NEWARK, N.J. – Grant Dawson beat Joe Solecki with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 302 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Take a look inside the fight with Dawson, who got back in the win column on the heels of a knockout loss to Bobby Green in October, which was his first setback in more than seven years.
Grant Dawson def. Joe Solecki
Result: Grant Dawson def. Joe Solecki via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Updated records: Dawson (21-2-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC), Solecki (13-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC)
Key stats: It was an absolute takedown and control clinic for Dawson with three takedowns and nearly 14 minutes of control time in the 15-minute fight.
Dawson on the fight's key moment
“The flying knee was mainly to get him shooting first. We wanted to get him to engage the clinch and work. We were planning on doing a little bit more striking, but when I got in that first exchange and I took him down, it was so easy to take him down and we kind of had to make a quick change on the fly. If it’s going to be this easy to get the takedown, we have to take advantage of this.”
Dawson on the UFC's polarizing new gloves
“I really liked the gloves. They fit to your hand a lot better. My forearms weren’t as exhausted walking out. I actually really enjoyed them. It made grappling a little bit easier. I wish I’d been able to get to a position where I could have gone for a submission, because with the old gloves, it’s really hard to lock in submissions because it’s almost like you have a weird flat boxing glove on your hand. But I like the new ones a lot, actually.”
Dawson on what he wants next
“I want to get back into the top 15 by the end of this year. I would like to fight Jalin Turner. I don’t think Jalin Turner is going to want to fight me, especially after a performance like that. And I get it – put him up against an exciting striker. I completely understand that. As long as you don’t train at (American Top Team), you’re going to be OK. … He beat (Bobby Green), the guy that beat me, and there’s an easy way to get over Bobby without actually having to fight Bobby again – is beat the guy that beat him.”
To hear more from Dawson, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.
