Dawson vs Aliev · UFC 333

Scheduled · 24 Oct 2026 UFC 333 · 3 rounds · Abu Dhabi
Grant Dawson, head-and-shoulders portrait
KGD
Record Record: 24-3-1
Wins
24
Losses
3
Draws
1
5KO/TKO
14Sub
5Dec

Red corner

24-3-1
Record
12-0-0
32
Age
25
1.78 m
Height
1.78 m
183 cm
Reach
183 cm
3.14
Sig. strikes landed / minStrikes / min — Dawson leadsSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
2.72
79%
Finish rateFinish % — Dawson leadsFinish rateThe share of a fighter’s wins that ended inside the distance — by KO/TKO or submission — rather than going to the judges’ scorecards. Higher means more finishes.
18%
Tajik Eagle
Record Record: 12-0-0
Wins
12
Losses
0
Draws
0
2KO/TKO
0Sub
10Dec

Blue corner

Full Tale of the Tape · +11 more stats · radar
24-3-1
Record
12-0-0
4-1 last 5
Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
5-0 last 5
StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
5
Wins by KO/TKOKO/TKO wins — Dawson leads
2
14
Wins by submissionSub wins — Dawson leads
0
2.14
Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbsorbed / minSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
45%
Striking defenseStrike def.Striking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
67%
Takedown defenseTD def.Takedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
11:00
Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
United States
Nationality
Tajikistan
American Top Team
Team
Kaizen MMA

Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.

What to expect

Case for Dawson

UFC lists Grant Dawson versus Nurullo Aliev as a lightweight bout on the UFC 333 preliminary card.

Case for Aliev

Aliev is the opposing lightweight named by UFC for Abu Dhabi.

What to Watch

  • Whether Dawson can establish his preferred grappling positions.
  • How Aliev responds to sustained pressure.
  • Which fighter wins the early transitions.
  • How the lightweight pace affects the later rounds.

Analysts

Independent picks — analysts, fighters and betting desks — for this fight, each traced to a timestamped source and checked before it goes live, are being verified and will appear here ahead of fight night.

Verified picks coming soon.

Fighters

Comments

Comments are currently closed while we finish moderation and privacy controls.