Tag: Grant Dawson

Grant Dawson rips UFC on ESPN+ 27 opponent Darrick Minner: ‘He doesn’t belong here’

Grant Dawson on his opponent: “He doesn’t belong here with me. He doesn’t belong here with any of these guys.”

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – UFC featherweight [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]’s year is off to a roller-coaster start.

Originally scheduled to compete against Chas Skelly at UFC 246 in January, Dawson (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was removed from the card during fight week by the Nevada Athletic Commission.

Despite the commission’s move, Dawson was rebooked to compete against Skelly at UFC on ESPN+ 27.

While Dawson waited for his NAC hearing, Skelly pulled out of the matchup due to injury. Ten days prior to his fight date, Dawson reached an agreement with the NAC, in which the commission would test him a minimum of two times per month through June.

One day after the deal was reached, [autotag]Darrick Minner[/autotag] stepped in as Dawson’s next opponent. The lead up to Saturday has been a wild ride for Dawson, but he’s taking it in stride.

“I really feel like it’d be weird if I went through a camp where something weird didn’t happen,” Dawson told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “I’m used to it by now. I’m good at calling audibles. I’ll be here on fight night, ready to fight. Life happens. Sometimes things in life happen that you don’t want to deal with that isn’t your fault. You’ve got to roll with the punches. We’re here. We’re ready to fight. I can’t wait for Saturday night.”

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Despite being a new face to many fans, Minner (24-10 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is a fighter Dawson knows. The two combatants are both originally from Nebraska and have previously competed on the same card. Dawson said he isn’t impressed by his opponent and even went as far as to say he’s not UFC caliber.

“He posted the other day saying he’s where he belongs,” Dawson said. “He doesn’t belong here. He doesn’t belong here with me. He doesn’t belong here with any of these guys. This is the top pinnacle of the sport, and he’s going to find out real quick what the level difference is.

“Every time he’s given a big opportunity, he comes up short. He came up short (in) LFA. He came up short on the Contender Series. Saturday night, he’s going to come up short again.”

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The difference in their skills lies in the duration of their attack, Dawson said. Dawson sees Minner as being a fighter who finds success in the first two minutes of the fight. After that, Dawson said it’s his fight to lose.

“I’m dangerous through 15 (minutes),” Dawson said. “I think he’s dangerous through two (minutes). He’s going to come out hot. He’s going to come out ready, but I’m ready for it. I think I’m going to shut him down and he’s going to realize what a big level difference this is.”

UFC on ESPN+ 27 takes place Saturday at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va. The card streams on ESPN+. Hear more from Dawson in the video above.

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UFC on ESPN+ 27: Make your predictions for Joseph Benavidez vs. Deiveson Figueiredo in Norfolk

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 27 event in Norfolk, Va.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 27 event in Norfolk, Va.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN+ 27 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN+ 27 takes place Saturday at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va. The card streams on ESPN+.

Make your picks for all six main card fights inside:

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Chas Skelly says he’s out of UFC on ESPN+ 27, fight vs. Grant Dawson canceled again

The rescheduled bout Chas Skelly and Grant Dawson won’t happen after all.

The rescheduled bout [autotag]Chas Skelly[/autotag] and [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] won’t be happening after all.

According to an Instagram post by Skelly (18-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) on Thursday, the featherweight fighter has withdrawn from his UFC on ESPN+ 27 fight against Dawson (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC).

“It kills me to say this, but I took an injury while rolling on Tuesday night, and will no longer be fighting February 29th in Norfolk, Va,” Skelly wrote. I’ve been preparing for this fight for what seems like 2 whole fight camps. My mind and body were ready to go, but I guess it just wasn’t in the cards this time.”

Skelly went on to express his uncertainty what the future holds – and if fighting will even be in that future at all.

“I’m not positive what the next step in my career/life, but for now I will focus on getting healthy. (hopefully without surgery) My mind tells me I have a lot of great fight left, but my body fails to see the light at the end of the tunnel, unfortunately.”

Skelly and Dawson were originally slated to square off at UFC 246 in January. However, days prior to their scheduled showdown in Las Vegas, Dawson withdrew from the bout due to an unclear drug testing-related issue. The fight was rebooked for UFC on ESPN+ 27 days later.

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UFC on ESPN+ 27 takes place Feb. 29 at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va. The card will stream on ESPN+.

The latest UFC on ESPN+ 27 lineup now includes:

  • Joseph Benavidez vs. Deiveson Figueiredo – for vacant flyweight title
  • Megan Anderson vs. Norma Dumont
  • Zarah Fairn vs. Felicia Spencer
  • Kyler Phillips vs. Gabriel Silva
  • Brendan Allen vs. Tom Breese
  • Sean Brady vs. Ismail Naurdiev
  • Spike Carlyle vs. Aalon Cruz
  • T.J. Brown vs. Jordan Griffin
  • Alex Munoz vs. Luis Pena
  • Giga Chikadze vs. Mike Davis
  • TJ Brown vs. Jordan Griffin
  • Serghei Spivac vs. Marcin Tybura
  • Grant Dawson vs. TBA

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Why did Grant Dawson ask for Chas Skelly at UFC 246? ‘Easy money’

“I’m just going to keep smashing my elbow into his face until he gets up.”

