
playing and sometimes it just becomes
fun just Hawking up threes driving to
the basket you know just just doing
whatever
um do you ever have any concern again
bringing up my brown and him trying to
dial things into if the if it’s not a
huge crowd but there are people there
people start cheering fight of the night
do you ever get concerned getting
wrapped up into the way Bobby green
fights and maybe giving back some of
what he’s given to you
no not really uh I know how I fight I
know what my game plan is and I’m very
very uh disciplined when it comes to the
game plan I’m very good at sticking to
the game plan I’m very good at adjusting
on the Fly while also making sure those
adjustments fit into the game plan now
if if Bobby can stuff every single one
of my takedowns I might have to bite
down on my mouthpiece put my hands up
and and start swinging leather because
at the end of the day I want to win I
don’t care if it’s by submission by
knockout or even by decision striking
the whole time I want to win and we do
have a fallback plan if I can’t get the
takedown but he’s got to show me first
that he’s going to be able to stuff a
hundred takedowns in the next 25 minutes
I know Bobby likes to talk in the middle
of the fight uh what do you think of
that does that pull out a different gear
out of you is it annoying what what do
you think how do you think you’ll react
to that
um I I was actually just talking about
this uh this morning I I really don’t
think it’s gonna bug me I really don’t
think that it’s gonna get under my skin
I know that Bobby is a nice guy I know
that Bobby’s a good dude
um I’ve got a couple of stories about me
and Bobby so I I know that he’s a good
guy I know he’s trying to get into my
head and sell the fight and that’s just
how he fights so I don’t really take it
personally I don’t think that he’s you
know malicious about the things he’s
saying I think he’s just trying to
he’s trying to create a strategy just
the same as if somebody’s trying to jab
me in the face I’m more worried about
him hitting me than hurting my feelings
can you share one of them stories
uh I’ve got two of them actually but uh
the first one and the the bigger one
that I know Bobby is a good guy
when I was in high school my favorite
thing to watch other than UFC was uh
Bully Beatdown with Jason Mayhem Miller
and I was this high school kid all I
wanted to be when I grew up was a was a
UFC fighter and I messaged every single
uh fighter on the uh on the show bully
beat down and asked them I just I had to
know is this show real or is it fake I
messaged every single one of them and
the only fighter that messaged me back
was Bobby green Bobby green messaged me
back told me that it was real I don’t
know if maybe he was lying but told me
it was real told me that it was a whole
lot of fun and he got to beat up some uh
some bully high schooler on on this show
and then said something along the lines
of of you know keep following your
dreams kid you’re gonna be you’re gonna
be a UFC fighter someday of course he
had no idea who I was he was just being
nice I know Bobby green is a good person
I know he’s a good guy all of that talk
is just to make more money and I’m all
for it make all the money you can man I
hope he made 10 million dollars in his
lifetime
I’m glad I asked that question that’s a
cool story I totally forgot about that
show yeah
yeah I wish it was still around that
show was awesome man like to be able a
bunch of UFC fighters getting to go in
and beat up a bunch of high schooler
jerks
I remember some did look like they could
be fake but some look like they just
needed a good ass whooping but I really
like that show yeah I totally forgot
about it I can’t believe that as soon as
he said it I was like oh yeah that’s
right now who are some of the ones that
you wrote that didn’t answer that I just
because I can’t remember who was on
honestly uh Eddie Alvarez was on one of
them I messaged Jason uh Mayhem Miller
he was the host but he also did one of
the one of the shows uh I messaged uh
who who was the other one uh Tyrone
Woodley was on it
um
uh Michelle Waterson was on it although
I did not message her because I was in
high school and afraid of women so uh
there was one more big one that I I
absolutely loved and I said of the
Alvarez there’s one more big one that I
messaged and I was really hoping he
messaged me back but he didn’t
who was it
I can’t remember I can’t remember who
the other the other biggest name was but
uh yeah there was quite a few of them
and I messaged a lot of them this story
was so good I’m just gonna go for it can
you tell us the other story is this one
was a good one can you match it
oh it’s nothing like it’s nothing it’s
saying we have the same manager and
after my fight with I believe
I think it was Jared Gordon
um
I think it was Jared Gordon we were on
the same card I believe and and he came
in or maybe he was there he came into
