Grant Dawson 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 Damir Ismagulov (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.
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.
