Grant Dawson

Aliev started fast and had Dawson in trouble in the first half of the opening round, but the action was paused and Aliev was deducted a point for strikes to the back of the head. From there Dawson was the more effective fighter, striking well through the rest of the first and leaning on his grappling over the final two rounds. All three judges scored it 29-27.

Key moments

• Aliev lost a point for strikes to the back of the head, which stalled his fast start.
• Dawson used his grappling to neutralise Aliev over the second and third rounds.

Dawson used his usual wrestling pressure to wear Garcia down and then found the finish from top position in round two. The stoppage showed that his control game can still produce damage quickly once opponents are trapped underneath him.

Key moments

• Stopped Rafa Garcia with elbows and punches at 1:42 of round two.
• The finish came after Dawson had already established top pressure and pace.
• It gave Dawson back-to-back wins after the Bobby Green setback.

Dawson won a grappler-versus-grappler matchup by dictating every phase that mattered more consistently than Solecki. The fight reinforced how hard he is to shake once he is allowed to stack long control sequences together.

Key moments

• Beat Joe Solecki by unanimous decision at UFC 302 in Newark.
• Dawson logged more than thirteen minutes of control time.
• The result was his first win after the 33-second Bobby Green knockout.

Dawson put on one of his cleanest UFC performances against Ismagulov, turning a respected striker into a largely defensive wrestler for three rounds.

Key moments

• Dawson beat Damir Ismagulov by unanimous scores of 30-26, 30-27, and 30-27.
• He piled up more than twelve minutes of control time over the three rounds.
• The win pushed Dawson into his first UFC main event later that year.

Trizano made Dawson work far harder than the result line suggests, defending early takedowns and forcing him to adjust after a difficult opening stretch.

Key moments

• Dawson submitted Michael Trizano with a rear-naked choke at 2:27 of round two.
• The victory earned Dawson a Performance of the Night bonus.
• It was Dawson's first finish inside the UFC Octagon.

Dawson's Titan FC appearance ended the same way many of his early regional fights did: with sustained offense that eventually broke his opponent. He pushed Washington into the second round and closed with punches for another stoppage on a bigger regional stage.

Key moments

• Dawson stopped Robert Washington with punches at 2:08 of round two.
• The bout took place under the Titan FC banner in March 2016.
• It was Dawson's seventh professional win.

Dawson barely needed half a round to impose himself on Smith, quickly forcing another rear-naked choke finish on the regional circuit. The win showed how quickly his grappling could decide fights once he got even a brief positional edge.

Key moments

• Dawson submitted James Smith at 2:30 of the opening round.
• The finish came under the Victory FC banner in April 2015.
• It gave Dawson his second professional submission win.

Dawson's second professional outing ended with a different submission, but the same basic story: early control, quick advancement, and a tap before round one could get old. The armbar showed that his finishing game was not limited to one choke sequence.

Key moments

• Dawson tapped Matt Williams with an armbar at 2:29 of round one.
• It was Dawson's second professional victory.
• The finish came at Dynasty Combat Sports 12 late in 2014.