the hotel room and had some pizza with
us and he was just super nice and and
very respectful so like not as nearly as
cool of a story I just I know the dude’s
a good guy I know he is I know he’s
going to try to sell the fight I know
he’s gonna try to get in my head but
and I know he’s a good guy
he ain’t fooling me
all right
um well you’re right the first story was
better no I’m just kidding um but it
also bought me some time because I’m a
multitasker Grand Dawson so check this
out I looked up Bully Me Down
they had John McCarthy
Jake Shields John Murphy Michael
Westbrook any of those ring Connor Hume
uh Andre Arlovski Quinn mulhern Ricky
legere Jeremy Horn
and Joe Riggs any of those Daniel
Cormier
Jeremy Jeremy Horn okay
um I forgot Jeremy was on there
foreign
says Darren cruxshank as well that was
the last one all right
bunch of Divas there Alvarez and Woodley
and the rest of them they don’t answer
their fans but Bobby green did no yeah
he was such a big deal when I was a kid
yeah
um grant let me ask you one more and
then we’ll let you go here uh you’re
number 10 in the UFC lightweight
rankings that makes me sick to my
stomach
I just told you that at USA Today sports
you’re number six do you agree with six
does that sound about right you want me
to name off the other ones and then you
tell me if that makes sense or if I’m
crazy because I have something to do
with them you ready
yeah I mean I have I have it memorized
but yeah go ahead Islam Maca chef
Charles Oliveira no he
Justin gaichi
Dustin Poirier Daniel Darius and number
six is Grant Dawson behind you is Rafael
fizzieff at number seven does those
sound about right
yeah I mean I like I said dude I I think
that the the rankings are kind of a skew
you could say
um I I do think that there are some guy
like like Michael Chandler Michael
Chandler’s two and four in the UFC I
believe or maybe two and three mm-hmm uh
so but he’s fighting good guys like I I
understand it I understand it I fought
you know I fought good guys that don’t
have the hype that these other guys have
I actually think that I will get ranked
higher beating Bobby green than I will
for beating like damir is magulov
because he’s just he’s such a big fan
he’s a fan favorite he’s a veteran he’s
been in the top 15 for years I do think
a big impressive win over him might push
me to to nine maybe even eight
um after Bobby green obviously I’m only
focused on Bobby green but after Bobby
green we’re looking to fight against Dan
hooker assuming everything goes well and
I think that will be one of my breakout
performances
and I don’t think you should be behind
hooker in the UFC rankings either I do I
do agree with that one because we both
we both fought in the same like 30 days
ish and he went to a split decision
against his guy and I went to a
unanimous 30-26 fight again the mayor so
I I do agree with you that I should be a
ranked above hooker your overall record
is very impressive your UFC record is
very impressive and you have a streak
going and that’s the other thing is you
don’t lose rounds too often you thump
people pretty damn good and and I would
honestly say that I don’t think physiov
gone wrong or sarukian should be ahead
of you all of them have taken an l in
the past couple years at some point
which you haven’t so I would even you
know like I say make an argument that
you should be ahead of them because your
record’s either just as impressive or
more impressive than theirs as well I
don’t understand what it is that they
may have on you honestly
um but I’m very passionate about
rankings and that’s why when I see it
and Fighters want to chat a little bit
about it I’ll bring it up
the rankings man you just you’re all
about the rankings what’s the worst
weight class what’s the worst weight
class rank wise do you think
like that just makes no sense why he’s
here they they’s there what’s the word
do you see yeah
uh I don’t let me see I don’t look at
them too often but uh just in looking at
them right now I would say what’s
glaring is
hmm I want to say Bobby green this might
have happened to him every now and again
in the UFC rankings they’ll have one guy
ranked back to back where the guy below
just beat the guy ahead of him which
makes no sense at all like I don’t know
how you can come to that conclusion you
want to know that one that doesn’t make
any sense to me is when some okay just
just for example this was a long time
ago uh Dustin b con or what was it
Connor beat somebody or lost to somebody
and was ranked higher than him in pound
for pound but lower than him in in uh
their actual weight class and the pound
for pound list makes zero sense to me I
can’t remember who he fought but he he
was lower than somebody in his own
weight class and then higher than him on
the pound for pound list made no sense
to me at all I think what it usually has
to do with that is in pound for pound
you are giving them a little bit more
