Tomorrow night in the main event of UFC Vegas 80 we are going to see a big time showdown in the lightweight division. Grant Dawson (20-1-1) will look to continue his surge in the lightweight division as he takes on an OG of the fight game in “King” Bobby Green (30-14-1).
Starting with Bobby Green, things looked pretty bad for Green at the close of 2019. In fact, he hinted at retirement. Then, he went on a three-fight winning streak that rejuvenated his career. He suffered two setbacks but they were both to good opponents in Thiago Moises and Rafael Fiziev.
After back-to-back impressive wins over Nasrat Haqparast and Al Iaquinta, Green got a short notice headliner against current champ Islam Makhachev. He lost that fight and then lost to Drew Dober, but those led him to UFC 291 against Tony Ferguson. Green choked out the former interim lightweight champion for the biggest win of his career.
Grant Dawson earned a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017. Since making his debut with the promotion, he’s unbeaten. Dawson has gone 8-0-1 in nine fights. Now, he came in originally as a featherweight but had to move up to lightweight. Since moving to lightweight, he’s 4-0-1 in five fights. Most recently, he defeated the tough Damir Ismagulov back in July. That was on the heels of submissions over Jared Gordon and Mark Madsen.
UFC Vegas 80 Prediction
Grant Dawson will enter the octagon tomorrow night ranked tenth while Bobby Green is not ranked. One would think it’s an odd fight to take if you’re a rising young contender like Grant Dawson. However, what Green lacks in ranking, he has in name recognition and toughness. This is a very solid test for Grant Dawson because Green is going to test him.
Bobby Green has some of the best boxing in the lightweight division. Green also has very good cardio and he’s incredibly fast. Not too mention, he’s got incredible takedown defense and he’s tough to hold down. All of those things are going to be a big test for Grant Dawson.
With Dawson, there are questions about his cardio leading into UFC Vegas 80. Will he be able to keep up the pace over five rounds. I don’t see him submitting Green quickly the way Islam Makhachev did. I think this is going to be a battle. In fact, I think we go all five rounds. Ultimately, I lean ever so slightly towards Dawson winning a close decision. I think he’ll do enough to win some rounds, but it’s going to be tough and he’s going to look like he’s been in a fight.
Prediction: Grant Dawson by Decision