Athletes
Grant Dawson Has Unwavering Confidence
Despite A Setback Last Time Out, Grant Dawson Brushed Himself Off And Is Ready To Bounce Back In A Big Way At UFC 302: Makhachev vs Poirier
A Division I soccer goalkeeper told me once that when you have a bad day on the pitch, the only reaction should be, “next play.”
In other words, what’s done is done. Move on. And that’s just what Grant Dawson did after his knockout loss to Bobby Green last October.
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“It's definitely not something I want to replicate again, but I understand how good everybody is in this sport, and I understand that you can't be a hundred percent every single day,” Dawson said. “You fight long enough, you're going to get got. I got got. I'm good with it. It wasn't a great thing, but I understand the game and I'm moving on. I'm learning from it. I'm trying to get better, and I can't wait to get back into the cage to show people how much better I've gotten.”
Saturday night, he has his chance when he faces New Jersey native Joe Solecki at Prudential Center in Newark. It’s not always the ideal scenario, to be the bad guy facing the local hero, but Dawson’s never been worried about such matters. He’s concerned with his fight, his performance, and nothing else. And while he isn’t happy about having to relive his last outing, the bright side of it is that he didn’t take a three-round thrashing en route to his first defeat since 2016. It was quick, he got caught, and he left it in the past.
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“Losing's losing, and people can be like, ‘Yeah, I'd rather lose an exciting fight than win a boring fight.’ Those guys can go f**k themselves. (Laughs) I'm trying to win. That's it. So if I do lose, I'd rather lose in the first 30 seconds, take zero damage and be back in the gym the next day rather than, oh man, I lost a split decision, my elbow's banged up, my neck hurts, my leg hurts, I’ve got to do six months of physical therapy. Losing is losing, and it sucks no matter what. And I'd rather lose to a guy that I know I'm better than, than fight a guy that I just had no chance to beat, because where do you go from there? Look, I got caught. It's cool. No problem. He was better than me that night. But I don't think Bobby Green is a better fighter than me. I just think he was better than me that night. But if I fought somebody that just absolutely destroyed me for 25 minutes and I could not do anything against them, what do you do after that? Where do you go? How do you fix that?”
That’s a tough ask. So while some ponder the future and the universe after a loss, Dawson has already made it work for him, because he’s got a plan to erase that memory once and for all.
“Of course, Joe Solecki is number one on my mind, but after Joe Solecki, my game plan is to call out Jalin Turner, who just knocked out Bobby Green,” said Dawson. “I beat Jalin Turner, now it looks like, ‘Oh, Bobby Green just got lucky.’ I don't think Bobby Green got lucky. I think Bobby Green made a right decision at the right time and he caught me. I don't think that's luck. I think that's precision. But if you beat Jalin Turner, it makes it look like he got lucky.”
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The confidence is unwavering, the willingness to make bold statements untouched. It’s why people are excited about the future of the 30-year-old Wisconsin native. It’s not because he can fight, because everyone at this level can fight, but it’s due to his ability to handle everything outside the Octagon. That’s a gift, one Dawson acquired in an odd way in the theater program at school.
Grant Dawson Fight Week Interview | UFC 302
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Grant Dawson Fight Week Interview | UFC 302
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“I remember in one of my theater situations, it was like ancient Greece and the person that helped me put my robe on basically made my entire ass show during the thing,” he laughs. “And so I walked out there and just flashed my underwear to hundreds of people watching. I was so embarrassed and everybody was laughing. And I'm going to be completely honest with you - after that, you hit rock bottom, and it can't get much worse. So people actually want to know what I have to say now, and people actually listen to what I have to say. And the other thing, too, is it's a lot easier to be this confident and well-spoken in something that you are familiar with. If we did an interview and you were only going to ask me questions about algebra, I'm telling you right now, I would not be speaking this clear. I would not be handling it this well.”
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You and me both. Thankfully, we’re sticking to fighting, and it’s something Dawson knows better than most. And he’s willing to share that knowledge through TikTok with a new generation hoping to one day be where he’s at. That’s pretty unselfish.
“Well, for me, it circles back to being a little bit selfish,” Dawson admits. “I want this sport to grow. This sport saved my life, and not in the sense that I'd be selling drugs or on the streets if I didn't do MMA, but I would be working some job and hating my life. And just to be able to give back a little bit and help the sport grow and show these kids that it doesn't matter how you start, it doesn't matter what the circumstances of your life are, you can make it better. It might not be MMA. For me, it's MMA making my life better. But I want to tell another kid that came from that small family and small background that yes, you can. It's hard, but it's not difficult, if that makes sense. You’ve got to work hard, you’ve got to be smart about fights you take and your training schedule and what it is that you actually want to do, but it's really not that difficult.”
And when you suffer a setback, next play.
UFC 302: Makhachev vs Poirier took place live from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on June 1, 2024. See the Final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses, and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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