credit if they’ve tested themselves at a
division higher or even if they’ve had a
successful run below and so you tend to
give them a little bit of credit for
that
um but yeah I mean it’s sometimes it can
be two different things uh all together
it all depends on you know who it is and
what kind of successes either one of
them have had in fact we just recently
had something like that um Strickland
you know a lot of people forget he was
actually a pretty damn good welterweight
like he had an impressive record as a
welterweight before moving up the
middleweight and then he technically won
one fight last year as a light
heavyweight because he took a light late
notice so he’s succeeding in three
different weight classes and so now he
takes away Israel out of Sonya and beats
him and I usually don’t like to
overreact uh granted he mauled him for
five for five rounds and he’s tested
himself in different divisions whereas
Israel kind of went up one time and was
unsuccessful against lahovich but
usually I don’t like to just if somebody
comes out of nowhere and you beat an
incumbent it doesn’t mean you have to
all you have to reflect them in the
pound per pound but definitely within
your weight class if Strickland’s a
champ he should be number one no matter
what right um but in pound for pounds
sometimes there’s a little bit of a
different type of leniency it all
depends on how busy pound for pound is
more like what your legacy is
Legacy then how good are you as a
fighter right now yep and those guys are
all they’re all fighting the top
fighters in the world so you know
there’s something to a quality win and a
quality loss who are you losing to you
know what I mean if you’re if you lost
to the number one and you’re the number
two it’s hard to really say you need to
Tumble down the rankings yeah no I agree
with that I agree with that pound for
pound though is the most like opinionary
uh uh rankings because like at least in
the same weight class I think this guy
will win and this is why I think he’ll
win because he does this this and this
and this guy struggles with this this
and this but then you go like you got
Henry sahuto just just for example Henry
sahuto’s number two pound per pound and
Francis sangano’s number five pound per
pound and it’s like dude Francis would
step on Henry sahuto and squish him like
a bug you know just that’s it’s all just
opinion uh in the pound for pound list
yeah
um another Dana White Contender series
uh fighter folks is making noise Grant
Dawson here who’s gonna be fighting
Bobby green and uh Grant I would just
say this I’ve loved everything I heard
today man this was really really cool
hearing you talk about your corner
connecting with them and everything but
I’m telling you I I think unless you
think you still need more work to do you
beat Bobby green I don’t see why you
shouldn’t be shouting the guys at the
top it sounded like you’re willing to
take Dan hooker and that’s a good fight
but I think you’ve already you know
you’re you’re at fight number three guy
number two guy or something something
right before the title or or whatever
but uh what I don’t want you to do is I
don’t want you to get Tony Ferguson he
won 12 in a row and didn’t get that
title didn’t get that title shot one was
his fault because he hurt himself but
Rafaela son so another American top team
guy an affiliate of you guys he won like
eight in a row you know vanille he won
like eight in a row and sometimes if you
get too caught up in that you know
um you know I I just I see I see a
championship resume here in front of me
so hopefully you’ll start campaigning
for that soon
yeah man that that is the goal the end
goal is to be a world champion
um my my only concern is the top level
guys they don’t really like fighting
outside of the outside of their their
own little pool uh my teammate Armand
sarukian is having trouble finding
finding a fight up in that in that area
too so I think staying active is the
most important thing and then this right
under that is fighting the right guys to
get me to that title shot but if it
comes down to waiting for a fight the
the right high level fight or staying
active I think staying active for me is
better okay yeah well like you said Maca
Chef is pretty much pretty much got to
where he’s at along the same ways of of
the route you’re taking if it’s green
and hooker next that’s what got under
the title shot and then he capitalized
when it was his time I I completely
agree as long as I keep winning I don’t
think that they’ll they’ll be able to
deny me much longer I think that by the
end of 2025 we will have a new champion
and his name will be Grant Austin
that’s what’s up thanks grant for the
time
thank you guys I can’t wait to get this
fight going I can’t wait to get this uh
this huge huge win for me and and and
shoot myself up to the top of the
rankings there you go all right take
care everybody thanks guys
