Back in the lightweight division full time, Jared Gordon goes in search of his fourth straight victory this weekend. In order to get it, he’ll have to get through once-beaten rising star Grant Dawson.
The 33-year-old Gordon often felt torn between two weight classes — a little undersized for lightweight, but a little too big for the 145-pound ranks. After missing weight for his 2021 debut against Danny Chavez, the Sanford MMA representative committed to a return to lightweight, and continued his winning ways with a hard-fought split decision win over Joe Solecki to move to 18-4 overall.
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Dawson enters Saturday’s contest with a stellar 17-1-1 record and is unbeaten in the UFC, yet facing some questions after a change in camps. He too has only recently moved up to lightweight after a long run at featherweight, and last time out, he slowed down the stretch en route to a majority draw result opposite Ricky Glenn.
Gordon is one of the more experienced and battle-tested hands in the 155-pound weight class, while Dawson has shown flashes of having Top 15 potential. This is a perfect matchup at the perfect time for each of these competitors, and should produce an exciting contest once they’re locked in the Octagon together this weekend in Las Vegas.