Speaking of growing, Dawson will be making his UFC debut at 155 pounds this weekend after a run at featherweight. For the Wisconsin native, this will be the home for what he hopes will be his first title run.
“The move to 155 is definitely gonna be a permanent move,” he said. “I think it’s better and I think that it will help me be able to move on to fighting more times a year because being able to make that weight more times a year is going to move me towards taking short-notice fights.”
Dawson got to make the walk twice in 2020, defeating the aforementioned Minner and Nad Narimani to extend his current winning streak to seven and his overall record to 16-1. And now he’s jumping into more deep water among the lightweights, starting with Santos, who has never lost in eight UFC bouts. That’s the good news for the Brazilian. The bad news is that those eight fights have taken place over nearly eight years. That makes him a dangerous foe for Dawson, but if he beats Santos, he may not get the proper credit he deserves given the former TUF Brazil 2 winner’s sporadic appearances. Not surprisingly, Dawson doesn’t care.
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“They (the UFC) don’t call me,” he said. “They call my manager and my coach and they know what the goal is. Years ago, I told them, ‘Don’t even ask me. If you like the fight, say yes and we’ll do it.’ So it really wasn’t a decision I made; it’s a decision that my team made and I’m cool with it. I think I’m one of the best in the world, I think I’m going to be the best in the world someday soon, so whoever they put in front of me doesn’t really matter as long as it gets me closer to that title shot and somebody who’s undefeated over Kevin Lee and Stevie Ray, that’s definitely something that’s gonna push my name forward, if not with the fans, at least with the promotion.”
Can’t argue with that logic, because the UFC and hardcore fight fans know how dangerous Santos is, so a win at the APEX will be a big deal, especially for his debut in the division. And after that, well, Dawson is a young man in a hurry, but not a foolish one, so he wants to get to the top, but only when the time is right.
