[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] utilized a strong ground game Saturday en route to arguably the biggest win of his professional career.
In the UFC on ESPN 47 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Dawson (20-1-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC) took on fellow lightweight contender [autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag] (24-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC), who he dominated and defeated by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27).
For the vast majority of the 15-minute bout, Dawson completely controlled Ismagulov on the ground. Dawson spent a lot of time with control of Ismagulov’s back but was unable to lock in a submission.
Dawson took Ismagulov down three times throughout the fight as he chose to place his opponent down in the center of the cage rather than against it.
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After the fight, Dawson requested either a big name or a big-ranked opponent for his next matchup. Dawson has not lost in a dozen appearances. Other notable wins include Mark Madsen and Jared Gordon.
Ismagulov, who had publicly contemplated retirement in recent months, has lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his pro career.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 47 results include:
- Grant Dawson def. Damir Ismagulov via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
- Michael Morales def. Max Griffin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Ariane Lipski def. Melissa Gatto via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
- Benoit Saint-Denis def. Ismael Bonfim via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:48
- Nursulton Ruziboev def. Brunno Ferreira via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:17
- Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Kevin Lee via technical submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:55
- Joanderson Brito def. Westin Wilson via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:54
- Karol Rosa def. Yana Santos via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Elves Brener def. Guram Kutateladze via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:17
- Luana Carolina def. Ivana Petrovic via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Alexandr Romanov def. Blagoy Ivanov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 47.