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] says he requested to fight [autotag]Chas Skelly[/autotag].

His wish was granted when the two featherweights were booked to fight at UFC 246.

Dawson (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) said he keeps a close eye on all of his 145-pound counterparts. After he saw Skelly (18-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) defeat Jordan Griffin at UFC on ESPN+ 16 in September, he knew whom he wanted to fight next.

“I watch a lot of film on everybody in my division,” Dawson told MMA Junkie. “After his fight with Jordan Griffin, I knew that was the fight we (wanted). We actually asked for this fight. They gave it to us, and now I’m going to go in and show why we wanted it.”

But why, exactly, did he want Skelly? What did Dawson see in the Texan’s recent performances that made him crave the matchup?

“Easy money, that’s why,” Dawson said. “I feel like Chas is a lesser version of myself. I feel like he has a lot of fights in the UFC, but everybody that he beat is no longer in the UFC. Everybody he’s lost to has really just blown him out of the water. This is a great fight for me to show what I can do.”

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Dawson has boosted his drive and motivation by setting yearly goals. Entering 2020, he’s already mapped out where he hopes to be this year, next year and even 2022.

“My goal for the end of 2020 is to be ranked in the top 15,” Dawson said. “My goal for 2021 is to be in the top five. My goal for 2022 is to be the world champion. I’ve got everything laid out. There’s going to be bumps and bruises along the way, but it’s going to go my way. I’m going to break through with a great year in 2020, and then it’s just going to be uphill from there.”

Dawson thinks fans are in for a treat when he steps into the cage to fight Skelly. Pressure will be a major part of his strategy, and his prediction is a late submission.

“I think he’s tough,” Dawson said. “I think he’ll definitely hang around, but I do see myself making him quit. Close to that third round, I think I’m going to get that submission.

“You’re going to see constant pressure. A lot of people don’t like to pressure him because of his wrestling. I’m not afraid of his wrestling. He’s going to try to outwrestle me and I’m going to try outfight him. I’m going to come forward. I’m going to push a hard pace. I’m just going to keep smashing my elbow into his face until he gets up.”

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UFC 246 takes place Jan. 18 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

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Prospect watch: Who are the fighters to look out for at UFC 246?

Check out Maycee Barber, Sodiq Yusuff and four more young prospects who are fighting at UFC 246 in Las Vegas later this month.

UFC 246 may be a top-heavy card, but it’s not short of potential future stars.

The night will be headlined by former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who takes on [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-13 MMA, 23-10 UFC) in a welterweight bout.

In the co-main event, former UFC bantamweight champ [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) will rematch [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC), a bout that was rescheduled from UFC 243 due to an injury suffered by Holm. Their first meeting took place at UFC 184, where Holm edged out Pennington by split decision to make good on her UFC debut.

The card also features an array of young and bright talent, varying from Dana White’s Contender Series veterans to European talent.

Here are six prospects to look out for  Jan. 18:

Maycee Barber

Hailed as “The Future,” [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] has lived up to her moniker so far. The Dana White’s Contender Series veteran is off to an undefeated start in her pro MMA career, and at only 21 has goals of becoming the youngest champion in UFC history.

Barber (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) started her UFC tenure at strawweight, where she picked up a third-round finish over Jamie Colleen to earn a UFC contract. She followed that up with a second-round finish over Hannah Cifers in her official UFC debut in November 2018.

She then decided to make the move up to flyweight since she thought the cut down to 115 pounds was detrimental to her body. Her success continued: She was able to score two more finishes over J.J. Aldrich and Gillian Robertson.

Up next is her stiffest test to date: a matchup against former UFC flyweight title challenger Roxanne Modafferi, 16 years her senior. She may be entering the fight as a heavy favorite, but there’s a lot of upside on the young Barber, who could propel herself one step closer to title contention, with a win on Jan. 18.

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UFC 246’s 13-bout lineup finalized with Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone headliner

Check out the finalized lineup and broadcast plans for UFC 246, which takes place Jan. 18 in Las Vegas.

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The UFC will kick off 2020 with the long-awaited return of arguably its most bankable fighter.

UFC 246 takes place Jan. 18 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

The main event features a welterweight bout between former dual-division champion [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and former lightweight title challenger [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-13 MMA, 23-10 UFC).

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In the co-main event, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) will take on [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in a rematch from a 2015 bout in which Holm edged out Pennington in her UFC debut. The rematch originally was scheduled to take place at UFC 243 in October, but Holm was forced out due to a hamstring injury.

Also on the card is former UFC lightweight champ [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag], Dana White’s Contender Series standouts [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] and [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag], and more.

The full UFC 246 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone
  • Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington
  • [autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Claudia Gadelha[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] vs. Anthony Pettis

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Maycee Barber vs. [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag] vs. Sodiq Yusuff
  • [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Chas Skelly[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)

  • [autotag]Aleksa Camur[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Ledet[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]
  • [autotag]J.J. Aldrich[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sabina Mazo[/autotag]

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