Grant Dawson

Overview

Seven UFC finishes, and not one of them came in the first round. Grant Dawson is a Lightweight who gets there late, not early. His UFC record is 13-2-1, and both losses came by first-round KO/TKO.

The grappling numbers carry the profile: far better than the UFC average in takedowns, takedown defense and submission attempts. Five of his UFC wins are submissions. Six more went to the scorecards.

UFC Career

Dawson's pro career runs through Dana White's Contender Series, where he beat Adrian Diaz by submission in round 2 (1:15) in August 2017. That fight sits outside the UFC record. His UFC debut came in March 2019, a unanimous decision over Julian Erosa.

Two second-round submissions followed, of Michael Trizano and Darrick Minner, and a decision over Nad Narimani made it four straight UFC wins. Then came Leonardo Santos, a KO/TKO in round 3 at 4:59, which stretched the run to five. One second from a decision.

The streak ended in a majority-decision draw with Ricky Glenn in October 2021. Dawson answered with two submissions in round 3, over Jared Gordon and Mark Madsen, and a decision over Damir Ismagulov.

Then King Green. Dawson headlined that card in October 2023 and was stopped 33 seconds into round 1. He rebuilt with a decision over Joe Solecki, a round-2 KO/TKO of Rafa Garcia, and a decision over Diego Ferreira, whom our model rates a strong opponent.

The second loss came in December 2025: a round-1 KO/TKO against Manuel Torres, another strong opponent, at 2:25. He has since beaten Mateusz Rębecki by submission in round 3 (4:42) and Nurullo Aliev, a strong opponent, by decision. He carries a two-fight win streak into his next fight.

Both losses were fast. Everything else has been a grind.

Fighting Style

Dawson is a grappling-first fighter who hunts for submissions. He shoots for takedowns often, gets them, and is very hard to take down himself. On the feet, his volume is about the UFC average, and he is more accurate than most, though his defense there is a weak point.

He rarely takes much damage overall. That fits a fighter who spends much of his time controlling opponents rather than trading.

The finish pattern matches the style. Every one of his seven UFC finishes came in round 2 or 3: five submissions (three in round 3, two in round 2) and two KO/TKOs (one each in rounds 2 and 3). He has no first-round finishes.

The weak spot is early exposure. Both UFC losses ended in the first round, both by KO/TKO.

Notable Wins

• Jared Gordon — submission, round 3 (4:11), UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Vera (2022)
• Leonardo Santos — KO/TKO, round 3 (4:59), UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Holland (2021)
• Diego Ferreira — unanimous decision, UFC 311 (2025)
• Mateusz Rębecki — submission, round 3 (4:42), UFC 328 (2026)

Quick Facts

• Division: Lightweight
• UFC record: 13-2-1
• Professional record (all promotions): 25-3-1
• UFC debut: 2019 (after a 2017 Contender Series win)
• UFC wins by method: 5 submission, 2 KO/TKO, 6 decision
• Longest UFC win streak: 5
• Reach: 72", height: 5'10"
• Team: American Top Team
• Born: Cambria, WI, United States