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Grant Dawson, UFC 328

UFC lightweight contender Grant Dawson revealed the “family crisis” he and his wife, Elle, went through during UFC 328 fight week.

Dawson fought Mateusz Rebecki on the preliminary card of UFC 328, which took place on Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. In one of the finest performances of his UFC career to date, Dawson survived a brutal knockdown in the second round to systematically break down Rebecki with his elite ground game in the third round, before finishing him via rear-naked choke with just 18 seconds left in the fight. With the victory, Dawson moved to 12-2-1 in the UFC with seven finishes since he first joined the organization in 2019.

Following the victory, Dawson was visibly emotional, and in his post-fight interview with reporters, it became evident why the win over Rebecki meant so much to him.

Grant Dawson Reveals ‘Family Crisis’ During UFC 328 Fight Week

Speaking to the media following the fight, Dawson mentioned that he and his wife needed a vacation after enduring a “family crisis” this week. When asked what was going on, Dawson revealed that he and his wife lost their unborn child last Monday.

“My wife and I were expecting our first baby, and we found out on Monday that we lost the baby, so it’s been a rough week. My amazing wife soldiered through it, toughed it out, no emotion, got me through this, and I promised her a little vacation for us to go and do our thing,” Dawson said.

What’s Next for Grant Dawson After UFC 328?

The win over Rebecki will get Dawson one step closer to the top-15 lightweight rankings. He used to be ranked in the top 15, but he lost the number beside his name when he suffered a knockout loss to Manuel Torres two fights ago. Now that he’s gotten past a tough opponent in Rebecki with an impressive finish at UFC 328, it will get Dawson one step closer to once again cracking the rankings.

Taking a look at the rankings, Beneil Dariush is ranked No. 14 and could make for a sensible next foe for Dawson, given they are both grappling-based fighters who have never fought before. Dariush is coming off a bad knockout loss to Quillan Salkilld in his last fight, and he has been knocked out in four of his last five bouts, so he would likely be happy to fight a grappler like Daawson next. Plus, Dariush is taking some time off right now, and Dawson also said he doesn’t want to fight until the end of the year, so their timelines could match up well. Otherwise, there isn’t really anyone free in the top 15 that makes sense for Dawson in his next fight.

If he doesn’t get someone ranked in the top 15 next, then Dawson could fight an unranked opponent as he looks to build back towards the rankings. Overall, “KGD” has won four of his last five fights, so he has performed well in recent years, and following this outstanding finish over Rebecki, it won’t be long until Dawson gets another opportunity to be a ranked 155 lbs fighter.