Grant Dawson compares Green's defeat to Makhachev-Martin's

Lightweight contender Grant Dawson hopes to rebound from the first loss of his UFC career this Saturday at UFC 302 in Newark, facing local favorite Joe Solecki.

Dawson (20-2-1) will bring a new nickname with him this weekend, in addition to his first loss in the promotion: KGD. “It stands for 'King Grant Dawson,'” the 30-year-old Wisconsin native said in a recent interview with Cageside Press. “I'm a huge fan of 'He Who Has the Golden Rules' and the nickname 'King' was already taken. I was hoping to steal it from Bobby Green, but that didn't go so well. So he can keep the name 'King,' I'm sticking with 'KGD.'”

Much has been made of Dawson being knocked out by Green in just 33 seconds after starting his UFC run 8-0-1, but his approach hasn't changed much.

“Not really. I've always been a firm believer that there are going to be bumps along the way,” Dawson explained. “This is going to sound really weird, but I didn't get into this sport to beat Bobby Green. I got into this sport to be a world champion, and I know there are people in the comments saying, 'If you can't beat Bobby Green, you can't be a world champion,' but we all know that's bullshit, we all know that's bullshit.”

Dawson cited Islam Makhachev, the current UFC lightweight champion who happens to be headlining in Newark, as an example. “Islam Makhachev lost to a guy who lost seven fights in a row after knocking him out, and now everyone thinks he's the second coming of Jesus Christ or maybe Allah, I guess.”

That would be Adriano Martins, the only loss on Makhachev's record. To be fair to Martins, he lost five of his next six fights, and another fight ended without a win. But that was for sure. As for the doubters, “I know people doubt me, but I don't give a damn,” Dawson exclaimed. “I'm going to do what I have to do to get that win.”

During the duel with Joe Solecki, Dawson pointed out that the two are almost similar.

“I think we have a very similar style. We're almost the same guy in some ways. I think he's got a little bit better jiu-jitsu on his back and I'm a little bit better at wrestling. I think the fans who really like grappling will enjoy this fight.”

Watch our full interview with UFC 302 lightweight contender Grant Dawson above.