Grant Dawson spoke to the media on Saturday following his unanimous decision victory against Nurullo Aliev at UFC 333.
Surviving the Early Onslaught
Dawson secured the victory on the preliminary card at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, bringing his record to 25-3-1 overall and 13-2-1 in the UFC, while handing Aliev his first professional loss and dropping his opponent to 12-1 overall and 4-1 in the organization. Despite enduring a difficult opening round in hostile territory, Dawson mounted a strong comeback in the second and third frames to secure the judges’ nod.
All three judges scored the first round in favor of Aliev. However, a point deduction against Aliev for illegal strikes to the back of the head resulted in final scorecards of 29-27 across the board rather than 29-28.
Post-Fight Reflections
Addressing the media after the bout, Dawson praised his opponent’s capabilities and acknowledged that the challenging start to the fight unfolded exactly as his team had anticipated.
“He’s a tough kid – very tough kid. He’s going to have a very bright future. There’s going to come a Saturday where he’s a better fighter than me. He’s young. He’s going to grow. He just wasn’t better than me this Saturday, and that’s what counts (to me),” Dawson stated.
“We knew he was going to come out strong. We knew he was going to come out super mean, super strong and try to put me away early. Weathering that storm – I expected to lose the first round. I think I did. That’s exactly what we thought was going to happen. I was hoping to get him out of there, but he’s so good. He’s so explosive, you’ve got to stay safe with him,” Dawson added.
