About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grant Dawson met the media Saturday after his win over Nurullo Aliev at UFC 333.
Dawson (25-3-1 MMA, 13-2-1 UFC) took a unanimous decision from Aliev (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) on the prelims at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Dawson had a rough first round in hostile territory, but rallied in the second and third to take the nod.
Although Dawson lost the first round from all three judges, Aliev was deducted a point for strikes to the back of the head, which left Dawson with a trio of 29-27 tallies instead of 29-28.
"He's a tough kid – very tough kid. He's going to have a very bright future. There's going to come a Saturday where he's a better fighter than me. He's young. He's going to grow. He just wasn't better than me this Saturday, and that's what counts (to me)."
"We knew he was going to come out strong. We knew he was going to come out super mean, super strong and try to put me away early. Weathering that storm – I expected to lose the first round. I think I did. That's exactly what we thought was going to happen. I was hoping to get him out of there, but he's so good. He's so explosive, you've got to stay safe with him."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Grant Dawson knew weathering Nurullo Aliev's storm was key at UFC 333
Source: Sports
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